President Muhammadu Buhari, the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, 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.”
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.”
