By Bianca Iboma-Emefu
•People queuing for food
Eleganza Group boss, Alhaji Rasak Akanni Okoya, has offered over 600 indigent Nigerians food. He put smiles on the face of everyone that entered his compound at Lekki/Ajah Expressway.
This gesture was done as Muslims celebrated Eid el-Mubarak to mark the end of the Ramadan fasting. He said the Eid-el Mubarak spirit is about giving, loving and reaching out to fellow men.
Okoya appealed to the government to emulate China and make Nigeria an industrialized nation. Stressing the need to curb the security challenges faced in the country, he recommended that jobs be created and skills developed to ensure everyone has a source of income.
“I have been to several countries. Chinese has lesser crime because their youths are engaged. My daily prayer for the country is industrialization. Once Nigeria is industrialized our youths would be gainfully employed and crime would be reduced to the barest minimum.
“The issue of Boko Haram and other vices can be curbed once we create a means of livelihood for the younger generation. We need to teach the youths how to make wealth. A lot of our youths want to make money in a rush, they need the information that those of us who are successful business mogul today, had patience which is a virtue.”
He emphasized that as an industrialist, with about 60 years experience, patience and resilience helped him in achieving greatness. “The youths should be taught how to make wealth. You don’t just make money in a rush.They should be patient,” he admonished.
He encouraged Nigerian youths to be diligent and not be in hasty to make wealth. “The government need to do more and ensure that the youths are fully engaged.”
Okoya thanked Almighty Allah for sparing the lives of Muslim devotees to see another Sallah celebration, urging them to use the occasion to pray for peace and security in the country. “We have cause to celebrate despite the challenges in the country,” he said.
On his part, the cleric who conducted the prayers that morning, Imam Rauf Akintola enjoined Muslims devotees in the country to continue in ways that would uplift lslam and not indulge in social activities prohibited by Islam while observing the Sallah celebration.
Akintola said that the experience of the 30-day Ramadan is meant to strengthen the beliefs of Muslims in the principles of Islam, adding that they are expected to deploy the experience gained during the Ramadan to enhance their daily interactions with other members of the public to boost peace.