President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on Nigerians to have faith in the country and join hands with his administration in building the better Nigeria of their dreams.
President Tinubu made the call on Wednesday after observing the Eid-Kabir prayer at Dodan Barracks Praying Ground, Obalende, even as he further urged Nigerians to shun ethnicity and religious bigotry and co-exist peacefully with one another in joy and prosperity.
“Have faith in the country, have faith in yourself, believing that you, as a citizen of this country, must join hands. No religious identity, no tribal identity; live with one another in joy and prosperity. It will come, Nigeria will see peace and prosperity,” the president said.
The president assured that the country would witness peace, stability, and prosperity, urging them to be spiritually uplifting and have faith that all would be well with the county.
He, however, said it was imperative to note that “as Nigerians, we have to make sacrifices and know that Allah will not give us a burden that we cannot carry.”
President Tinubu prayed to God to spare the lives of Nigerian soldiers at the war and give them victory, while he also prayed that God should give those in the hospital succor, peace, and good health.
In his remarks, the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, charged Nigerians to love the country more and be ready to make sacrifices to build the country that everyone wants.
Speaking further on the need to make sacrifices, Dr. Hamzat noted that “when things get really bad, in order to fix it, there have to be some pains, there will be initial pains, but if you look at it holistically, at the end of the day, we will have success, which we must all pray for and work hard for.”
The deputy governor expressed confidence that the county would be greater, notwithstanding the recent development in the country in terms of financial situations and the removal of subsidies.
He, however, said there was a need to pray for the president to continue to pursue the path of progress for the country so that everybody at the end of the day will be happy to be a Nigerian, assuring that it was a journey that would end well.
Also speaking, the Lagos State Head of Service (HOS), Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, urged Nigerians to be patriotic and make the necessary sacrifices that were part of the Islamic Faith.
According to him, one needs to make sacrifices in order to reap the benefits of sacrifice, as Eid-el-Kabir symbolizes, urging them to imbibe the culture of sacrificing for things to get better.
“We have to go through some form of pain to reap the gain, and that is what today, Eid-el Kabir symbolizes, sacrificing for the sake of Allah and for the sake of prosperity,” he said.
Hakeem Muri-Okunola prayed that Allah should give President Tinubu strength and the wisdom to steer the nation in the right direction, acknowledging that he started on a good note.
Earlier in his sermon, the Chief Imam of Lagos State admonished Nigerians to forget their political differences, shun all acts of violence and live peacefully for the progress of the country.
He stated that the significance of Eid-el-Kabir is all about sacrifice and rendering services to God and the entire humanity, adding that it is a day of sacrifice in which Allah has instructed the entire Muslims to sacrifice animals in order to seek His pleasure.