President Bola Tinubu has been granted the rare privilege of entering and praying inside the Holy Kaaba in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, during his Umrah pilgrimage.
The access was granted by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, with Sheikh Dahlulah Muthawal of Masjid al-Haram leading the President and members of his delegation into the sacred site .
The President arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, October 29, 2026, and performed the Umrah at the Grand Mosque, Masjid al-Haram, in the early hours of Friday, October 30 . He was granted access to the interior of the Kaaba on Sunday, November 1, 2026, according to reports from the delegation .
The Kaaba is the cube-shaped building at the centre of the Great Mosque in Makkah, considered the holiest site in Islam. Muslims worldwide face it during their five daily prayers, and it serves as the focal point of the Hajj pilgrimage.
While pilgrims circulate around its exterior during Hajj and Umrah, the interior is closed to the public year-round and is unsealed only under rare, highly ceremonial circumstances .
Under Saudi protocol, the door cannot be unlocked without a direct royal order from the King or Crown Prince. Opening it for a visiting foreign Muslim president is regarded as the highest mark of spiritual respect and bilateral esteem the Kingdom can bestow .
The physical custody of the key remains with the Bani Shaybah family, in line with a tradition dating back to Prophet Muhammad. Before the door is opened, the family’s senior custodian is summoned to lead the ceremony .
Tinubu is the second Nigerian president in the Fourth Republic to enjoy this privilege, after his predecessor, the late President Muhammadu Buhari .
Reflecting on the experience, Tinubu said he was struck by the Kaaba’s fencing being in Nigeria’s national colours of green, white and green.
“I want to say a big thank you for the faith, for the recognition. I can’t believe the fencing of the Ka’abah is in Green-White-Green, which reminds us of the Nigerian identity,” he said .
He thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the hospitality and recognition given to him as leader of the delegation.
“It is an honour that I enjoyed, and it is gracious of them to have allowed me to enter inside the Ka’abah. This is history,” the President said .
Tinubu said he prayed for wisdom and resilience to continue serving Nigerians, and expressed confidence that the prayer had been answered.
“Well, I asked for wisdom and resilience to continue to serve the people. I know that prayer has been granted. Before the 2023 election, I did the same thing. I asked Allah to bless my Umrah then, and He did. And I promised that I would come back to thank Him,” he said .
He also prayed for Nigeria’s diversity to prosper, saying: “The prayer is for Allah, Subhana wa Ta’ala, to comfort our diversity. Nigeria is full of diverse people. It’s made up of all the faiths. May Allah comfort our diversity to prosperity for the entire country” .
The President was accompanied by a delegation that included Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Ali Pate, and governors of Borno, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kaduna, Yobe and Kwara States . Captains of industry, including BUA Group Chairman Abdul-Samad Rabiu and Oando CEO Wale Tinubu, were also present .
Rabiu described the experience as “a once-in-a-lifetime blessing, an honour beyond measure, and a moment of divine grace that will remain etched in my heart for as long as I live” .
The honour has also drawn political reactions. Former Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye challenged Tinubu to a Quranic recitation contest upon his return, writing on X: “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” .
