Eid el-Kabir: Buhari In Daura, Urges Tolerance In Nigeria

BY DAMOLA EMMANUEL

President Muhammadu Buhari has landed in Daura, his homestead in Katsina State, where he will celebrate this year’s Eid-el-Kabir with his kinsmen on Tuesday.

He left Abuja Monday afternoon after meeting with his security Chiefs.

At the meeting, he reviewed the security situation in the country with his security chiefs and ordered them to work harder to keep Nigeria and Nigerians safe.

The Crest recalls that the security meeting was Buhari’s first major assignment since he returned to the country from his 10-day vacation in London.

Meanwhile, in his Sallah message to the nation, the President appealed to Nigerians to “rise above personal, group, sectarian and other interests, and promote harmony and tolerance in dealing with one another at all times.”

In particular, Buhari urged all Muslims to use the occasion for sober reflection and self-examination, and strive to be good ambassadors of their religion by upholding high moral values.

These were revealed in a statement issued, Monday, by the President’s Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.

In the statement, Buhari was quoted as reminding Muslims that the felicitous occasion of Eid-ul-Adha is a remembrance of the submission of Prophet Ibrahim Allaihis-Salam to Allah, his Creator, by which he taught the world the value of sacrifice in relating with one another, and when it comes to nation-building.

“We must sacrifice for others and remember always those who are less fortunate than ourselves,” the President declared.

Shehu also disclosed that President Buhari explained that religion is a major factor in influencing human behaviour towards good conduct and actions. But that Buhari regretted that selfishness, greed and corruption have overwhelmed human souls to the extent that people abandon their religious beliefs in pursuit of their greed.

The President stressed that fighting corruption is a task that must be done in order to protect the larger interests of the ordinary Nigerians who are the worst victims of diseases, poverty, malnutrition and other afflictions.

He said surrendering to corruption is not an option because it destroys society and progress of nations.

“Even if some people hate you for fighting corruption, you should not chicken out from the task as a leader because doing so is a betrayal of public trust,” Buhari said.

On the current economic challenges facing Nigerians, the President reassured that such are temporary because the welfare of the people is the main thrust of the change agenda of the administration.

He buttressed the point, citing the many initiatives unfolded by the administration under the Social Investment Programme (SIP) among which was the recent decision to distribute recovered stolen funds to the poor against the past practices of re-looting such funds by some people in authority.