The Muslim Ummah have been urged to use the Eid–el-Kabir occasion to strengthen the existing interpersonal relationships and create new ones.
The Bauchi State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir, made the call in his goodwill message to the state’s people on the occasion of the 2023 Eid-El Kabir Sallah Celebration.
The Governor also said that there is a “need for us to imbibe the spirit of forgiveness, humility and respect for one another. We should pray for the prevailing peace in the State to be sustained and for adequate rainfall for us to have a bumper harvest during this farming season.”
“We give praise to Allah (SWT) for graciously sparing our lives to witness yet another Eid-el-Kabir celebration. The Eid-el-Kabir celebration, as we all know, is observed annually by Muslims to commemorate the spiritual sacrifice made by Prophet Abraham (AS) who, in total submission to the will of Allah, answered the Divine call to sacrifice his only son, Prophet Ismail (AS),” he stated.
Bala Mohammed added, “It is incumbent on the Muslim Ummah to observe the highest spiritual sacrifice ever made in observance of Divine injunction.”
According to him, “The occasion of the Eid-el-Kabir should be used to reflect on how we have fared morally and spiritually during the last year so as to take corrective measures, where necessary, for us to be amongst the believers who will enjoy the mercies of Allah (SWT) in the hereafter.”
The Governor stressed that “Islam as a religion, propagates total submission to the will of Allah (SWT) and peaceful co-existence amongst the Muslim Ummah and with adherents of other faiths.”
He added, “The Holy Qur’an has also commanded all Muslims to give something (in charity) out of the treasure which Allah has bestowed on them. This should be done without consideration for religious, ethnic or political differences.”
“Let me use this opportunity to reassure you of the irrevocable commitment of our Administration to justify the confidence reposed in me by re-electing me to serve you for another four years,” he further said.
Bala Mohammed also said, “We would embark on aggressive execution of programmes and projects that have a direct bearing on your lives. We would deliver more dividends of democracy than we did during our first term in infrastructural development, health care delivery, education, agriculture and human capital development through economic empowerment.”
“We are not unmindful of the economic hardship being experienced by the generality of the people. This is a national problem which is being jointly addressed by the Federal and State Governments. I want to appeal to you to bear with the situation which Is temporary,” he said.
The Governor, however, assured that, “As a responsive and responsible Government, we will continue to render palliative measures to cushion the effects of the hardship. I will however appeal to you to make some sacrifices to ensure that we overcome the hardship.”
He then appealed to all motorists to observe traffic regulations to minimize accidents on the highways throughout the Eid-el-Kabir celebration and beyond.
He also appealed to parents to monitor their ward’s movement n order to reduce the incidents of missing children during this festive season.