John Adams, Minna
The North Central Governors’ Forum (NCGF) has congratulated the Muslim community in Nigeria on the successful completion of the Ramadan fast, urging Muslims in the country to use the lesson of the Ramadan to foster unity among Nigerians.
The Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Niger State, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, expressed the optimism that the current challenges being experienced following the outbreak of the coronavirus will soon be history.
The governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mary Noel Berje, in Minna acknowledged that the Muslim faithful have gone through one of the most rigorous Islamic obligations in recent time history due to the outbreak of the COVID-19, adding that they should use this period to pray for the quick end to the pandemic.
He also urged all believers to ‘imbibe the lessons learnt during the Ramadan period through sacrifices, almsgiving to the needy, continuous exhibition of piety as well as charity to one another.’
He said the celebration is coming at a time that the world has been thrown into confusion with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic which, he says, will soon be over.
The governor called on philanthropists and ‘those that have been blessed by Almighty Allah to be their brother’s keeper’ by assisting the less privileged in their community.
The Forum prayed for God’s blessings and protection on the people, appealing to Muslims to observe the Sallah celebration without much fanfare so as to contain the spread of COVID-19, adding that ‘you should help to complement government’s efforts towards containing the spread of COVID-19.’
In addition, the Forum also admonished the people to observe all precautionary public health measures as outlined by the health authorities and the government including ‘personal hygiene, social distancing, use of face mask and hand-washing especially at public gatherings.’
He called on all traditional and religious leaders in the entire North Central region, especially those states that are under the threat of bandits, cattle rustlers, kidnappers and other criminal assaults to be security-conscious and report any strange or suspicious movement within their domain.
The Forum Chairman gave the assurance that the situation will soon return to normal, saying the government is not resting on its oars in the fight against crime.