From Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin, Jude Owuamanam, Jos, Ndubuisi Orji and Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Mr. Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), state governors, minister and others have congratulated Muslim across Nigeria, who, yesterday, joined their counterparts across the world to commemorate Eid-el-Maulud.
It is the commemoration of the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad
CAN President, Daniel Okoh, in a congratulatory message, prayed that the occasion would strengthen peace and unity in Nigeria and herald socio-economic growth and development.
He said: “On behalf of CAN and the Christian community at large, I extend our warm congratulations and heartfelt greetings to the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, and all our Muslim compatriots across Nigeria on the auspicious occasion of Eid-el-Maulud.
“As we commemorate this significant festival, we acknowledge Nigeria’s diverse society, comprising individuals from various ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. It is within this rich diversity that our strength as a nation resides.
“Consequently, we must persist in promoting mutual respect, understanding, and peaceful co-existence among all religious communities.
“Once more, on behalf of CAN, I wish the Muslim faithful in Nigeria a peaceful celebration.”
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) and former Anambra State governor, urged Muslims to pray for lasting peace in the nation, and in keeping with the Holy Prophet’s teachings.
He urged them to continually extend brotherly love to their countrymen and women, especially the poor, in their midst irrespective of their tribe or religious beliefs.
“I heartily felicitate all the Muslim faithful in Nigeria, as they celebrate the Eid-El-Maulud, to honour the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.
“The ceremony, once again, provides us an opportunity for sober reflections as we seek the prophet’s intercessions for divine intervention on the many challenges facing our nation on all fronts.
“Nigeria has continued to contend with many challenges, some of which are obvious disunity among the people, extreme poverty, high rate of unemployment, and high level of insecurity,” he said.
Emulate Prophet Muhammad –Mbah
In his goodwill message, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State urged Nigerians to learn to coexist peacefully, regardless of their religious beliefs, saying doing so will promote peace and accelerate development.
The governor, in his Eid-el-Maulud message issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Dan Nwomeh, urged Muslims to always exhibit the same humility, empathy, and sympathy for the poor and needy as exhibited by Prophet Muhammad.
Mbah also enjoined the populace to embrace the spirit of patriotism by assisting government initiatives both locally and nationally.
“As we celebrate the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, let me implore our people to take inspiration from his life and practise the virtues of peace, humility, selfless sacrifice, devotion, love of neighbours, and support for government at all levels.
“In a time like this in the history of our nation, there is much we can learn from the Prophet’s life that will act as catalyst for nation-building and national growth. We owe it to ourselves to always uphold the law.
“As a state, we will continue to defend our people and residents, guarantee that they live in a safe environment, and make the ultimate sacrifice of escorting whatever unlawful activity there may be out of the state. We are wasting no time in providing the necessary amenities for our people to enjoy a decent standard of living.”
•AbdulRazaq: Be steadfast
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, yesterday, joined the 2023 public commemoration of the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad in Ilorin, even as he urged Muslims to be steadfast.
At the Eid-el-Maulud celebration held at Kwara Stadium complex and attended by the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, members of the state executive council, eminent personalities and other Muslim faithful, the governor called on the Muslim Ummah to imbibe a strong sense of community built on the fear of God and collective good.
“There is no limitation to how far we can go if we always act as a community of people united by common humanity and interdependence. I urge us to work together as one people, joined by one destiny and exemplary values.
“I assure you that our administration will continue to do its best within the available resources to serve you in fairness.
“I urge every one of us to remain steadfast and serve Almighty Allah accordingly. Do not be distracted by anything,” he said.
•Obaseki urges peaceful co-existence
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, also called for peaceful co-existence.
“This celebration offers an opportunity for thoughtful reflection as a people and reinforces the need for tolerance and peaceful co-existence.
“Despite our religious, tribal, ethnic and political affiliations, the prophet’s message of peace and good neighbourliness should motivate us all to work together towards building a strong, united and prosperous Nigeria.
“I also urge the Muslim faithful to use the occasion of the celebration to pray for peace and the progress of our dear nation.
“As a government, we will continue to make policy decisions that reflect our diversity as a people and sustain the peaceful co-existence of all residents in Edo State.”
•Mutfwang congratulates Muslims
Plateau State Governor, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, encouraged the Muslim Ummah to pray for the unity, peace, and progress of Plateau State.
He specifically urged them to pray earnestly for an end to the security challenges currently facing both the state and the nation as a whole.
He called on the Muslim community to follow the teachings and values of Prophet Muhammed, emphasising love, tolerance, and peaceful co-existence.
He enjoined them to emulate the timeless lessons from the Holy Prophet’s life, which include perseverance, devotion, sacrifice, tolerance, charity, selflessness, and humility in their daily lives for the benefit of the society.
