EID-EL-FITR: SARAKI, EKWEREMADU, DOGARA, ATIKU, GOVS, OTHERS TASK NIGERIANS ON NATION BUILDING

By Our Reporters

ABUJA—SENATE President Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Speakers of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and his deputy, Yusuff Lasun, state governors among others, yesterday, urged Nigerians to avoid all forms of recriminations and face the challenges of nation building, calling  on Muslim faithful to sustain the virtues of Ramadan.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, All Progressives Congress, APC, the Emir of Ilorin  Alhaji Sulu Gambari, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and its, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterpart, also congratulated Muslims for successfully completing Ramadan.

Similarly, Governor Ambode Akinwunmi of Lagos, Olusegun Mimiko, of Ondo State, Senator Ben Ayade of Cross River State, Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu,  Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State and Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, also felicitated with Muslims.

In the same vein, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr    Kayode Fayemi and Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, commended Muslims for ending the Ramadan well.

Saraki

FILE: PRESIDENT MUHHAMADU BUHARI (M) AT THE EID-EL-KABIR CELEBRATION AT THE DAURA EID PRAYING GROUND IN KATSINA STATE ON THURSDAY (24/9/15).

Henry Umoru and Joseph Erunke, report from Abuja that the Senate President and his deputy, while congratulating Muslims on a successful Ramadan period, urged Nigerians to remain steadfast and prayerful in the face of daunting socio-economic challenges.

According to Saraki through a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, urged Muslim faithful in the country to sustain the values and virtues which the holy month of Ramadan taught them in their day-to-day relationship with God and fellow human beings.

Saraki said: “I urge all Nigerians, across religious divide, to remain steadfast, prayerful and patriotic . The virtues of moderation, piety, regular supplication to Allah and being our brother’s keeper should subsist beyond the Ramadan. Beyond this, every Nigerian should seek to contribute to rebuilding the nation with renewed vigour.

“I also urge Boko Haram insurgents and other agents of destabilization across the country to retrace their steps and give peace a chance in the spirit of the Eid-el-fitri. Again, Nigerians who nurse one grudge or the other against the state should seek for legitimate and peaceful means of expressing their grievances so that it will be possible for their position to be better understood   and addressed through constructive dialogue.

Ekweremadu

On his part, in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media, Uche Anichukwu,  Ekweremadu said: “On  this blessed occasion, I rejoice with the Nigerian Muslims and wish them a hitch-free Sallah celebration. I equally urge them to carry the lessons of the Holy month of Ramadan beyond the month by remaining a people who  forgive and eschew rancour and bitterness, while also remaining just and sincere in their dealings with fellow Nigerians.

“As Nigerians, we must continue to strengthen the spirit of oneness, regardless of religious, ethnic, regional, and political diversities, for that is the only way to surmount our daunting challenges and build a greater Nigeria.”

Dogara

Johnbosco Agbakwuru, reports that  Dogara in a message by his Special adviser, Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, urged Muslims to use the period of Eid- el- Fitri to pray for Nigeria to overcome its present challenges.

Dogara also charged Muslims to allow the lessons of humility, sacrifice, love and selfless service garnered during the 30-day fast to guide their lives and activities.

He said: “May I use this opportunity   to urge the faithful to use the occasion to reflect on the lessons of Ramadan and continue to imbibe its teachings which are primarily premised on selflessness, sacrifice, patience, modesty and spirituality.”

Deputy Speaker

Also felicitating the Muslims, the Deputy Speaker Yussuf Lasun, appealed to Nigerians to love one another irrespective of religious inclination and eschew violence.

Lasun in a message by his Chief Press Secretary,  Wole Oladimeji, said, “The 30 days of fasting is a period for Muslim faithful to reflect on their behaviors and to make amends,  just like the Christians too have their own period of fasting, therefore, there is need to make good use of the opportunity and be closer to God and eschew violence in our daily activities.”

 APC

According to Omeiza Ajayi, National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun in a statement congratulated Muslim faithful on the successful completion of the Ramadan fast and reminded them of the cardinal message that although Eid-il-fitr signified the end of Ramadan, “the doctrines of moderation, piety, regular supplication to Allah (SWT), and being a brother’s keeper subsist always beyond the Ramadan.”

Atiku Abubakar

In related development, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, in his goodwill Sallah message to Nigerian Muslims to celebrate the end of the Ramadan fasting period, the former Vice President notes that the lessons of this Holy month should be taken beyond the celebration.

According to him, “self-discipline and love for fellow human beings is one of the important virtues of the Ramadan fasting period, and that these virtues should not desert our hearts because the event has come to an end.”

Emir of Ilorin

Meanwhile, the Emir of Ilorin and Kwara State chairman of Traditional Council, Alhaji Sulu Gambari urged Nigerians   to utilize the period of the completion of this year’s Ramadan fasting to move closer to God and pray for the great potentials of the nation by fostering peace, security and stability among the entire citizenry.

The monarch  in a statement by the National Secretary of Shehu Alimi Foundation for Peace and Development, Mallam Abdulazeez Arowona, also sued for peaceful co-existence in the nation.

Ahmed

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State, advocated for tolerance, perseverance, and love for one another as a basis for a peaceful and prosperous society.

Governor Ahmed, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Abdulwahab Oba, noted that honesty, resilience and piety were critical lessons of Ramadan which were also crucial for societal growth.

The Governor, who urged citizens of the state  to see the current national economic travail as transitory, assured them that the future was bright and promising.

FCT Minister

According, Henry Umoru,  Minister of  FCT, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello,  urged Nigerians to in the spirit of Eid-El-Fitr pray for President Muhammadu Buhari to continue in protecting him as well as giving him the wisdom to steer the affairs of the state.

In his message yesterday, Malam Bello who  congratulated Muslim faithful across the country on the completion of  the month long Ramadan fast,  urged Muslims to use the occasion to pray for the nation as well as  reflect on the lessons learnt during the preceding month of Ramadan.

Ayade

Governor  Ben Ayade of Cross River State, In his goodwill message through his Special Assistant on Media and Chief Press Secretary, Mr Christian Ita, said: “Nigerians must imbibe the lessons of the Ed-el Fitri, which include love, kindness, piety, sacrifice, peaceful coexistence and commitment to duty.”

The Governor urged Nigerians to reflect on the various challenges confronting the nation and pull together to overcome them.  The challenges confronting us as a people require the cooperation of everyone, if we are to make any meaningful progress.

Mimiko

Dayo Johnson  in Akure, Ondo State, reports that Governor Olusegun Mimiko  appealed to Muslims in the country to maintain the tempo of their   supplications to God as   the country was still in dare need of prayers  more than ever before to surmount her numerous   challenges.

In his Eid-el-Fitr message issued by the Information Commissioner,   Mr Kayode Akinmade in Akure,   Governor Mimiko called on Muslims in the nation to also sustain the lessons of   Ramadan by allowing the God-like characters they lived all through the period  to become a way of life for them.

Ambode 

According to Olasunkanmi Akoni, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, stressed the need for Nigerians to embrace peaceful co- existence where citizens regardless of ethnic, religious, political or social status can flourish.

Ambode in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, said the nation needed brotherly love and harmonious co-existence among her citizens above all other things as a means to overcome its numerous challenges.

 Ugwuanyi

Francis Igata reports from  Enugu that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, called on Muslim faithful and Nigerians in general to take advantage of the spiritual rebirth that Ramadan represents to promote love, peace and justice as well as reflect on the importance of unity in the country.