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From Ndubuisi Orji, Okwe Obi, Idu Jude, Abuja, Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, Governor of Oyo State, ‘Seyi Makinde, former governor of Ekiti State and erstwhile chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), Dr. Kayode Fayemi and others have felicitated with Muslim faithful in the country as they celebrate the Eid-El- Adha.
It is a festival of ram sacrifice, an act of Ibadah (worship) to Allah as practised by Muslims globally.
Muslims Ummah in the country have said they were eager to partake in the yearly ritual in spite the economic challenges.
•Atiku, Abiodun, Makinde greet Muslims, seek prayers
In his goodwill message, Atiku Abubakar, former vice president, asked Nigerians to seek God’s blessings to elevate the country to a path of peace, harmony and prosperity.
He said the significance of the celebration is about the “profitability of being patient with God in our affairs as human beings, and most especially, as Muslims.”
He asked the Islamic faithful to take a lesson of forbearance from the “sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim” by being kind and generous to the people around them.
“The scriptures of all prophets of Allah are replete with good examples of how they related with everyone during their lifetimes,” Abubakar said.
“We are also enjoined to follow the footsteps of the prophets, especially Prophet Muhammad, which means that we must live our everyday life as a sacrifice, not just for our families, but the communities where we find ourselves.”
The former vice president further asked Muslims to pray for the country at various Eid prayer grounds, saying, “Nigeria is currently in need of prayers. We must continue to ask God Almighty to show His blessings upon the country and to elevate Nigeria to a path of peace, harmony, and prosperity.”
In his messge, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, called on Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of selflessness, sacrifice and patriotism in the quest to build a virile and economically viable country.
He said what Nigeria needs at this critical stage of her development are sacrifices, love and unity.
According to the governor, the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son, Ishmael as an act of obedience to God’s command was the greatest act of obeisance, which all Nigerians must imbibe to ensure national unity and economic growth.
“The significance of this celebration should not be lost on every Nigerian. The new government, led by President Bola Tinubu has introduced measures to launch the country on the path to development. Some of these measures, including the withdrawal of fuel subsidy, which are meant to curb wastages, require the sacrifice and the cooperation of every citizen to make them work,” he said.
Governor Makinde, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, said the continued peace and prosperity of Oyo State and the success of his government were hinged on the prayers and support of the people.
The governor maintained that once the people continued to support his administration, the government would be able to deliver on its commitment to move the state to greater heights through the action plans highlighted in his Roadmap for Sustainable Development, 2023-2027.
•Abass, Adeola urge patriotism
Deputy speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, in a statement by his media office, stressed the need for the citizens to show more love, patriotism, respect for each other, and as well as engage in fervent prayers.
While urging Nigerians to remain patriotic peace-loving, he implored the citizens to continue to pray for the peace and prosperity of the country. He also stressed the need for support for the less privileged in the society.
According to him, there is need for Nigerians to be more tolerant with each other irrespective of religious, political or ethnic affinities.
“In the spirit of this special occasion, I urge Muslims, and indeed all Nigerians, to uphold lessons of love, loyalty and sacrifice which are the foundation of the festival, during and after the festivities. This is a time for all of us to go out to reiterate our belief in Nigeria, as well as engage in acts that can solidify the peace, unity and prosperity of the nation.
“I appeal to Nigerians to continue to positively supplement the efforts of the three tiers of government, security agencies and other critical stakeholders, to ensure peace, unity and security of the nation.
“I am hopeful that the prayers that come with this great celebration will bring about peace, unity and progress in Nigeria. I wish our Muslims brothers and sisters a peaceful Sallah celebration, “ the deputy speaker stated.
Senator representing Ogun West, Solomon Adeola, noted that a strict adherence to the teachings of Islam in the areas of sacrifice, love, brotherliness, piousness, peaceful coexistence would greatly assist Nigerians in passing through the difficulties accompanying necessary policy changes of the new administration of renewed hope.
He stressed that more than anything else, the nation would need security, peace and sacrifices to implement new development initiatives as well as continue with the ongoing development efforts.
“As the new administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hits the ground running, let us all shun the debilitating approach of seeing governance as only for the elected and unelected officials of government, rather, all hands must be on deck to proffer solutions and initiatives for the good of the majority of Nigerian,” the senator pointed out.
