Obaseki, Okorocha, group seek prayers, alliance for Nigeria’s growth

The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has urged Muslims to continue to practise lessons learnt during the Ramadan fast for peaceful co-existence of all Nigerians and progress of the nation.

Obaseki said this when he hosted Muslim faithful in the state who were on a visit to the Government House in Benin City.The governor, represented by his deputy, Philip Shaibu, said that for Nigeria to remain united, religious faithful must protect the interest of the country by showing love to their neighbours as enshrined in the holy books; the Bible and the Qura’an, which promote love for one another.

Obaseki urged the faithful to pray for those beating the drums of war and fanning the embers of division of the country to have a rethink, as Nigerians cannot afford to experience another civil war.

The Chief Imam of Edo State, Sheik Abdulfatah Enabulele, called on all Nigerians to be their brothers’ keepers for the unity of the country. In a similar vein, Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has urged Muslims to use the period of Eid-el-Fitri celebration to pray fervently for oneness of the country.

In a statement at the weekend in Owerri, signed by Okorocha’s Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, the governor said that serious prayers would usher in genuine love among Nigerians, not minding which ethnic group, tribe and religion anyone comes from.

In another development, a group, the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), has called on Muslim professionals and technocrats to join the political process. The group, in a message signed by its National Co-ordinator, Dr. Jay Osi Samuels, said it believes the fasting period must have afforded Muslims the opportunity to reflect on the state of the country and the need to get it out of the doldrums. The group said time has come for both Muslims and Christians to forget their differences and forge an alliance to take the nation to the next level.

It added that in many homes during this period, Christians would join their Muslim brothers and sisters to celebrate the end of the Ramadan period, noting that there is need to replicate this spirit in the larger society and in political relationship.