The Etsu Nupe and Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, has called on Nigerians to live in peace with one another to foster national unity and harmony.
Etsu Nupe made the call while addressing his people shortly after the two Raka’at prayers at the Bida Eid praying ground on Sunday.
The royal father said that there was a need for Nigerians to ensure peaceful co-existence in the country to promote economic growth and development.
According to him, no society or country can achieve any meaningful development or greatness in an atmosphere of chaos and mistrust.
He urged Muslims to intensify prayers during the Sallah period for the return of permanent peace in Nigeria.
According to him, prayer remains the most effective weapon against any form of challenge.
He stated that security challenges such as insurgency, banditry, and kidnapping would be overcome through ceaseless and fervent prayers by both Muslim and Christian faithful.
The royal father urged Muslims to always follow the path of dialogue in resolving differences rather than advocating violence.
Alhaji Abubakar, who congratulated Muslim faithful on the successful completion of the Ramadan fast, added that only tolerance and patriotism would help the country navigate the present situation.
Alhaji Abubakar used the occasion to call on ‘well-to-do’ Muslims in society to continue supporting the less privileged to alleviate their suffering.
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Etsu Nupe appealed to wealthy individuals in the country to assist the less privileged so that everyone could celebrate Eid al-Fitr with ease.
He said: “God has endowed wealth on people not for themselves and their immediate family, but for the benefit of the entire society.
“The present socio-economic predicament that we are now facing requires such assistance from well-to-do individuals in the country.”
The traditional ruler also urged Muslims to have the fear of God in all their activities, adding that everyone would have to give an account of their deeds one day to their Creator.
Etsu Nupe encouraged Muslims to continue praying to God for the nation’s leaders to overcome the current challenges bedevilling the country.
He also charged the people of his domain to send their children to school to acquire both Western and Islamic knowledge.
The Chief Imam of Nupe, Sheikh Adamu Liman-Yakatun, in his sermon, advised Muslim faithful to imbibe the lessons of Ramadan.
He called on those who prayed and fasted for 30 days to internalise and put into practice the social and moral objectives of the holy month of Ramadan.
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