President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and other top political office holders have urged Nigerians, especially Muslim faithful to reflect the lessons of the Holy Month of the Ramadan in their daily endeavours. The president, in a goodwill message to Muslims on the occasion of the Eid-el-Fitri celebrations, urged all Nigerians to let their actions match their prayers.

He gave the advice on Monday in Abuja when he received a delegation of Abuja residents, led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo, who paid him the traditional Sallah homage.

“As we conclude the Ramadan and celebrate the Sallah, we must take actions that match our prayers. Today is a day of reflection on our attitudes, our contributions to nation-building and to humanity,” he stated on the occasion.

The president called on Nigerians “to be sincere in all we do,” adding “if we want a good nation, we must be sincere, honest and uphold trust bestowed on us in all we do.”
He who thanked God Almighty for a successful completion of the fasting, said the Ramadan, like Lent for the Christians, is a time when intensive devotion and purity are required, and challenged all Nigerians to fear God and let their conduct conform to God’s instructions.

Prominent in the delegation were Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Idris Kutigi, ministers, Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Abdurahman Dambazau, and some members of the diplomatic corps.
The Chief Imam of the Central Mosque, Alhaji Musa Mohammed, said the opening and closing prayers during the visit.
Also, Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), in his own message enjoined Muslim faithful to take the lead in the battle against social ills in the country by upholding the tenets of their religion and lead exemplary lives.

The message, signed by his Senior Special Assistant, Media, Hakeem Bello, said the greatest lesson from the month of Ramadan was discipline which, according to him, entailed respect for constituted authority, tolerance, honesty and sincerity, adding that Islam is all about love, honesty and cleanliness, both of person and society.

Governor Fashola said the fasting was supposed to instill self-discipline in the individual Muslim, pointing out that it would amount to hypocrisy if after the exercise, a Muslim should return to dishonesty, insincerity and other forms of indiscipline.

Said he: “The fact that it coincided with the 48th Anniversary of our Independence offers us the opportunity for sober reflection on how to guide our freedom jealously,” adding, “We should reflect more on how to contribute our quota to making this nation truly great.”
Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola on his part, assured Nigerians that the country is destined for greatness.

Oyinlola reminded Nigerians of the immense human and material potential of the country which he said had positioned her for enviable leadership position in the comity of nations, adding that very few countries in the world were as well endowed as Nigeria. He stressed that with determination, faith and steadfastness, the nation would take its leadership position among countries of the world.

The Abia State Governor, T. A. Orji, after carrying out a critical appraisal of Nigeria’s 48 years of Independence, said its ups and downs notwithstanding, she has performed well as a nation.
According to him, events in the nation in those 48 years showed that God was still interested in Nigeria and Nigerians.

The Independence Day message from the governor signed by his Chief Press Secretary Mr. Sam Hart, urged Nigerians to look back and recall all the periods it looked as if the country was on the verge of disintegration due to political or other conflagrations but somehow, in the nick of time, God would intervene and restore order to a nation in despair.
The umbrella body of Pentecostal churches in Nigeria, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) hailed Federal Government’s decision to have low keyed 48th independence anniversary celebration, saying the occasion should avail government the opportunity to reflect on its past mistakes.

In his independence anniversary goodwill message to the nation, PFN National President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor on Monday reiterated his call on the Federal Government to use the occasion of the anniversary to grant total amnesty to Niger Delta militants and engage them in meaningful dialogue.
According to the 30-page message signed by Oritsejafor, he noted that the most viable pathway to a lasting peace in the troubled region is to grant those boys amnesty and involve them in any effort aimed at resolving the protracted crisis.

Oyo State Governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, also enjoined Muslims and all Nigerians to promote peaceful co-existence as the only way by which the pace of socio-economic development of the country could be accelerated.

This was contained his Ed-el-fitri message to Muslims faithful across the country, Said Alao-Akala: “What we need most is peace, harmony, and love. Once, we have this; we will all work in unison to promote the interest of the country all the time.”

He observed that Islamic religion promotes peaceful co-existence, harmonious living and practical demonstration of love among all and sundry.
He noted that with the end of Ramadan season, it behoved on all Muslims to sustain the lessons of Ramadan so as to derive maximum benefits as well become shining examples of the religion.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress has decried the leadership inertia bedeviling the country and said that something radical and urgent needs be done or else Nigeria would end up a failed country.

In a release in Lagos, signed by the Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress, Joe Igbokwe, to mark the nation’s 48th Independence Anniversary, the Lagos AC said the leadership issue could be resolved where justice, fair play and rule of law were allowed free and unencumbered rein. It stated that Nigeria must adopt a radical and far-reaching approach to resolve the leadership deficit or else every Nigerian would bear the consequences of the continued drift of the country.

In his own congratulatory message, Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola observed that the only thing worthy of “celebration emanate from the fact that our long years of military dictatorship has been replaced by undisrupted democratic rule. This is a cause for celebration.”
He, urged “all Nigerians to work together to grow our fledgling democracy by strengthening its institutions, fielding the right candidates, refusing to be compromised, promoting justice and eschewing politics of bitterness.”