Governors Willie Obiano of Anambra and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia have urged Nigerian Muslims to use the spiritual ascendancy they attained during the just-concluded Ramadan season as a formidable tool to rebuild the fabric of national unity, promote peace and harmony and reaffirm Nigeria’s common destiny as one indivisible entity.

In a special Sallah Message issued in Awka yesterday through his Special Assistant on Media, James Eze, Governor Obiano expressed optimism that Nigeria would be the ultimate beneficiary of the spiritual re-armament from the Ramadan season pointing out that Nigeria is a nation in need of healing.

Said he: “The mortification achieved from the fasting period must enable us to take a spiritual stock of our lives as a nation and reaffirm our common humanity and our unity as a country.”

According to him, “Nigeria and indeed the world at large must build bridges of brotherhood to harness the benefits of earthly life and the ultimate purpose of creation. There can be no gainsaying the fact that occasions of religious celebration offer us a sober moment for reflection on how best to build our lives individually and collectively.”

Governor Obiano further observed that the injunction to charity which is usually demonstrated especially at this time through the donation of gifts to the less privileged is a practice that spreads love and happiness. “It is however important to note that neither poverty nor compassion has religious, geographical or ethnic barriers,” he observed.

Speaking further, Governor Obiano reckoned that the celebration also presents Nigerians an important moment to reflect on the challenges of insurgency and general insecurity that is holding the country in an iron grip.

Exhorting Nigerians to always strive to peacefully win the hearts and minds of those who oppose their choices rather than the use of force, the governor maintained that “freedom is a fundamental human condition enshrined in creation. Lasting social structures are often the product of mutual respect, dialogue, equity and mutual tolerance.”

He further reasoned that “if the Nigerian society is safe and just, it is healthy for all of us regardless of our different religious creeds and cultural differences.”

The governor maintained that “our generation has a duty to excise the sources of antagonism, tension and violence from our body polity in order to live productively and bequeath a proud heritage to future generations.‎”

The governor wished all Nigerian Muslims a happy celebration, urging them to pray for the peace and prosperity of the country.

In his own goodwill message, Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, congratulated the Abia Muslim community for observing a successful month-long prayer and fasting and wished them a peaceful and joyous celebration.

Governor Ikpeazu in the message signed by the Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Godwin Adindu, expressed his love and that of the government of Abia State towards the Muslim brethren and enjoined them to use the occasion of the El-del-Fitr to preach and promote peace and harmony in the state and in the country.

Governor Ikpeazu also commended the Abia Muslim community for having been a partner in progress with government in the effort to uphold the peace and unity of the country, adding that the Muslims in the state are good patriots and ambassadors of not only the state but Nigeria in general.

The governor said he was happy that the Muslims in Abia are the authentic followers of the true teachings of Allah and the precepts of the Prophet, saying that they have demonstrated this in their life of tolerance and spirit of community which have contributed to the general atmosphere of law and order in the state.

Describing Islam as a great world religion with the main tenet of love, peace and charity, Ikpeazu enjoined Muslims all over the world to extend the spiritual benefits of the Ramadan in ensuring a world of peaceful co-existence and a world free of violence.

He said Muslims must use the occasion of the Ramadan to demonstrate that the world is united by our common humanity.

•Photo shows Muslims praying on the occasion of the Eid-el-Fitri.

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