While wishing all Muslim faithful a joyous celebration, Adeola reiterated that he would continue the effective representation that he is known for as a legislator among his new constituents in Ogun West by ensuring that “they continue to enjoy dividends of democracy from the government at the federal level as well as from his facilitated programmes in the area of education, provision of social amenities like roads, boreholes and transformers among others constituency empowerment programmes aimed at complementing efforts of government at all levels”.
•Fayemi, Oyetola urge sacrifice, love,
Dr. Fayemi described the Eid-el-Kabir festival as a celebration of the virtues of sacrifice, love and submission to the will of God, and enjoined Muslims to use the occasion to promote peace and unity in their communities and spheres of influence.
He also urged them to continue praying for the peace and prosperity of Nigeria, especially for the new government and President Bola Tinubu.
“At this point, more than at any other time in our country’s history, we require the collaborative efforts of all Nigerians working together to overcome our serious challenges of development.
“It is my hope and prayers that our Muslim brothers and sisters, in the spirit of the Salah celebrations, will work across faith and community lines to help our country achieve the goals of peace, unity, and other developmental targets.’’
He urged the Muslim Ummah to be moderate in their celebrations and not forget the true significance and lessons of the festival, which revolve around self-sacrifice, love, and submitting to the will of God.
“And these lessons learned during the Eid-el-Kabir should extend beyond the festival and apply to our lives daily as we embody the values of sacrifice, love, and peace,” he said in a statement by the head of his media office, Mallam Ahmed Sajoh.
Immediate past Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, in a goodwill message personally signed, implored Muslims to seize the opportunities embedded in the glorious period to intensify prayers for the success of the new administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima.
Oyetola extolled the rare virtues displayed by Nigerian Muslims and adherents of other faiths in the last general elections, which had culminated in the emergence and continuity of the progressive government led by President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima.
The erstwhile governor expressed his confidence in the mantra of “Renewed Hope” of the current administration to reposition the country to the path of greatness and socioeconomic rejuvenation.
•Muslims urged to pray for Nigeria
A chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Anthony Chike Ezekwugo, implored Muslim faithful to pray for the country.
He also called on residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to live in unity with other religions in and the nation.
The 2023 FCT senatorial contender tasked citizens to cooperate and collaborate with the government at all levels for the development of the territory and the nation.
He added that outcome of the just concluded polls reflected the voice of God almighty even as he called on the Senator Kingibe to be magnanimous in victory by carrying everyone along, since no individual can claim perfection and possession of the knowledge of solutions to every problem in bringing quality and inclusive leadership to the territory.
•Alli, Folarin, NUJ call for more prayers
Senator Sharafadeen Alli, representing Oyo South urged Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of godliness, charity, perseverance and spiritual intercession for the nation, saying the people should have faith in the new leadership under President Tinubu.
He said the growth and development of the country was a collective responsibility of all, urging them to brace up for the challenges inherent in placing the country on the prosperous path.
In the same vein, the 2023 governorship candidate of the APC in Oyo State, and former Senate leader, Teslim Folarin enjoined Muslims to use the Holy occasion to uphold the spiritual benefit of the celebration by extending a hand of charity, friendship and solidarity across all divides and imbibing the spirit of sacrifice and obedience to Almighty God as exemplified by Prophet Ibrahim and upheld by Prophet Muhammed
Also, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ), Oyo State council in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman and Secretary, Ademola Babalola and Sola Oladapo respectively, urged Muslim faithful to imbibe the teaching of Prophet Muhammad as well the significance of Eid-el-Kabir celebration which centres around peace, love and tolerance.
“We should learn to live peacefully with others irrespective of their religious affiliate, as well guide against any act that is inimical to the tenets of Islam.Islam is a religion of peace hence the need for practitioners to uphold the tenets and promote peaceful and harmonious co-existence amongst the citizenry.
“This year’s celebration is significance because our nation just transmitted power from one civilian administration to the other, hence the need for everyone to offer prayers for the success of the new administration. The celebration is not all about merry making but it should be used to pray fervently for the political leadership of the country. The leadership of the country needs our collective prayers and as Muslim Umah we should use the occasion of this year celebration to pray fervently for the country.”
