As Muslims celebrate the 2012 Eid-el-Fitri, the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO) has implored youths in the country to shun violence and embrace peace for the good of the nation and her citizens.

NACOMYO, an umbrella body of all Muslim youth organisations, also urged the nation’s leaders to eschew corruption and exhibit patriotism in running the affairs of the country by implementing youth-friendly policies that would generate employment for the teeming youths.

The group in its Sallah Message made available to Transport & Business Express in Umuahia, noted with dismay that the security situation in the country, unemployment, near-collapse of the economy, corruption and egocentrism have unleashed untold hardship on Nigerians, irrespective of tribe and religion.

NACOMYO said the current situation in the country calls for deeper reflection on why Nigerians should embrace peace and adopt strategies that would ensure unity in diversity.

“The wanton killing and destruction of valuable property in the name of religion is antithetical to Islamic teaching for Islam will always profess the sanctity of human life, hence the Nigerian Muslim Youths join all lovers of peace to condemn such inhuman behaviour bedevilling our nation,” read part of the NACOMYO message endorsed by the its National President, Alhaji Kamaludeen Akintunde and National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Suleiman Ukandu.

The group counselled the country’s leaders to discard primordial sentiment and implement youth-friendly policies, especially, those that would generate employment, to curb the growing spate of insecurity and revamp the economy.

Furthermore, NACOMYO suggested that spiritual solution to the persist security challenge would be efficacious instead of politicising the issue, adding that “no nation makes progress in the face of threat to life and peaceful living. It also advised that youths should be empowered and involved in fashioning out peace and social security.”

To bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in the society, NACOMYO enjoined wealthy Muslims to imbibe the payment of Zakat which it described as spiritual and a Pillar of Islam recommended by Allah.

“We commend the entire Muslim Ummah, the youth and women for the successful completion of Ramadan Fasting. At the same time, the conduct of Muslims in the contemporary situation is commendable as they have remained resilient in seeking solution to this heinous act committed against humanity in the name of politics, ethnicity and power struggle,” the NACOMYO message added.

*Photo: Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, spiritual head of Nigerian Muslims