As felicitations trail the the celebration of Eid-el-Kabir by Muslims around the world, Delta state Governor Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori and the Executive Director (Finance and Administration) at the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Bashorun (Hon.) Askia Ogieh JP, have joined the calls for unity among Nigerians, devoid of religion and ethnicity.
They urged Nigerians to put aside their religious and political differences and push for a united country by imbibing the ideals of sacrifice exemplified by the holy Prophet Muhammed.
In a Sallah message, Governor Okowa said: “I enjoin you to use the period to uphold the spiritual benefit of the celebration by extending a hand of friendship and solidarity across all divides and imbibing the spirit of sacrifice and obedience to the higher authority as exemplified by Prophet Ibrahim and upheld by Prophet Muhammed.
“This is an opportunity for us to reflect and pray for our nation; and for all those in leadership positions so that God in his infinite mercy will continue to guide them as they steer the affairs of the country.”
While thanking the state Muslim community for the consistent support that they had always extended to his administration, Governor Okowa assured them that his administration would continue to partner them to move the state forward.
On his part, Rt. Hon Oborevwori who is also the National Treasurer of Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures in Nigeria, implored the Muslim Ummah to see the period as time to render selfless service to God and humanity.
In a Press Statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Dennis Otu, theSpeaker told the Muslim faithful to show love to one another, make selfless sacrifice and tolerate each other, adding that the period should be used to for self examination.
“Let this period also be used to pray for our beloved country and our leaders at all levels. Let us work collectively for the progress of our Country. We should continue to pray for peace and harmony in our nation, especially now that we are approaching election year.”
In his message, Bashorun (Hon.) Askia Ogieh JP, re-emphasized on the need for Nigerians to see themselves first as a united people with the common idea of peaceful co-existence and development rather than clinging onto illusions of disunity which does no one any good.
“I wish all Muslims in Delta State, Nigeria and the world a happy Eid-el-Kabir celebrations. May this celebration further help to usher peace, joy, progress and good governance to this great nation.”
