President Speaks to Ganduje, Says He’s Feeling Better

Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday spoke to the Kano State governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje and extended his appreciation to Nigerians for their goodwill messages and prayers, saying he was on the mend.

Buhari, who spoke on the phone in Hausa for about three minutes with the governor while a prayer session was going on at the Government House, Kano, said he was feeling better.

“Alhamdulillah (all praise be to Allah),” he said when Ganduje enquired, “how are you feeling now Your Excellency?”
During the prayer, which was broadcast live by local radio stations in Kano, Ganduje told the president that Islamic scholars and Imams in Kano were praying for his speedy recovery.

To this, the President remarked “Maa shaa Allah”, meaning God willed it, an Arabic phrase used to show appreciation for a person or event and is evoked upon hearing good news.
He expressed the hope that Allah will accept the prayers and asked the governor to extend his best wishes to the Islamic scholars.

Ganduje, who was ecstatic over the phone call, remarked that based on the tone of the president’s voice, his health had greatly improved and expressed hope that the Nigerian leader would return soon.
The governor told the president that there were over 7,000 Juma’at mosques in Kano and that he has directed them to pray for him.

Ganduje also enjoined Nigerians to continue to pray for the well-being of the president and the success of his administration.
“We prayed for Buhari to win and he won. It is now mandatory on us to rally round his government and pray for his well-being,” Ganduje remarked.

The prayers session, which brought together about 300 Imams and Islamic leaders from all Islamic denominations across the state, was attended by the Kano deputy governor, Professor Hafiz Abubakar; the Chief Imam of Kano, Professor Muhammad Sani Zahraddeen; the state Commissioner of Police, Rabi’u Yusuf; state assembly lawmakers; and a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ghali Umar Na’abba.