Date: 2019-06-04

Easygoing Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq won another first on Tuesday, arriving the Eid prayer ground nearly one hour before the Emir of Ilorin.

Government House sources said AbdulRazaq's action was a first in the recent political history of Kwara State where his predecessors always arrived the Eid long after the emir and the Imam had been seated.

"He considers himself first and foremost a worshipper who had come to pray behind not just the Imam but also the Emir who is the leader of the faithfuls," according to one of the sources.

"That singular action has gone down in history as a deliberate effort to restore the Islamic tradition of not keeping the religious leaders, especially the emir, waiting at such gatherings."

AbdulRazaq arrived the mosque at least one hour before the prayer commenced, patiently listening to various recitations of the Qur'an and eulogy of the Prophet -- a feature of Eid prayers in Ilorin and other Islamic centres.

Many worshippers said the Governor's action was a "very laudable first" as late arrivals of his predecessors had always disrupted the religious gathering owing to heavy security operatives who would have to get the governor through thousands of worshippers.

"We hope to see the governor continue this humble practice. People prayed without being molested. For the first time, people listened to all the recitations without having them disrupted by chaotic arrival of their Governor as was the case in the past," Saheed Mustapha, a worshipper, said.

"He behaved like a typical well-behaved person. It is really a sweet departure from the ugly past which made many people to dislike his predecessors. This is because their late arrivals on account of some protocols always disrupted our programmes."