Moon sighted in Nigeria as Sultan declares Tuesday Eid el-Fitr

The new moon marking the end of Ramadan has been seen. The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, has said the crescent moon of the month of Shawwal has been sighted, making Tuesday Eid-el-Fitr. The monarch disclosed this in a television broadcast.

A member of the Shawwal committee had earlier said the moon was sighted in several states such as Borno, Katsina and Yobe.

“The Emirs of Gwandu, Borno, Katsina and Damaturu have confirmed to His Eminence the Sultan that there was positive sighting of Shawwal crescent in their Emirates. H.E the Sultan will make an announcement shortly. Eid Mubarak,” he had written.

Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, the Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) also said the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, will make an official announcement on Monday night. The Sultan is the head of the NSCIA. The moon was seen in Damaturu and another town, he said.

The national moon sighting committee of Nigeria also confirmed that the moon has been sighted via a tweet. “His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto will make an official announcement shortly, we regret that we can’t stream it live but it will be live on our Facebook page,” it wrote.

The sighting of the moon signals the end of the 29 or 30 days fasting by Muslims across the world in the Islamic month of Ramadan.

Meanwhile, Zamfara State governor, Dr. Bello Mohammed, has approved the purchase of 750 cows worth N83 million for the celebration of Eid-el-Fitr in the state.

A statement by the Director, Press Affairs, Idris Yusuf Gusau, said the 750 cows were to be distributed to the less privileged, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), orphans and widows as part of the administration’s commitments to improve the welfare of the people.

He urged the people of the state to use the ongoing Ramadan fast and the coming Eid-El-Fitr Sallah periods to pray for peace, stability and development of the state.

Mohammed also appealed to corporate organisations and well meaning individuals in the state to assist the less privileged in the state to complement government’s efforts at cushioning the hardship faced by them. The cows , he said, will be distributed across the 147 wards in the 14 local government areas. The cows would be slaughtered and shared to enable them celebrate the Eid- el- Fitr Sallah despite the current economic crunch in the state.

The new moon marks the end of the 29 days of Ramadan fast for Muslims. Tuesday will, thus, be the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal and the celebration of Eid-el-fitr.