After a month of fasting during which the faithful spent quality time in prayers and other religious activities, Muslims in the country join their counterparts across the world to mark the Eid-el-Fitri celebration. This occasion is of immense significance to Muslims. It ends the 30-day Ramadan period of abstention from pleasurable pastimes during which supplications were made for forgiveness, mercy, renewal, patience and self-discipline.
The entry into the wonderful season of “reward” after the Ramadan fast is the essence and message of today’s celebration. It is a joyous occasion when all Muslims come together as one family and exchange gifts and greetings as a mark of solidarity. It is also a time to remember the less privileged in the society as the faithful share their humanity and bond in one God.
As our Muslim brothers and sisters celebrate this Sallah which is being marked with two days of public holidays on Monday and Tuesday, we urge all Muslims and, indeed, all Nigerians to seize the opportunity of the Eid-el-Fitri to imbibe its spiritual benefits of love, peace and justice in their daily living, and deploy them to the building of a just and humane society, and a progressive nation. They should also allow the virtues of the occasion to guide them to shun hatred and self-centredness in all their ramifications. Unfortunately, these vices are all too common in our nation. Let this celebration guide us all to the realisation that a life that is self-centred and bears little or no fruits for the benefit of the larger society is empty and worthless.
This year’s Eid-el-Fitri has come at a time that many Nigerians are seeking solutions to the myriad of problems facing the country. Sadly, more than at any time in the nation’s recent history, Nigeria faces daunting challenges. At the top of these problems is insecurity, especially in the North, where insurgents are holding sway and engaging in wanton killings and destruction of property.
In that regard, this festivity should be an occasion for all Nigerians, irrespective of their political affiliations or grouses against the government, to eschew violence and embrace peace and unity in the interest of national development. Let the virtuous living that characterised the Ramadan season for the greater majority of our Muslim brethren become a permanent feature of daily living in the country. Let peace and progress, unity and faith prevail over the current harvest of violence in some parts of the country.
The abiding lessons of Eid-el-Fitri should be unqualified love for one another, and the expression of goodwill and sacrifice. Let this festivity be devoid of threats to peace and other ugly incidents that could diminish the joy of the season. The nation has witnessed a lot of killings and destruction of property in recent times. These are contrary to the dictates of religion and must not be allowed to continue. If the adherents of all religions in the country embrace and live by the attributes of their religion, Nigeria will be better for it.
We wish our Muslim brothers and sisters Happy Sallah celebration, and enjoin them to express their shared humanity and bond in one God with fellow Nigerians. Let peace spring like a fountain in all our people, whether Muslim, Christian or traditionalist, and form pools of oneness and brotherly love. That, for us, should be the most important message of this important celebration.

Joy and peace at Eid-el-Fitri