- Safiu Kehinde
President Bola Tinubu has on Friday attended the wedding Fatiha of the children of the Minister of State for Defense, Bello Matawalle.
Tinubu, who was accompanied by the President of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, Carlos Manuel Vila Nova, graced the event held at the National Mosque in Abuja.
The President was received by Matawalle and other notable dignitaries present at the event.
As contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Matawalle gave out five of his daughters- Maryam, Safiyya, Farida, Nana Firdausi, and Aisha-in marriage.
The mass wedding also saw also five sons of the former Zamfara State Governor—Ibrahim, Abdul Jalal, Surajo, Bello, and Fahad—got married.
Tinubu reportedly received the brides on behalf of the Matawalles into the family.
Meanwhile, the officiating Imam at the wedding, Prof. Luqman Zakariyah, hailed the President for the presence at the weeding, describing him as father of all.
He prayed that his tenure would restore hope to the hopeless in society.
“We pray to Almighty Allah to give our President, who is representing all, the father of all the brides and the grooms, good health.
“We also ask Allah to grant our President long life, prosperity, and success during his presidency. We pray that his tenure will bring hope to the hopeless,” the Imam said.
The event was attended by state Governors, members of the National Assembly, members of the Federal Executive Council, Service Chiefs, members of the Diplomatic Corps, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and other well-wishers.
Some of the officials present include the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin; Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; and Sokoto State Governor, Ahmad Aliyu, amongst others.