Buhari to visit Saudi Arabia twice before May ends

President Muhammadu Buhari is said to be preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia two times before the end of this month.

The trips are coming despite the fierce criticisms that greeted President Buhari’s last ‘private visit’ to London which lasted from April 24 to May 5.

In the coming trips, the first will be a trip to Makkah and Medina, where Buhari is expected to perform lesser Hajj from May 16 to 21.

The President’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, confirmed the intended trip on May 16 in a tweet on Wednesday.

He wrote, “President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted the invitation of King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the ruler of Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to perform the Umrah (lesser pilgrimage) in the Kingdom.

“To this effect, the President, accompanied by close personal aides, will embark on the journey on Thursday, 16th May. He is expected back in the country on Tuesday, 21st May.”

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Meanwhile, Ripples Nigeria gathered that after Buhari returns from the trip, he will again travel for the second time on May 30, a day after his second term inauguration, to attend a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Jeddah, a state in Saudi Arabia.

The second trip it was learnt, will keep him outside Nigeria till June 1, 2019.

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