We congratulate Nigerian Muslim faithful as they join their counterparts all over the world to celebrate the feast of Eid el-Kabir. It is, indeed, a joyous occasion which Muslims all over the world use to reaffirm their total devotion to Allah and their commitment to the teachings of the Holy Prophet Mohammed. It is a celebration of piety, humility and the demonstration of the spirit of total self-sacrifice and dependence on Allah.
Prophet Ibrahim showed the example many centuries ago when he was willing to sacrifice his beloved son, Ishmael, to God without questioning the wisdom and propriety of it. As far as he was concerned, the Almighty One had commanded it, and He must be obeyed. For that act of devotion, a ram was provided for sacrifice, in place of the son at the last minute. Of course, Allah was just testing the faith of Ibrahim, as he had made a provision for the sacrifice all along. That is the message of this Sallah, and all Muslim faithful are enjoined never to forget it.
It is this sacrifice of total obedience and absolute dependence on God that the Muslim Ummah celebrate at the feast of Eid el-Kabir. We urge our Muslim faithful to imbibe the lessons, therefore, and demonstrate them in their daily living and interactions with people of other faiths and, indeed, their fellow citizens. Our country can benefit immensely from the lessons of the occasion, especially at these trying times when the polity is beset with all sorts of challenges like the murderous insurgency mostly in the North-East, the rampant kidnappings for ransom throughout the country, secessionist agitations in the South-East, echoes of pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta and, of course, the unrelenting herdsmen menace.
Our leaders, too, are reminded of their oaths of office and their responsibilities to their fellow countrymen. They have the primary duty to secure the lives and property of fellow citizens and the territorial integrity of the country. They must be reminded that the generality of the citizens look up to them and would learn more from their actions.
The citizens are encouraged to internalise the lessons of the Sallah as they join in the merriment and feasting that the occasion provides. In this season of hate speeches, we must be reminded of our duties to our fellow countrymen. As President Muhammadu Buhari noted in his recent broadcast to the nation, the right to dissent is guaranteed by the constitution, but we can do that without crossing the limits. If we truly imbibe the spirit of good neighbourliness, humility, self-sacrifice and piety, which this Sallah teaches, we would be more considerate and restrained in the ways we communicate our grievances and ask for our rights.
We wish Nigerian pilgrims to the Holy Land a successful pilgrimage and ask that they pray fervently for the country. This Sallah is an occasion for the extension of love to family members, neighbours and fellow countrymen. As we share in the feasting, we must remember especially those who are underprivileged amongst us. Those who do not have food to eat and do not have roofs over their heads. Those who are sick in the hospitals and the many displaced from their homes and in Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) camps on account of the insurgency perpetrated by the Boko Haram elements. The Eid el-Kabir is another great occasion to reach out to these vulnerable ones in our midst and tell them that we care.
As is the tradition also, there would be a lot of movements by celebrants back to their towns and villages for the Sallah. In the cities, too, there would be mass movements to amusement parks and other recreation places. We ask our security personnel and especially the police to be on the alert to ensure that the celebrations are without any untoward incidents and that the relative peace in the country is maintained. Once again, we say Barka da Sallah to our Muslim faithful throughout the country.