Kalu,Tambuwal, Ihedioha, govs pray for peace at Eid-el-Fitr

As activities to mark Eid-el-Fitr get un­der way, prominent Nigerians have urged Muslims in the coun­try to pray for peace and imbibe the lessons of Rama­dan.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tam­buwal, in his message to Mus­lims urged them to use the pe­riod of the Eid-el-Fitr to reflect on their

spiritual lives as indi­viduals and how they could contribute more meaningfully towards the unity, stability and progress of the country.

Tambuwal tasked all Nige­rians to be more dedicated to the Nigeria project, adding that with unity of purpose, building a virile and strong nation was achievable. He said despite the serious security challenges confronting the nation, the de­termination of Nigerians to see their country return to peace had never been in doubt and called on leaders at all levels to close ranks and work for the unity and progress of the nation.

Similarly, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Rep­resentatives, Emeka Ihedioha, congratulated Muslims across the country for a successful month-long Ramadan fasting, which according to him, had delightfully ushered in Eid-il-Fitr celebration. He urged Muslims to ensure that the Sallah celebration held in an atmosphere of peace, harmo­ny and unity to underpin the blessings of Ramadan fasting, while praying for an end to the security challenge in the coun­try and the peaceful and suc­cessful conduct of next year’s general elections.

Eminent businessman and former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, in a goodwill message signed by his Spe­cial Adviser, Kunle Oyewumi, stated that Islam was a religion of peace, maintaining that if the teachings of the Holy Quran were strictly followed and adhered to, Nigeria would be a better place.

The former governor noted that for any country to prog­ress and prosper, the people must imbibe the spirit of for­giveness, love, togetherness and peace.

Kalu said: “The festivity of the season should be extended to friends and loved ones in other religions. We must use this period to pray for Nigeria and our leaders.”

Congratulating Nigerians on the Eid-el-Fitr celebration, Kalu called for support for the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, especially in curbing the insurgency fac­ing the country, adding: “May the peace of Allah continue to abide with all Nigerians.”

In his message to celebrate Eid-el-Fitr, Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State urged Nigerians to pursue peace and tolerance among all ethnic and religious groups, while pray­ing for divine intervention in the contemporary challenges facing the nation. The gover­nor congratulated Muslims on the successful conclusion of Ramadan fast, which he noted was a period of purification and deep reflections on God’s eternal love and compassion for mankind.

Speaking to congratulate the Muslim faithful, Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, called on them to use the oc­casion to pray for the unity of the country, especially as the nation prepared for the conduct of the 2015 general elections. He called for collaborative efforts in the fight against ter­rorism, describing the security situation in some parts of the country as unacceptable.

His Kaduna State counter­part, Mukhtar Yero, enjoined Muslim faithful to avoid vio­lence and pray for peace as they celebrated Eid-el-Fitr to mark the end of Ramadan.

Yero said: “Our prayer is may Allah (SWT) accept all our acts of worship during the holy period and may He also forgive us our shortcomings and reward us with paradise in the hereafter.”

Reflecting on the essence of the occasion, Oyo State Gov­ernor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, urged Muslim faithful and Ni­gerians in general to consider the lessons of the holy month of Ramadan and its message of tolerance for the other person as well as forgiveness of sins.

Speaking through his Spe­cial Adviser on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, he said the month-long Ramadan fast­ing period was meant to af­firm that even as mortals, man could move towards perfection through the denial of the de­sires of the flesh, which would in turn lead to purity of the soul.

Similarly, Kwara State Gov­ernor, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed, urged Muslims to ensure that the lessons of kindness, fear of God and the spirit of help­ing the needy imbibed during Ramadan lasted beyond the holy month. Ahmed also urged Nigerians to pray for the resto­ration of peace in the country.

Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, called on the people to take advantage of the opportunity of a new begin­ning being offered by the con­clusion of the Ramadan fast to usher in a new era of peace and progress in the country.

Not left out, Ekiti State Gov­ernor-elect, Mr. Ayodele Fay­ose, congratulated Muslims in the country and Ekiti State in particular on the occasion of the Eid-el-Fitr celebration. Fayose urged Muslims to put into use the lessons of the Ra­madan “so that we can have a country where peace, love and unity endure.”

However, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State ex­pressed pained as a result of the the untold suffering the people of the state had been compelled to go through following Boko Haram’s five years of bloody attacks in the state and some other northern states.

Shettima, in his message, said tens of thousands of resi­dents in the troubled state had been displaced from their com­munities and dislocated from their families, expressing re­gret that many Muslim faithful were forced by Boko Haram attacks to observe Sallah away from their homes.

The acting Governor of Ad­amawa State, Alhaji Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, while speak­ing at the end of the 30-day fast, harped on security and the need for all stakeholders to be one in tackling the security challenges, even as he charged the security agencies to redou­ble their efforts in putting to a halt the ugly development in the state.

In a related development, the National Chairman of the Peo­ples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu, has appealed to Nigerians to use this year’s Eid-el-fitr to rekin­dle the spirit of oneness and re-dedicate themselves to the vir­tues of love, brotherliness and peaceful co-existence upon which the nation was founded.

The party’s National Pub­licity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, also called on Nigerians to apply the divine lessons learnt during the fasting period and allow their thoughts and ac­tions to be guided by them.

The Oyo State chapter of Accord Party, while felicitating with Muslims, called on them to support the party. Its image-maker, Dr. Nureni Adeniran, called on all Muslims to make use of the lessons of Ramadan by living a pious life.

In his message to mark Sallah, the Emir of Dutse, Al­haji Nuhu Muhammad Sunusi, urged all Imams and Islamic clerics to embark on special prayers for the return of peace and stability in the country.

The emir made the call shortly after Eld-el-Fitr congregational prayers while speaking to all his district heads, traditional title holders and Islamic clerics in Dutse.

On his part, the Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Ola­dunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade 111, in a statement, cautioned politicians against throwing the country into turmoil as the 2015 elections drew nearer. He said it had become impera­tive to admonish politicians to pursue their ambitions with caution because if the country broke up they would not have anyone or nation to rule.

Congratulating Muslims, the Olubadan of Ibadan­land, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade I, prayed for Allah’s protection for all during and after the celebration. Oba Od­ulana enjoined Muslims not to allow the lessons and the significance of Ramadan fast to end with it.

His counterpart, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adey­emi III, urged Muslim faithful across the country to continue to live in sanctity, forsaking sins in line with the injunc­tions of the Quoran as ob­served throughout the 30-day fasting and tasked all to em­brace peace for the sake of the nation’s progress.

Former Oyo State gover­nor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, in his message, said: “It is my utmost belief that you all will not depart from the good spirit and deeds displayed during the month of Ramadan. I con­gratulate all Muslim brothers and sisters and pray for the na­tion’s peace and stability.”

Also, the governorship can­didate of the Peoples Demo­cratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, urged Muslims in the state to pray for the peaceful conduct of the August 9 governorship election in the state.

Not left out, the Lagos State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, appealed to members of the union in the state to embrace peace and unity at all times, stress­ing that no development could take place where there was no peace and harmony.