Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has congratulated Nigerian Muslims and their counterparts across the world for the successful completion of this year’s Ramadan fasting and celebration of Eid-el-Fitri while calling on them to intensify prayers for unity, peace and progress in Nigeria.
Saraki, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser (Media), Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu, said Muslims should adhere to one of the injunctions of Allah that formed the basis of sermons delivered in various mosques during the holy month that all citizens should pray for their leaders and their nation so that the leaders can receive divine guidance while initiating measures that will bring comfort and respite for the generality of the people.
“At this point in our national life, unity among all the different ethnic and religious groups will usher in peace and peace can only engender progress and development. We therefore need to learn to live together in peace, tolerate one another and eschew actions which can threaten the peace of the nation.
“Muslims, in particular, should continue to demonstrate the fact that the meaning of Islam is peace and therefore we should learn to live in peace with people of other faith and tolerate each other. We should also remember our fellow citizens in the North eastern part of the country who are being assailed by insurgents who call themselves Boko Haram”, he said.
The Senate President urged all Nigerians to continue to pray for our military men who are engaged in the war against the insurgents so that by the period of the next Ramadan, peace would have been totally restored to the whole of the North East and other parts of Nigeria.
He added that good follower-ship is a sine qua non for good leadership and that Nigerians should always display patriotism, pay their taxes as at when due, eschew corrupt practices and protect public facilities as if it is their own.