Former Vice President and Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar has appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the President Muhammadu Buhari led government, assuring that their support for the government will soon start yielding dividends.
In his Sallah message to Nigerian Muslims, the former Vice President asked Muslims to portray Islam positively through the spirit of tolerance and commitment to peaceful coexistence in their everyday conducts.
He said the lessons of this Holy month should be taken beyond the celebration, adding that self-discipline and love for fellow human beings is one of the important virtues of the Ramadan fasting period, and that these virtues should not “desert our hearts because the event has come to an end.”
He explains that abstention from eating and drinking “is an important reminder to the Muslim faithful that there are millions of others who go without food daily on account of their poverty.”
While asking the Muslims ummah in particular and Nigerians in General to continue to show patience with the Muhammadu Buhari administration, which he says is aware of hardships they were passing through, Atiku assured that their support for the government would ultimately yield dividends.
He said the President should be commended for the courageous measures he has taken to ensure public funds meant for the welfare of the people and development of the country are not stolen and diverted to private pockets of individuals.
He assures Nigerians that their patience will yield dividends, adding that “every change comes with initial challenges, pains and sacrifices for a better tomorrow.”
Also, the Nigeria Labour congress (NLC) said Nigerians should consider the Eid-el-Fitr celebration as a clarion call to higher service to this great nation in other to make the nation work again.
In his Sallah Message, President of the Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said the Ramadan fast hitch nine of the obligations of Islam availed Muslim faithful a great opportunity of self-discipline, humility, sharing, piety, scholarship, and strengthening of one’s relationship with Allah.
He said: “The celebration of Eid-el-Fitr therefore represents obedience to Allah, renewal of faith, service, and the imbibing of higher moral values.
The importance of Eid-el-Fitr therefore should not be lost on us. More than ever before, these lessons are relevant in our personal and public lives if we are to make progress as a nation.
“I therefore urge all Nigerians, Muslims and non- Muslims alike to use the celebration of Eid-el-Fitr to reflect on the state of the nation with a view to confronting the numerous challenges that beset us.
“I have no doubt that with discipline, piety, humility, scholarship, good neighbourliness or a sense of consideration for others and renewal of our faith in God, that we shall prevail.
“Eid-el-Fitr avails us an opportunity to deepen our faith in our country and our belief in ourselves to fight the vices that divide us as well as stifle national development such as corruption, social injustices, inequities, discrimination, politics of exclusion and other vices just as it avails us an opportunity to experience the pains and pangs of hunger of the poor, the deprived and the excluded.
“In light of the above, I urge all of us Nigerians to consider this Eid-el-Fitr as a clarion call to higher service to this great nation so we could have electricity, potable water, shelter, jobs, security, good roads, rail, a strong economy, and above all, a sense of belonging. Let us make Nigeria work again”.
