Dino Melaye challenges Tinubu to Quranic citation contest after Umrah

Former Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye has thrown a public challenge at President Bola Tinubu: a contest to see who can cite more verses from the Quran. Melaye made the offer in a post on his X account on Monday, saying he is ready to face the President as soon as he returns from Saudi Arabia.

“Now that Alhaji Bola Tinubu is in Umrah. Immediately he comes back, I challenge him to a Quranic citation competition with me. No one can mock God,” Melaye wrote, signing off with his initials, SDM.

The challenge comes after Tinubu performed Umrah, the lesser Hajj, in Makkah. According to a statement from his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President and members of his delegation were granted the rare privilege of praying inside the Holy Kaaba.

Tinubu said he used the moment to ask for wisdom and resilience to keep serving Nigerians. “I know that prayer has been granted,” he said, recalling that he made a similar request before the 2023 election and promised to return in gratitude.

He also thanked Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for allowing him and his team to enter the Kaaba. Tinubu noted that the fencing around the sacred site is in green-white-green, which he said reminded him of Nigeria.

Prayers and politics

Reflecting on Surah Aal-Imran, Verse 26, the President said all power belongs to Allah, who gives leadership to whom He chooses and can take it away. “He is the giver and the taker,” Tinubu said, adding that power is a trust that must be exercised responsibly, with humility and in the service of the people.

He reaffirmed his commitment to what he calls Project Nigeria, saying his determination to bring prosperity and develop the country is now stronger. On the economy, he expressed optimism: “The foundation is solid, and the economy has come out of the dark tunnel.”

Tinubu also stressed the need to invest in young Nigerians, asking how leaders would want to be remembered in 50 years if they fail to build the youth’s future.

Melaye’s challenge adds a political dimension to the spiritual trip. The former senator, known for his vocal criticism, did not explain what the contest would involve or where it might hold.

What happens next: Melaye says he is ready to compete once Tinubu returns from Saudi Arabia. For ordinary Nigerians, the bigger question remains the state of the economy and security, which the President said his prayers and policies are meant to address.