Governors, cleric urge sacrifice, peaceful-co-existence

Gaidam seeks spirit of commitment to rehabilitate IDPs in Yobe
Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has urged Muslims to pray and make sacrifice for the peace and unity of the country.

The governor, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Enyi Appolos, in his goodwill message to Muslims, said: “It is the willingness to sacrifice what we love for greater good of our country that will lead us collectively to prosperity as Nigerians and help engender peace and love for one another.”

He prayed Allah to fill their lives with happiness, love and wisdom on this blessed day of Eid-el-Kabir, which is a day of sacrifice.

Also, Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, urged Nigerians to uphold peace and show goodwill to one another, saying that Nigerians must notfall prey to the ethnic and religious sentiments deployed by unpatriotic elements against the unity of the country.

Governor El-Rufai, in a Sallah message in Kaduna yesterday, said that Eid-el-Kabir, the festival of sacrifice, “teaches us that as mere mortals, we can strive to be better.”

In the same vein, Chief Imam of Lokoja, Alhaji Abdullahi Baba, has cautioned Muslims against bad conduct.

The cleric, who spoke during his sermon to mark the Sallah celebration yesterday, said: “It is imperative for Muslims to embrace good conduct which is the basis of the festival. “

He urged Nigerians to be patient with their leaders, assuring that with patience and perseverance, the country could be better again.

Governor Bello, at the occasion, charged the people of the state to be patient with President Muhammadu Buhari over the present economic recession.

He said that over 100,000 youths and women would be empowered through the empowerment programmes of the state government.

The governor, who sued for peace and unity among the people of the state irrespective of religion and ethnicity, urged them to live together as one entity to enable the state enjoy the patronage of foreign investors.

In the same vein, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State has said that to overcome the challenges of rehabilitating and rebuilding the destroyed parts of the state, there should be “spirit of sacrifices and commitments by various levels of governments and international donor-agencies.

Gaidam, who stated this in a statement by his Director of Press Affairs, Abdullahi Bego, in Damaturu to mark Eid-el-Kabir celebration, said without these processes in the state, the hopes and expectations of returning the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) could be dashed with heightened frustrations and hopelessness.

He assured the people that, in spite of all the challenges that they had to contend with, government would continue to remain focused and committed to the sustainability of developmental projects that could improve the living conditions of the citizens.

“The task of moving our beloved state to greater heights is a
collective responsibility, which requires support and co-operation of all and sundry.

“They are veritable ingredients of achieving a more prosperous, peaceful, just and egalitarian society despite the Boko Haram insurgency that claimed many lives and property in this state.

“Peace has been restored in our state; culminating into return of most of the 300,000 IDPs to their original villages and towns in this state.

“The greatest challenge before the government and our development partners is that of rehabilitation, reconstruction and resettlement of the affected people and communities.”