The festival marks the end of the Ramadan fast and is celebrated by Muslims worldwide. In his Sallah message to Nigerians, President Goodluck Jonathan said he joins Muslims “and all other patriotic citizens in the pious expectation that God Almighty will hearken to the supplications of the faithful and bless Nigeria even more abundantly with peace, political stability and national prosperity”.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Reuben Abati, the president said, “As they celebrate Eid-el-Fitri and the end of Ramadan, the President urges Nigerians to continue to support the present Administration in every possible way to ensure that the country continues to make steady progress towards the successful implementation of its agenda for positive national transformation.”
In their Sallah message, governors of Nigeria’s northern states enjoined Muslims to sustain the ideals of the month of Ramadan beyond the Ramadan period. In the message by the Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum, Babangida Aliyu, the governors urged Muslims to remain steadfast in the worship of Allah and to follow the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad-SAW as they did during the month of Ramadan.
They asked Muslims to continue to uphold the ideals of piety, patience, tolerance, perseverance, humility and self denial which were observed vigorously during the month of Ramadan. The Kaduna State Governor, Muktar Yero, called on Muslims to uphold the spirit of brotherhood of mankind as enjoined by Allah in the Quran through promoting peace, unity and progress in the entire Globe.
In a release signed by his spokesperson, Ahmed Maiyaki, Mr. Yero stated that “Islam is indeed a religion of peace and the true essence of the religion is to unite the entire mankind in love and harmony”. “We must all continue to pray and work hard towards building a peaceful, united and prosperous Nigeria,” he said. In his message, the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, urged peace, love and unity among Nigerians, saying everyone must join hands to repair the fabric of love and oneness that binds us together.
The governor said, “The month of Ramadan is intended to teach us how to live good and compassionate lives. It is a month of sacrifice, abstinence and above all, love. In that respect, I encourage us to be our neighbour’s keeper. Look out for your neighbour in the firm belief that he too will look out for you”.
“As we celebrate Eid-el-fitr, which marks the end of the Ramadan fast, I urge everyone, regardless of our religious beliefs, to continue to keep the peace and to live in unity with one another,” Mr. Fashola added. In his message, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, urged Nigerians to promote attributes that would unite the country during this period of Eid-El-Fitr celebration.
“The same way we all remembered the less fortunate and those afflicted by poverty and disease during Ramadan, I implore us to carry over those attributes to our engagements after Ramadan. “Only by so doing can we truly say we have imbibed the teachings of the Holy month into our everyday lives,” the speaker said. In his message, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, urged Muslims to embrace virtues of peace.
“At this critical stage of national transformation, please continue to pray for peace, end to security challenges and for growth and development to be accelerated in Nigeria,” he said. The Senate President, David Mark, in his message, asked Nigerians to promote peace and unity. “The Almighty God did not make mistake by putting different ethnics and religious groups together to form a one united nation call Nigeria.
“It is therefore incumbent on all of us to work toward the peace and unity that would engender progress in the country,” Mr. Mark said. In her greetings, the Minister of State for Abuja, Olajumoke Akinjide, urged Nigerians to remain fervent in prayers for the unity and peaceful co-existence of the country. “As we celebrate, we must be ready to make sacrifices for the good of the country and join hands with the Federal Government in the efforts to make the country great. “We must also continue to show genuine love and respect for one another and reflect on the ideals of unity, cohesion and mutual understanding as well as be humane to the less privileged members of the society,” she said.
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