PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi; Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila amongst many others have congratulated Muslims across the country on the occasion of this year’s Eid-el-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan.
Buhari, in his Sallah message by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, congratulated Muslims on successfully completing this demanding spiritual obligation.
He said: “We shouldn’t forget the important lessons of Ramadan which include improving our bond with the underprivileged and poor members of society.
“Abstention from food and drinks during the fasting period had made it possible for us to appreciate the situation of those who go without eating every day.”
The goodwill messages came as Muhammad Abubakar Sahad, president of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSIA, yesterday, said the crescent to mark the end of Ramadan fasting had been sighted.
In a broadcast, Sahad, the Sultan of Sokoto, said his office received information on the sighting of the moon to end the end of the fasting, announcing that today Friday, April 21 is the Eid-el-Fitri celebration.
In his message, Preident-elect, Bola Tinubu said: “Beyond the self-abnegation and pious living that the fasting period imposed on us, the spiritual excercise we just concluded has also helped us to improve on our moral character, refine our minds in pursuit of higher ideals for which there should be no turning back.
“At the heart of our faith and a major demand on all faithful is the requirement to commit ourselves to wholesome living. This entails love for one another, love for fellow humans regardless of creed, region and ethnicity, love for our communities and love for country.
“To love one another, have compassion, empathy and love our beloved country means we must become better citizens in line with the teachings of Prophet Muhammed.
“We must constantly seek to become a better version of ourselves in patriotism, dedication to duty and honesty. We must also never be weary of doing what is right, fair and just to all.
“We are at the dawn of a Renewed Hope for a better, greater and a more prosperous Nigeria and I stand ready to walk with all Nigerians, young and old, male and female, with this opportunity to serve you in honour and dignity. This is a commitment that I have made and one in which we cannot afford to fail.”
Remain focused on peace, unity –Obi
Peter Obi in his message charged Nigerians in the spirit of Ramadan to remain focused on peace and rule of law in the country and refuse to be distracted.
Obi noted that the Holy Month of Ramadan was for all to practice restraint, decorum, and humility and enjoined all faithful to be fair and just in all dealings, help the needy and heal the ailing and promote mutual understanding and peace within communities.
These injunctions, Obi noted promote the values of universal social justice, world peace, and human progress.
The LP flag bearer said that Nigeria, the only nation we have as our own, is going through uncertainties relating to insecurity, deprivation, unemployment, and most recently, divisive flawed elections arising from the activities of fringe elements, who do not respect the rule of law and the wish of our people.
He noted that they have deployed impunity and exploited the weak national institutions to subvert the will of the people with many untoward activities directed at our people and nation.
But LP standard bearer said that in these “We remain in prayers that these challenges will be overcome without adverse shock to the polity, nation & national interest.”
Internalise Ramadan lesson- Gbajabiamila
In his goodwill message, Speaker, House of Representative, Femi Gbajabiamila noted that periods like this call for sober reflection and unity from all citizens irrespective of their religious beliefs.
The speaker said, “Nigeria is the only country we can call ours, hence the citizens, especially Muslims at this time, must work together and pray assiduously for continuous peaceful coexistence among the people.”
He noted that one of the lessons learnt during the holy month of Ramadan was that of compassion and care for the needy, urging Muslims to continue to be their brother’s keepers as enjoined by the Almighty Allah through the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Sustain values, tenets of Ramadan, Abiodun tells Muslims
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun in his congratulatory message charged Muslims on sustaining the values, morals and tenets they observed and imbibed in during the holy month Ramadan.
Abiodun, who conveyed this felicitations in a statement by Kunle Somorin, his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, noted that “though fasting is over, Muslims should strive to continue with the total devotion to the Almighty Allah, good deeds and constant remembrance as well as reverence for God”.
The governor pointed out that “as Ramadan symbolizes holiness, dedication to the worship of Allah and carrying out charity activities, Muslims in the state should stick to these pious activities, even as the holy month comes to an end”.
Adeola seeks prayers for Tinubu’s govt
Ogun West Senator-elect, Solomon Adeola in his goodwill message called on Muslims and other Nigerians to continue in their prayers for the success of the transition to a new administration in May and the incoming administration of Senator Bola Tinubu as well as other administrations at the state level and the 10th National Assembly.
He said: “We have many challenges facing the nation. From economic problems to insecurity and hazard of climate change, our nation must make serious effort to provide succor to its people. We should pray for Allah’s guidance for our incoming new leaders at all levels in fostering a renewed hope of better days and years ahead” he stated.
While acknowledging that the religion of Islam is a religion of peace and love of Allah and fellow human beings Senator Adeola urged Muslims to continue in all the pious and righteous ways associated with Ramadan.
Our collective freedom possible if…, NLC
Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in its Eid-Fitri message said collective freedom is possible only when citizens stand and work together and refuse to be divided by the preaching and pleadings to various primordial ties and vacuous sentiments.
President of NLC, Joe AJaero, said “As Ramadan comes to an end and the Moon is seen with all its excitement and anxieties heralding such occasions, Congress felicitates with all Nigerians especially workers who have borne the brunt of the continuous and unrelenting consequences of heartless and visionless governance in the country.
“We enjoin all Muslims to imbibe the spirit of this season and the virtues espoused by the great Prophet to build the nation of our dreams where there will be equality, justice, Peace and fair play. It is our responsibility as a people, especially as faithful who sit on the high moral ground to allow the expression of those same ideals enshrined in the holy book to not only drive our personal lives but to also propel our search for freedom for all people of Nigeria.
“As the Moon rises, may our freedom rise from the clutches of those who have held our nation down. As the moon is seen, may our light as a nation be seen and may we then begin to march on the path to greatness. These may not happen until we use the power that the almighty Allah has given to us in this season to pursue the dethronement of wickedness from our nation and the enthronement of liberty, honesty and integrity upon the land.
Let’s remember the poor, needy — Akpabio
Also, former Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs Ministry and Senator-Elect for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District, Senator Godswill Akpabio, charged Muslim faithful in Nigeria and in the Diaspora to ensure that they continued with the lessons they learnt during the Ramadan fast, which are forgiveness, giving to the poor and the needy and peaceful coexistence with one another.
Akpabio, in his Ramadan message by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Jackson Udom said: “Let me use this opportunity to congratulate all the Muslim Ummah on the successful completion of this year’s Ramadan. I pray that may all the requests placed before almighty Allah by our Muslim brothers and sisters during this period of fast and supplications be answered by almighty Allah.”
Saraki: Let’s transfer Ramadan’s values to our daily lives
Former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Saraki, has urged Nigerian Muslims not to drop the values imbibed during the just-ended fasting period but to adopt them as part of their daily lives and in the performance of their duties and obligations as citizens.
Saraki in a statement from his Media Office in Abuja also congratulated Muslims across the world for the successful completion of the Ramadan fasting for the Hijra 1444 and noted that the values of self-denial, empathy with the less privileged, helping the weak, living a decent life, exhibiting discipline in the use of all the senses and devoting more time to supplications before the Almighty Allah.
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