FOLLOWING the sighting of the moon first manifesting in a crescent also referred to as hilal, Ramadan Fast began on Wednesday, 18 February, 2026. The fast this year coincides with Lent when Christians, too, go fasting and for 40 days. The coincidence occurs every 33 years. In other words, the last overlap in Nigeria occurred in 1993, the year this column first wrote on Fasting. The historic coincidence in the world first happened in 1863 when Lent and Ramadan began within 24 hours of each other, according to scholars who pre-occupy themselves with the sobering events.

Ramadan almost always starts each time 11 days earlier than the previous year. Last year, for example, Ramadan began on 28 February and this year on the 18th. In the Christian fold, there is sometimes a slight variation on Lent take-off. Last year, Orthodox Christians began Lent on March 3 while Western Christianity on March 5.

Both the Presidency and the Legislature commendably moved fast to douse the potentially simmering political controversy gearing to engulf next year’s elections. President Bola Tinubu promptly signed the 2026 Electoral Amendment Bill into law replacing the 2022 electoral law. Former Vice-President and Opposition leader stirred the hornet’s nest, a subject over which he ought to have quietly brought to the attention of the INEC chairman, Dr. Amupitan, knowing how easily combustible religious affairs are in our land! After all, do Moslems not go to work, to their farms or offices during Ramadan? INEC position was protected by the constitution and Electoral Act, 2022 as well as 2019 INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections which gave 360 days timeline.

The regulation states: “Election to the office of President and Vice-President as well as National Assembly, shall hold on the Third Saturday of February of any General Election year, while election to the Office of Governor and Deputy Governor and the State Houses of Assembly shall hold two weeks thereafter.” In strict compliance with the extant provisions, the commission fixed Saturday, February 20, 2027 for the Presidential and National Assembly elections and Saturday, March 6, 2027, for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections. We may wish to note that the auxiliary verb, “Shall” (italics, mine) means MUST. INEC had no choice in the matter. All it could was perhaps to bring the clash with Ramadan period to the attention of the National Assembly. The amendment bill passed into law has now reduced the days to not later than 300 days to swearing-in that elections should be held.

Atiku is sufficiently experienced in election matters to be familiar with the provisions guiding the schedule. It is a smart step by Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to prevent the election schedule from being politicised, more so that the Opposition is searching with lantern in broad daylight for every shred of evidence to nail the new INEC chairman as unfit for the job, for the onerous tasks!

That is by the way. For millions of Moslems and Christians worldwide, fasting period is a special season. It is a period mosques or churches as the case may be are filled every evening. From the pulpits an outpouring of exhortations for reflection and piety thunder across the globe. It is yet another season of the great yearly Fasting, ladies and gentlemen. The Moslems turn their gaze upwards and should be away in spirit till the crescent turns into full moon and the Christians go on their knees for a 40-day retreat from this world and worldliness.

Given the fact that a substantial majority of Nigerians subscribe to both religions, it should not be out of place to assume that under normal circumstances they have ignited a wave of purifying spiritual flames, or currents to envelope this country for the period of the Fast. Many in this age of materialism, and the Mister-Know-All, alias AI, is waving its flag unrelentingly, many there will be who must shake their heads wondering what has befallen the world!

As I did state when I first wrote on Fasting in 1993, and I am restating it: I do fast. And I enjoy doing so on two grounds. First, it affords me the opportunity to give the body a break from its enormous workload. Withdrawal from food for some time is like bringing the city of millions of trillions of cells to a standstill on a sanitation last Saturday of the month.

Incidentally, Lagos State is calling everybody out, awakening us from slumber from next month, to restart keeping our environment clean one Saturday of every month. Disturbed by the mountain of refuse engulfing the city of Lagos—indeed the markets, in the metropolis and medians, the Chief Sanitary Inspector, Environment Commissioner Tokunbo Wahab, is rising to the challenge; he has said Environmental Sanitation Day resumes from March.

Back to the cells: All the wastes that heavy work schedules locked up in the closets are brought out and emptied as all energy is diverted to detoxification of the household. Thereafter, the body gets lighter, livelier, more radiant and youthful. But by far more important is the benevolent effect of true Fasting on the inner man, the man himself. True, a revitalized cloak or vessel that our body is for the spirit, as refurbished car is to the motorist, is an invaluable asset for spiritual mobilityand outreach. It is in the capacity of a Fast to loosen spirit from the body and connect to our Maker, the All-Highest, our Lord and God, that its greatest benefit resides.

Man on earth is a union of body and soul. The soul itself is a union of the spirit, that is of man, and his non-physical, finer coverings. The unions are held together by a mesh of radiations to which each party makes contribution. Full consciousness is a state in which each party generates its required share of heat for the union. When the current is low from any side, the uniting mesh weakens and the union loosens. This happens often—as when the body is in a state of shock or illness, during sleep when the body goes to rest or when, at the other end, the inner man loses the will to live.

This is clearly evident when a tired body falls asleep, its contribution to the uniting rays diminished, and the soul freed through a weakening of the union hold, soars away, in what the brain is later to remember faintly as a dream, having not fully and consciously participated in the experiences of the soul. It is the same principle that is enunciated by such alternative forms of medicines as acupuncture, acupressure, reflex zone therapy and iridology. Those channels of energy they speak about are nothing than paths of energy flow.

Fasting could, indeed, have a spiritually composing effect, if it turns man away from all earthly trivialities and assists him to seek connection with ourMaker, the Almighty. This will depend, however, on the inner state. For once the deprivation of nourishment to the body compels it to weaken somewhat, and the soul thus freed may easily gain necessary connection with the finer, that is immaterial currents. Gratitude arises to flow to the Throne of Grace. With finer currents come blessings, clarity, guidance etc.

It need be pointed out, however, that not all Fasting bring blessing. There cannot be blessing where fasting does not engender awakening inwardly. In fact, many who fast in this expectation may be said to be inwardly dead and do fast merely out habit.

For those who cannot fast for whatever reason or do not believe in it, that awakening is by no means unattainable through other agencies. Many souls are known, for example, to open up in the woods, seashore or in the music hall. It is important for each person to find the key for unlocking the treasures of his own inner life.