By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Muslim leaders in Anambra State namely: Sarkin Hausa in Awka Alhaji Haruna Garuba, and the Deputy National Director- General of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Gidado Sidikki, have called on Nigerians to cooperate with one another for peaceful co-existence in the state and Nigeria at large.

The call was made at the end of Eid prayers on Sunday to commemorate this year’s Eid-el-Kabir celebration at the Central Mosque Awka.

Delivering his Sallah message to the Muslim faithful, the Sarkin Hausa in Awka, Allahaji Haruna urged the Muslim community to use the celebration to reflect and pray for peace and harmony in Nigeria.

While calling for prayers for peace in Anambra State and Nigeria, he said that they will continue to pray for the Governor of the State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, and the people of the state for a sustained peace.

Haruna added: “I call on my Muslim brothers to use the Sallah celebration to visit the leadership in Awka and their friends in the state who are not Muslims.

“We need to visit our Christian brothers and the leadership of our host communities because we are living peacefully with them”.

On his part, a chieftain of MACBAN in the South East zone, Alhaji Sidkki, urged his Fulani brothers in the state to live in harmony with their host communities.

He said: “Eid al-Adha, also known as Eid al-Kabir, is celebrated annually by Muslims worldwide to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isma’il as an act of obedience to Allah, who then substituted Isma’il with a ram. This is why Muslims traditionally sacrifice a ram on this day.

“We observe Eid al-Kabir as an act of submission to Almighty Allah, acknowledging that everything we receive and experience is ordained by Him.

“Despite enduring losses due to attacks and insurgency, we recognize that insecurity affects every region, not just the South East. Therefore, we use this occasion to beseech Allah for forgiveness and grant solace to those who have lost loved ones, while expressing gratitude for our own health and survival.”

He enjoined his fellow residents of the South East to refrain from actions that jeopardize the peaceful coexistence they have enjoyed with their host communities, but instead foster unity and harmony amongst themselves and their hosts.

The MACBAN chieftain further appealed to the government, traditional authorities, and other institutions in the South East to treat them equitably and recognize them as their constituents deserving of fair treatment.

He also urged religious leaders of all faiths to acknowledge their role as custodians of peace, by refraining from making inflammatory statements that could disrupt social harmony.

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