Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct his war against corruption in the country in such a manner as to impact positively in the lives of the citizenry.
Umahi made the call on Tuesday when he received in audience a delegation of Muslim faithful who paid him Sallah homage at the Government House, Abakaliki.
The Governor, represented by his Deputy, Dr. Kelechi Igwe, observed that the task of keeping the country united amidst the trending political polarization was a herculean one.
He acknowledged the efforts of the President in repositioning the mindset of Nigerians but stressed that more still needed to be done in the management of corruption, national unity and political inclusiveness, especially with the increasing struggles for power, leading to political defections and mutual acrimony across all quarters.
Governor Umahi congratulated the President for yet another Sallah celebration marking the Eid-el Adha and called on Muslims in the country to join hands with other religions to ensure peaceful coexistence and unity.
Umahi said: “We want to genuinely, on behalf of the Government of Ebonyi thank and congratulate the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, on this special Sallah occasion
“We wish him well and we also pray for him that God will continue to preserve him.
“As a State, we will continue to pray for his health, to continue in the recovery process, especially that his anti-corruption war in Nigeria must be fought in such a way and manner that Nigerians will begin to feel the impact of the fight against corruption.
“We acknowledge his efforts in trying to reposition the minds of Nigerians against corruption and we ask God to enable him to do more in that regard.
“We know too well that in Nigeria, politics seems to polarize a lot of things: friends could naturally become enemies because of political interests at a period where people are jostling for power and position.
“We have seen the game of defections from one party to the other and we are watching with keen interest for what God is going to use him as a leader of Nigeria to stabilize the politics of this nation.
“We don’t envy him because it is a Herculean task to bind us all together but by the grace of Allah, he will succeed in not allowing this country to break up.”
Umahi noted that the Government of Ebonyi State has continued to advance the policy of inclusiveness in governance irrespective of religion or clime, adding that the State has a good number of Muslims both appointed and elected to various political positions.
He commended the Muslims in the State for their peaceful disposition, which he said has greatly accounted for the mutual peace in the State, and urged them to continue in that manner, assuring that the State Government would continue to grant them all that were due to them.
He said: “As Government of Ebonyi, we are at peace with you.
“We will always make available to you what is due to you in Ebonyi.
“There is no discrimination in Ebonyi State and that is why the Governor appointed a good number of Muslims into his Government and sponsors pilgrimages to Mecca.”
Governor Umahi called on the Muslims to revive the age long sacrificial Sallah gifts sharing with neighbours, which he observed was waning probably as a result of economic hardship.
Earlier in a mission statement, the leader of the delegation, Sheikh Ibrahim Obiahu, told the Governor that they were in the Government House to felicitate with him on the ocassion of 2018 Eid-el Adha.
Obiahu observed that this years celebration was unique in that it marked the end of the first tenure of most political office holders in Nigeria and expressed hope that the Governor would get deserved return for a second tenure from 2019 to 2023.