• Dangote, Sanusi Urge Prayers, Girl-child Education
PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan Saturday restated the transient nature of power and reminded public office seekers that the various public offices being held by individuals were only for the earthly journey and therefore, must be sought with grace. Jonathan’sadmonition came on the heels of similar calls for prayer by President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and Emir of Kano, Alhaji Lamido Sanusi. While Dangote urged Nigerians to pray for peace and security, Sanusi called on parents to invest in educating their children, especially girls.
President Jonathan spoke to a delegation of the Muslim Community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), led by Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo and Minister of State, FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide. The delegation were at the Presidential Villa to pay Jonathan a traditional Sallah homage during which the President noted that the situation should remind individuals of the need to be humble and kind to others.
Jonathan, who stressed the importance of forgiveness, noted it was an attribute cherished by the Almighty, and appealed to Nigerians not to relent in forgiving one another.
“For us, as a nation, we should use this period to charge ourselves, call on ourselves, encourage ourselves to continue to pray for the forgiveness of those who are doing things that are not religious and for Allah to see us through. I believe in this country, I believe that Nigeria has a lot to offer, not only to Nigerians but to the world and that, surely, we will get to where we want to go.
“Whatever obstacles we see are very ephemeral and part of history of nation building, if you read the history of all nations, there is no nation that does not pass through some challenges, but they got over it and moved ahead. I think we are getting over our problems.”
The President, who made allusion to the Holy Pilgrimage to Mecca by Muslims, said, “the Hajj is quite unique. We just watched the people who are performing the rites on television; you see that everybody is wearing the same thing. It showed that the kind of ranks we give to ourselves here are for the earthly journey. There, no president, no messenger.
“That should teach us that we should be humble and be kind to ourselves in the spirit of the moment, giving gifts and that reminds us about the significance of the moment when Abraham was to sacrifice his son, the only one he had, of course, the angel replaced him with a ram. That is the essence of this period.”
Jonathan, however, noted that there were indications that the country, under his watch, had started getting over its challenges, and said the nation would definitely get to its desired place among the comity of nations, because all obstacles on its way at present are ephemeral.
He said this year’s Eid-el-Kabir was unique because the Arafat Day fell on a Friday and the celebration coincided with the nation’s centenary, an indication he said that something good was about to happen in the country. Although the nation had its challenges, he said, there would be light at the end of the tunnel, even as he expressed confidence that the activities of the Boko Haram sect and other global terrorists do not have religious backing.
“Only yesterday, a British Aid worker was slaughtered by ISIS, and that is not Islamic. Boko Haram killing innocent children and women in market places, in mosques and schools definitely has nothing to do with religion,” he added.
Sambo, in his short remarks, thanked the President for his continued support for the Muslim community in the country. Praying for peace in troubled parts of the country, the Vice President also prayed for wisdom and the continued good health of Mr. President.
“We call on Nigerians to continue to pray for the nation so that we can succeed in our terrorism war. They should continue to support this administration and be their brothers’ keeper,” he said.
Sambo and Akinjide later presented giant sallah greeting cards to the President.
Akinjide, in an interview with State House correspondents, called on residents of the FCT to remain law-abiding and support the present administration’s transformation agenda.
The Senator representing the FCT, Philips Aduda, also urged residents to be vigilant and report all suspicious movements to security agents.
Alhaji Dangote, in a statement, urged Nigerians to use the opportunity provided by the festival to pray for the nation at this time so that peace and security could prevail. He said his belief in the country remains unshaken because no challenge defies God. He pointed out that Nigerians should continue to pray to God and cooperate with government to jointly solve the nation’s problem. The acclaimed richest man in Africa wished all Muslim Ummahs a spiritually rewarding festival, and described the present situation in Nigeria as a passing phase. Dangote advised Nigerians not to be overwhelmed by despair.
Dangote stated that the eid-el kabir, as a feast of sacrifice, should be used by Muslims to sacrifice for the progress of the nation and to rededicate themselves to the service of God and humanity.
He stressed that both Islam and Christianity preach peace, love for one another, honesty, and insisted that “it is high time Nigerians rededicated themselves to maintaining good virtues, without which the country would continue to wander hopelessly.”
He reiterated his plan to invest $12 billion in the country, out of which $2.3 billion will be invested in sugar and rice production in Adamawa State to create about 180, 000 jobs and combat terrorism in the North East.
Alhaji Sanusi, the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, now the Emir of Kano, called on parents to invest massively in girl-child education. He insisted that the best favour parents could do their wards would be to give them proper and quality education.
He made the call yesterday to thousands of Muslims faithful immediately after the Eid-el-Kabir prayer, which was held at the Kano Central mosque. After calling for constant special prayers for everlasting peace in the country, he then urged faithful to avoid committing sinful acts that could earn them Allah’s wrath.
Sanusi charged people to continue being law-abiding citizens and live peacefully with one another for a sustainable development of the state and the nation at large. The Emir urged well-to-do individuals to assist the poor during this period so as to enable the less privileged celebrate the occasion with ease and happiness.
Source: Guardian
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