As Muslims celebrate Eid-el Kabir, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) arrived in Daura, Katsina State to celebrate the Sallah holiday. Meanwhile, the President; Senate President Ahmed Lawan; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, and other Federal Government dignitaries have congratulated Nigerians on the Sallah celebrations.
In a similar vein, presidential candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, and the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, felicitated Nigerians, urging Muslims and Nigerians to live exemplary and peaceful lives with one another according to the dictates of Islam.
Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State and Nyesom Wike of Rivers State also called on Nigerians to use the opportunity to imbibe and demonstrate the values of peace, love and sacrifice that the celebration embodies.
The leaders also prayed for peace, unity and prosperity of the country during the festivities, while lamenting the spate of violence perpetrated in recent times.
They also prayed for the safety of security agencies who are fighting against bandits and non-state actors to preserve the sovereignty of the nation.
Lawan said the ninth National Assembly would continue to work assiduously and collaborate with the other arms of government towards stabilising the security and economy of the country to the relief of all Nigerians.
He said, “Since the inauguration of the ninth Assembly in 2019, we have enacted a good number of quality legislations to improve the security situation and boost the economy.
“We know that more needs to be done to overcome the challenges. The government is not relenting in addressing the challenges and we are confident they will soon become history.
“As we approach another election year, I earnestly urge Nigerians to look to the future with hope. We will continue to play our roles as a government and count on the prayers and support of the people.”
In a similar vein, Gbajabiamila; the deputy speaker, Idris Wase; and the minority caucus also rejoiced with Muslims, while calling for prayers, unity and patriotism.
Gbajabiamila, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi said, “At times like this, the speaker said it is incumbent on the people to be united as one people to face the challenges confronting the country. The speaker is optimistic that with prayers, Nigeria will overcome her challenges, while calling for special prayers for the peaceful conduct of the 2023 general elections.”
Wase, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Umar Puma, called on Muslims to use the holiday to offer prayers for the unity and progress of the country in the face of the current economic and security challenges.
Similarly, Tinubu, and his wife, Oluremi, in separate statements urged Muslims faithful to embrace peace, unity, tolerance and justice as they celebrate the Eid-el-Kabir.
Tinubu in his statement on Friday stated that the significance of the holiday should not be neglected.
