By Deji Elumoye
The President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan; former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu; and Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, have felicitated with the Muslim Ummah on the occasion of this year’s Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.
Lawan in his Sallah message urged Muslims to continue to seek the face of the Almighty “in our various national wars, be they against insecurity or the COVID-19 pandemic, and as we strive to make Nigeria a comfortable home for all its citizens.
“As we celebrate the feast of sacrifice with worship, I enjoin us to be mindful of the risk of the COVID-19 pandemic and adhere strictly to the safety protocols prescribed by our public health authorities”.
In the message personally signed by him on Thursday, the Senate President stated inter alia: “Through total submission to His will, we can confidently confront our challenges as individuals and as a nation, assured that Allah will intervene decisively at the most appropriate moment.
“The National Assembly is collaborating with the Executive in responding to the pandemic as it affects our economy and general public system.
“Those of us in leadership positions must continue to be aware of our covenant of service with the Nigerian people. On our part as your elected representatives and lawmakers, we pledge to always respect your trust and serve your best interests.
“In this regard, the National Assembly in the past one year, has passed many bills and resolutions and conducted many public hearings to strengthen the operations of government and enhance public service delivery.
“We shall continue on the same path and are confident of making the desired impacts, with your understanding and invaluable support.
“While wishing you all a happy festival, I again urge us to celebrate responsibly, in line with the general dictates of our faith and in the spirit of the august occasion.”
On his part, the former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, sent warm felicitations to the Nigerian Muslim Ummah on the occasion of Eid-el-Kabir, urging them to pray for the peace, unity and security of the nation.
He also called on the federal government to take immediate steps to end the killings in the country, warning that Nigeria was fast becoming a killing field.
Ekweremadu in his Sallah message stated: “I felicitate with our Muslim brothers and sisters on this occasion of Eid-El-Kabir. The occasion calls for rededication to the fine principles of sacrifice, justice, and equity as exemplified by the Prophet and without which no nation can ever make any progress.
“It is also not lost on us that this is a very dire time for Nigeria, as our Muslim brethren and the nation celebrate Sallah in a state of grave apprehension, with many of them displaced by the worsening insecurity. This Sallah, therefore, serves as an opportunity to offer special prayers for the peace, unity, prosperity, and security of our country.
“I equally call on the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari, to take every necessary and urgent step to arrest this parlous situation where Boko Haram and allied insurgents, bandits, criminal aliens, kidnappers, and all manners of predatory elements have field days killing civilians and even men of the armed forces alike without corresponding or greater consequences.”
Also in his Sallah message, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Adeola, enjoined all Muslim faithful to pray for security in Nigeria as well as the end of the global scourge of COVID-19 pandemic.
Adeola said a strict adherence to the teachings of Islam in the areas of love, brotherliness, piousness, peaceful coexistence as well as tolerance will
greatly assist in promoting security of lives and property, adding that all should pray in their private homes for sustainable solution to the coronavirus disease ravaging the world.
He urged Muslims to imbibe all safety measures and precautionary protocols of COVID-19 as they celebrate the festival and afterwards, adding that they should shun social vices as contained in the Koran as such are not only detrimental to the individuals well- being on the long run but harm the fabric of society in various ways.
