President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday charged Islamic clerics to intensify prayers for a better and progressive Nigeria.

He made the call during breaking of Ramadan fast with religious leaders at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Recalling his last meeting with the scholars during the last Ramadan period in 2015 and similar meetings with Christian clerics before the Ramadan period, the President said the meetings were useful and meaningful as various developmental ideas were offered on how best to move the nation forward.

He said: “I’m very pleased we have actually met. Before the Ramadan I met our Christians brothers, from all over the country and exchange ideas with them.

“I’m very pleased, we realized that this is our problem, the country’s problem is our problem. Nobody will solve it for us. We pray very hard to God. We work very hard and let us continue that way.

“I believe the riches God endows unto Nigeria, we will realize, our children will realize and our great-grandchildren will realize.

“If we have problems, this is the only country we have. I said it more 30 years ago. We quickly go out, we go to pray in Saudi Arabia, we go maybe to other developed countries, but this is home.

“This is where God put us and we have to stay here and pray many times per day for God to guide us so that we can leave a better country to the next generation.”

He urged the religious leaders to continue to preach the virtues of peace, tolerance and understanding among their followers to ensure speedy transformation of the country.

The Chief Imam of Zone 3 Juma’at Mosque, Imam Tajudeen Mohammad, who spoke on behalf of the Islamic clerics, reiterated the determination of the clerics to continue to pray for peace and rapid development of the country.