*** Urges Muslims To Pray For Nigeria’s Peace, Unity
By Amuda Dan Sulaiman Fab
The Maigari Of Lokoja, Alhaji Ibrahim Gambo Kabir Maikarfi and eminent personalities of the Lokoja Emirate joined Muslim faithful to observe the two rakah prayers to mark this year’s Eid-el Kabir celebration held at the Lokoja Central Praying Ground.
The prayer session was led by the Chief Imam of Lokoja, Sheikh Aminu Shaban, with the Maigari of Lokoja and traditional title holders in attendance.
After meandering through the traffic gridlock and a crowd of cheering people typical of the day, the Maigari and his entourage, comprising traditional title holders arrived at the Eid prayer ground at exactly 9:00 AM.
He was welcomed by the large crowd and the crème de la crème of the Lokoja Muslim community, including title holders, Rector, Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, Prof. Salisbury Ogbo Usman, Kogi State House of Assembly member representing Lokoja 1, Hon. Shehu Tijjani Ebaiya and many others.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the Eid prayer, the Maigari who
called on Muslims to use the Eid-el-Kabir celebration to pray fervently for the peace and unity of Nigeria, expressed optimism that Nigeria would be the ultimate beneficiary of the spiritual lessons from the Sallah celebration.
He said with prayers and fear of Allah, peaceful coexistence, mutual respect and love, Nigerians would tolerate one another, work together and be able to harness the abundant resources as a progressive nation.
The royal father called on the citizens to build bridges of brotherhood to harness the benefits of earthly life and the ultimate purpose of the nation’s unity.
Ibrahim also appealed to Muslims to emulate Prophet Ibrahim’s virtues of sacrifice, obedience and submissiveness to the will of Allah, to be successful in life.
“Today’s celebration is a commemoration of total submissiveness and obedience to the will of Allah, as exemplified by Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail.
“It is also a lesson on the virtue of keeping our promises to Allah and to our fellow man,” Abubakar said.
“Prophet Ibrahim made a vow to sacrifice his son to Allah, and when it was time to fulfil the promise, he didn’t back out. That is a strong virtue worthy of emulation.
“It was in appreciation of that gesture that Allah converted what would have been a human sacrifice to that of a sheep,’’ the royal father added.
The monarch advised Muslims to shun societal ills and always endeavour to do good, for the betterment of all.
He implored the Muslim Ummah in his kingdom and the country at large to reflect on the significance of the celebration, which borders on encouraging piety, sacrifice and love.
The Maigari noted that without piety, sacrifice and love, no state or society could advance.
”The significance of the season should be beyond the festivities but the real essence is to encourage piety, total commitment to Allah, self-discipline and sacrifice, ’’ he said.
Alhaji Ibrahim also admonished Nigerians to strive to live in peace with each other, irrespective of religious , political, cultural and ethnic affinity.
According to him: “We should also continue to be our brothers’ keepers, to collectively bolster peace, unity and even socioeconomic development of the country.
“The Almighty Allah has created us in different ways, with varying potentials and faiths, cultures and ethnicities.
“But, our rich diversities should serve as our formidable unifying factors and not dividing ones. The Almighty Allah has not made a mistake by creating us together in Nigeria.”
The royal father further appealed to Nigerians to shun all acts capable of breaching peace and unity.
“Peace is the veritable tool of national development and without it no nation could prosper to greater heights.
Alhaji Ibrahim appealed to wealthy individuals in the country to assist the less privileged, to enable all and sundry to celebrate Eid-el- Kabir with ease.
He said, “God has endowed wealth on people not for themselves and their immediate family, but for the benefit of entire society.
The monarch charged Muslims faithful in the continue to pray to God to assist President Buhari, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and other elected and appointed leaders to overcome the current economic meltdown.
The monarch also charged the people of his domain to send their children to school to acquire both western and Islam in knowledge.
Watch Video Here:
