Eid-el-fitri: Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar urges Nigerians to embrace peace, unity

The Etsu Nupe and Chairman, Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, has called on Nigerians to continue living in peace with one another in the interest of national unity.

Etsu Nupe made the call on Wednesday while addressing his people shortly after the Eid prayer at the Bida Eid Praying Ground.

The Royal father said that there was a need for Nigerians to ensure peaceful co-existence in the country with the view to ensure economic growth and development.

According to him, no society or country can achieve meaningful development or greatness in an atmosphere of chaos and mistrust.

The monarch also admonished Muslims to have the fear of God in all their activities, stressing that “we all have to give account of our deeds one day to our creator.”

He urged Muslims to intensify prayers during the Sallah period for the return of permanent peace in Nigeria.

According to him, prayer remains the most effective weapon against all forms of challenges.

The monarch stated further that security challenges such as insurgency, banditry and kidnapping would be overcome through ceaseless and fervent prayers by both Muslim and Christian faithful. He urged Muslims to always follow the path of dialogue in resolving differences rather than resorting to violence.

Alhaji Abubakar, who congratulated the Muslim faithful on the successful completion of the Ramadan fasting, added that only tolerance and patriotism would help the country sail through the present situation it is currently facing.

He appealed to Muslims to use the occasion to rebuild the fabric of national unity and reaffirm Nigeria’s common destiny as an indivisible entity.

The monarch expressed optimism that Nigeria would be the ultimate beneficiary of the spiritual lessons from the celebration.

He added that with prayers and fear of Allah, peaceful coexistence, mutual respect and love, Nigerians would work together and harness the abundant resources as a progressive nation.

Continuing, the Etsu Nupe appealed to wealthy individuals in the country to assist the less privileged to enable everyone to celebrate Eid-fitr with ease.

He said: “God has endowed wealth on people not for themselves and their immediate family only but for the benefit of the entire society.

“The present socio-economic predicament that we are now facing requires such assistance from well-to-do individuals in the country,” he stated.

The monarch urged the Muslim faithful to continue to pray to God, for our leaders to overcome the current challenges bedevilling the nation.

He also charged the people of his domain to send their children to school to acquire both Western and Islamic knowledge.

Meanwhile, the Chief Imam of Bida, Sheikh Adamu Liman-Yakatun in his sermon advised the Muslim faithful to imbibe the lessons of Ramadan.

Liman-Yakatun called on those who prayed and fasted for 30 days to internalise and practicalise the social and moral objectives of the holy month of Ramadan.