Date: 2017-02-04

The Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu, on Friday dismissed speculations on that President Muhammadu Buhari is dead.

Shittu, who represented Buhari in Ilorin, at the formal opening of the 31st National Quranic Recitation Competition, said: "President Buhari is not dead."

The minister advised Nigerians to continue to continue to pray for the president. "There is need to pray fervently for economic recovery. President Muhammadu Buhari is not dead, he deserves prayers for sound health as well as for the entire growth of the nation," Shittu said.

The minister commended Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, for organising the event nationwide in the last 31 years. He noted that the competition would further boost the spiritual inclination of the entire Muslim Ummah.

Shittu also lauded the Kwara governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, for accepting the hosting responsibilities for the 2017 edition of the competition. In his address, the governor commended the organisers for granting the hosting right of the event to the state.

According to Ahmed, "It is pleasing to note that this year's National Qur'anic Recitation Competition has brought together Muslim Ummah from far and wide to demonstrate our reverence to the Almighty."

The Vice Chancellor of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru, enumerated some of the objectives of the competition to be "contribution to the sustenance of the tried and trusted mechanism of preservation of the glorious Qur'an.

"To select gifted and talented youths who will represent Nigeria at international Qur'anic recitation competition in 2017 as well as also discover brilliant Muslim youths for possible scholarship awards by governments and philanthropists".

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the opening ceremony of the competition was attended by the Emir of llorin, Alhaji lbrahim Sulu-Gambari, some first class traditional rulers in the state and people from all walks of life. (NAN)