Muslims across the country have received congratulatory messages on the occasion of this year’s Eid-el-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan.
Amongst the plethora of felicitators are President Muhammadu Buhari, the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi; Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and others.
Buhari, congratulated Muslims on successfully completing their spiritual obligation, in his Sallah message by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.
“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,” he said.
It was also stated in the goodwill messages as Muhammad Abubakar Sahad, president of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSIA, on Thursday, said the crescent to mark the end of Ramadan fasting had been sighted.
On the tradition of the Muslim, announcing that Friday, April 21 is the Eid-el-Fitri celebration, Sahad, the Sultan of Sokoto, in a broadcast said his office received information on the sighting of the moon to end the end of the fasting.
The gesture was not different as President-elect, Bola Tinubu in his message also said: “Beyond the self-abnegation and pious living that the fasting period imposed on us, the spiritual exercise 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.”
As for Presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi in his message urged 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.”
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.
“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,” the speaker said.
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) 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.
