By Kenneth Anam
Members of the Muslim Ummah led by Alhaji Garuba Lawan, head of the Muslim community and Sarikin Hausa/Fulani Community in Cross River state, paid a visit to Rev. Eyoanwan Bassey Otu, Wife of the Cross River Governor, in a bid to foster interfaith harmony and promote mutual understanding between different religious communities in the state NEGROIDHAVEN can report.
Rev. Otu assured them of the Governor’s commitment to running an inclusive government: ‘we are all stakeholders in the Cross River project, and this government is an all-inclusive government’, she assured.
My role is that of advocacy, I am only complementing the governor. I will mention your concerns to His Excellency and remind him of the promises made earlier. I also want to state that we thrive with prayers. We have dedicated the state to God as well, so we will need even more prayers, she added.
Speaking, Alhaji Lawan congratulated Rev. Otu for the victory at the polls, stating that during the campaigns, they had requested for the establishment of a Muslim pilgrim welfare board that will oversee the affairs of pilgrimage in the state, while Alhaji Sanni Baba Gombe, requested for the permission to converge and have prayers for the state.
A session of the visit witnessed Muslim prayers being offered in Efik and Arabic languages for peace, prosperity and growth of the State.
The visit of the Muslim ummah to the Wife of the Governor symbolises the commitment of both the Muslim community and the state government to fostering unity, understanding, and respect among citizens of different faiths.