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Eid-El-Kabir: Wike, Secondus, Obi Felicitate With Muslims
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has felicitated with Nigerian Muslims on the occasion of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, urging them to emulate the Holy Prophet Mohammed by imbibing the ideals of sacrifice exemplified by the Prophet.
In a Sallah message, yesterday, Wike said Eid-el-Kabir is a season of love, peace, friendship and sacrifice.
He urged all Nigerians to embrace religious tolerance which would promote peace across the country and enhance national development.
Wike assured the people of Rivers State that the government would work with the security agencies to ensure that all citizens celebrate the Sallah in peace and harmony.
He congratulated the Muslim community in Rivers State on the Sallah celebration, assuring them that his administration would continue to partner with them to move the state forward.
The governor thanked the state Muslim community for the consistent support that they have always extended to his administration.
Also, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, urged Nigerians to use the Eid-el-Kabir celebration to pray for the unity and stability of Nigeria.
Secondus, in a statement issued, yesterday in Abuja by his Media Aide, Mr Ike Abonyi, to mark the Eid-el-Kabir festivities, said Nigeria’s present situation required God’s intervention.
He said intense prayers for the country had become very necessary more than ever before.
The PDP national chairman said the killing of innocent souls and security situation should be enough mitigation to plead to God to save the country.
He said that the festival period provided citizens with an opportunity to put aside every political, religious and ethnic sentiment to unite against common challenges.
Secondus admonished the people to seize the chance to return to God in supplication to change the country’s situation.
“I charge you not to allow challenges of now make you lose your dignity and modesty as a people and miss the essence and meaning of Eid-el-Kabir festivity and the divine succour it brings, in assuring us that there is always a light at the end of every tunnel,’’ he said.
Secondus urged Nigerians not to lose faith in the country in spite of experienced challenges, but to recommit their individual and collective security and economic welfare in the hands of God.
The chairman on behalf of the PDP National Executive Committee wished all Nigerians joyful and peaceful celebrations.
Similarly, Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23, 2019 general election, Mr Peter Obi, has asked Muslims to use the period of Eid el Kabir celebration to pray God to beam His searchlight on Nigeria and revive it.
The former governor of Anambra State, in a statement, yesterday, said that God has destined Nigeria to be great but human failings have led the nation to its present state.
“We must all therefore return to God in deep supplication to save our country and time like this provides huge opportunity for us to cry to God for justice and fair play in our land”, he said.
“Without Justice and freedom this society cannot blossom, let us therefore in unison cry to God for mercy by providing people conscious and God fearing political leadership,” he added.
Obi lamented the prevailing hardship in the country including the needless blood-letting but urged the people not to allow it affect their spirit of love, brotherliness and peaceful co existence which Sallah festivity is about.
“Nigerians should use this year’s Eid-El Kabir festivities to engender the spirit of oneness and also re-dedicate themselves to the virtues of love, patriotism and unity for the desired national development”, he added.
Obi admonished the government to relax the tensed situation in the country by seeking a pragmatic solution to the increasing security challenges and following the rule of law and respect for the rights of citizens as required by democracy.
Obi wished all Nigerians a happy Sallah celebration and prayed for enduring justice and peace.
However, as the Muslim Ummah celebrate Eid-el-Kabir, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Supo Samson Ayokunle has called on governments at all levels to do everything within their power to curb criminality in the country, by using “more technologically-based surveillance and prompt action against violence of any disguise”.
The CAN president also urged governments at all levels to consider the responsibility given to them to govern the citizenry as a divine call, by being more “committed and practical” in carrying out their mandate of securing the lives and property of Nigerians.
Ayokunle through the National Director, Legal and Public Affairs of CAN, Evangelist Kwamkur Samuel Vondip, stated this while delivering his Sallah message for the Muslim Ummah in the country, yesterday.
He said, “The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), His Eminence, Rev. Dr Supo Samson Ayokunle on behalf of the Christian Association of Nigeria felicitates with the Sultan of Sokoto, the President of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and Co-Chairman Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), His Eminence, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III and the entire Muslim Ummah in Nigeria as they celebrate Ed-el-Kabir.
According to him, “This is a period for deeper reflection on the challenges of Nigeria and the need to build confidence in one another by deliberate show of love for peace building.
“We urge Muslims and indeed all Nigerians to be reminded that we have no any other nation to call ours beside Nigeria hence the need for all well meaning Nigerians to be patriotic and support the fight against insurgency, kidnapping and all forms of insecurity and criminality bedevilling Nigeria”, he maintained.
“Government at all levels are urged to consider the responsibility given to them to govern the people as a divine calling and be more committed and practical in carrying out their mandate of securing the lives and property of the citizens.
“It is our hope and prayers that the challenges of our nation will very soon be a thing of the past as Nigerians renew their commitment to God at this trying moment.
“We call on the government to do everything to rightly curb criminality in the nation through more technologically based surveillance and prompt action against violence in any disguise”, Ayokunle stressed.
The CAN president wished all Muslims in the country a peaceful and wonderful Sallah celebration.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.
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