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Former Vice President of Nigeria and Waziri Adamawa, Atiku Abubakar, has urged Muslims and all Nigerians to embrace unity and peace.
He made the call while congratulating Muslim faithful in Nigeria on the sighting of the crescent of the Holy month of Ramadan, which commenced yesterday.
In a press statement by his media office yesterday, the former Vice President noted that period of the Ramadan fasting provided an opportunity for Nigerians to seek the blessings and favours of the Almighty Allah in praying for solutions to the problems that affect citizens and the nation.
His words: “Going by the challenges that confront us as a country, this holy month presents us with another divine opportunity to seek the mercies and blessings of Allah upon our respective lives and our country as a whole.
“I will therefore call on Muslims to take utmost advantage of this holy month as we continue to promote peace and prosperity in the fatherland towards making us one people with a one future and citizens of one prosperous country.”
Describing the Ramadan as “a most sacred and special time,” National Leader and formar governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, said: “The blessed month asks of us certain sacrifices and these sacrifices are rich in significance and meaning. They are intended to increase our bond with Allah and our awareness of our fellow man. As we abstain from food, drink and other material pleasures from dawn to dusk as Ramadan enjoins us to do, let us keep in the forefront of our minds that Ramadan also asks of us to show greater compassion, empathy and understanding and enlightenment in how we treat and relate to one another.
Ramadan asks of all of us to embrace acts of kindness, love our neighbours and reach out to the poor, needy and unfortunate among us. Our nation is one gifted by Allah with bountiful resources and a good and decent people. Yet, we also face serious and dangerous challenges because of a small few who know not the way of truth, love and goodness. These people have given themselves over to that which is bad and destructive.
“During this holy month, may we fervently pray that we shall begin to overcome and defeat the chalk, which now confronts our beloved nation. We beseech Almighty Allah to grant Nigeria special favour such that we become the just, prosperous, and harmonious society He intends for us to be.
That each of us in our own humble way contributes to the wellbeing of those around us, give succour to people we find in need and study more how to solve problems instead of creating them.
Agreeing with Atiku and Tinubu, the Speaker of Taraba State House of Assembly, Professor Joseph Albasu Kunini, urged the Muslim faithful in state to pray for peace to reign in the country amid worsening insecurity.
Kunini who said this in his felicitation message to the Muslim Ummah noted that the period is meant to strengthen the relationship between the Muslim Ummah and their Creator, thus the best time to intercede for the country.
“We need to pray for peace in our dear state Taraba and the nation at large. We cannot shy away from the fact that we are weighed down by a plethora of security challenges. It is imperative for us to do this because we are approaching electioneering period and people have started jostling for various elective offices, hence only fervent prayers will ensure emergence of good leaders both at the state and federal levels,” Kunini said.
Meanwhile, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), has reassured Muslim faithful of the commitment of the Corps towards making the roads safe during the Holy Month.
FRSC Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, in a statement yesterday by the Corps’
Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, enjoined Muslims to embark on this year’s Ramadan fast with greater consciousness and pray for God’s mercy, guidance and protection as well as avail themselves solemnly to the teachings of Ramadan.
Oyeyemi assured Nigerians that the Corps would remain steadfast in achieving its vision of creating safer environment for all road users through effective collaboration with all security agencies and relevant stakeholders in the road transportation industry.
The Corps Marshal reiterated his earlier call on Nigerians to fully obey all road traffic regulations established by the Government for the maintenance of sanity on the roads.
The Lagos State Head of Service, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, in his Ramadan message to Muslim Ummah in the entire state,
especially public servants, called on them to pray for divine intervention, guidance, and God’s
blessings for the public service and Lagos State during these perilous times.
He said the Holy Month with its attendant virtues should serve as a guide as well as a moral and spiritual compass for all Muslims, urging them to uphold the tenets of Ramadan.
The Head of Service emphasised that the month demands the faithful to engage in more good deeds and giving to the needy, thereby charging Muslims to be their brothers’ keepers, just as they extend love to the needy, less privileged, and the vulnerable in Lagos.