He emphasised the significance of revisiting the history of the Holy Prophet’s life during the celebration and pleaded for harmonious co-existence with one another, regardless of differences, as exemplified by the prophet.
•Adeleke preaches peace, unity
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has called on Muslim faithful to use the occasion to further sow the seed of peace and unity.
According to the governor, peace and unity are key to a sustainable world of harmony and cohesion.
Adeleke, who referred to the birth of Prophet Muhammad as a moment of profound significance for Muslim Ummah, said the guiding light served by the Holy Prophet to humanity must not be lost on every Muslim.
While congratulating Muslim faithful in the state on the commemoration, he urged them to be guided by the exemplary life of compassion, justice, giving, kindness and humility that defined the Holy Prophet in all his conducts.
He also enjoined Muslims to take note of the message of love, peace and unity that characterised the life of the prophet.
“We must work on ourselves to embrace our individual differences and pursue a harmonious co-existence with our neighbours, irrespective of colour, faith and tongue,” he said.
Adeleke called on the people of the state to use the occasion to pray for Allah’s divine intervention in overcoming all personal and collective challenges so that the state would continue to flourish in line with general expectations.
•Imbibe virtues of charity, forgiveness –Abbas
House of Representatives Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas Tajudeen, urged Islamic adherents to emulate the prophet. He noted that his life and teachings will continue to inspire more generations to come.
He said the period calls for sober reflection on the life and time of the Holy Prophet, who, according to him, “was the most peace-loving human being to have ever lived on earth.”
Abbas said Muslims and other Nigerians should imbibe the virtues of charity, forgiveness, honesty and patriotism. According to him, these are some of the qualities that leaders, and followers alike, should have to be able to have peace and progress in their country.
He also urged Nigerians to use the occasion to pray for their political, religious and traditional leaders, while expressing hope that the prayers and collective efforts by all stakeholders will take the country out of its current challenges.
•Umahi tasks Muslims on Muhammad’s virtues
In his message, Minister of Works, David Umahi, said: “As you celebrate this memorable event, may the joy of the ceremony continue to strengthen our resolve to work for humanity and grant us the divine persuasion to bear the fruits of peace, honesty, generosity, self discipline and sacrifice which are the virtues of Prophet Muhammad and the values of his teachings.
“At this moment of our trajectory, the power to overcome our challenges lies squarely on our will to cultivate the best leadership and follower-ship attitudes as that will guarantee our hope in seeing the best even in difficult times.”
According to him, President Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is on a decisively calculated mission to restore the dignity of the nation and this calls for sacrifice and best attitudes by all Nigerians no matter the language, faith or class.
“Be assured that the predicaments of the time will soon vanish and our dear country, Nigeria, will soar again in the comity of nations,” he said.
•Ahiwe urges tolerance
The 2023 Abia State Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Okey Ahiwe, also felicitated with Muslim faithful across Nigeria, particularly in Abia State.
While wishing all Muslims the abundant blessings of Allah, Ahiwe called on Muslim leaders across the country, particularly in Abia State, to continue to educate their followers on the need for everyone to join efforts to make Nigeria an oasis of peace and security for the present and future generations.
In what he called a message of brotherhood, he noted that Muslim faithful in Abia State have, over the years, exemplified the iconic peace of Islam as established by Prophet Mohammed, and urged them to continue to be ambassadors of peace and tolerance in the state.
“I am glad to join our Muslim brothers and sisters across Nigeria, especially in Abia State, to mark this year’s Eid-el-Maulud celebrations. I must commend the Muslim community in Abia State who have, over the years, demonstrated exemplary commitment to sustaining peaceful co-existence with non-Muslims, particularly Christians, with whom they have shared mutually beneficial social and entrepreneurial partnerships. This is in line with the cannons of the Islamic religion as established by Prophet Mohmmed, and I urge them to uphold the tradition of peace without which there can be no meaningful development or progress.”
•Defence chief salutes members of armed forces
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Christopher Musa, has saluted members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) on the occasion.
In a statement by the Director of Defence Information, Tukur Gusau, he said the occasion is an opportunity to thank the Almighty Allah for His blessings, protection and guidance through the difficult and challenging times in the quest to secure the nation.
He pledged the military, as an important segment of the society, would continue to commit itself towards ensuring peace and stability in the country.
“It is our prayers that through the commitment of all Nigerians, the Almighty God will see us through our daunting security challenges.
“This year’s Eid-El-Maulud celebration is an opportunity for members of the AFN to imbibe the virtues of the Holy Prophet Mohammed and pray for the unity and progress of our dear nation,” he said.
The CDS urged all Muslims to pray fervently to Almighty Allah for peace and progress in Nigeria and wished all happy and peaceful celebrations.
He used the opportunity to reaffirm the unalloyed loyalty of the armed forces to constitutional democracy and President Bola Tinubu.
