The President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has urged Nigerians to emulate the virtues of Prophet Mohammed, whose birthday is being celebrated on Monday.
Jonathan, in a statement to coincide with the day, which has been declared a public holiday in Nigeria, said if the ideals of the prophet are internalised by all, the country would be a better place.
The statement reads: “I greet you all, especially our Moslem brothers and sisters, as we commemorate the anniversary of the birth of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (SAW).
“As we celebrate the anniversary of the Prophet’s birth, I urge all Nigerians to collectively reflect on the virtues and ideals which he exemplified and taught. The proper internalization of these virtues and ideals will undoubtedly benefit our nation immensely as we confront current security and developmental challenges.
“I sincerely believe that we will make much faster progress towards the realization of our shared vision of a strong, united and prosperous nation if more of our people imbibe the Prophet’s lessons of peace, peaceful co-existence with others, tolerance, honesty, selflessness, sincerity, justice, equity and fairness to all.
“My administration greatly appreciates the untiring effort being made by our religious and traditional rulers to foster national unity and promote the peaceful coexistence of all Nigerians in the face of current challenges and I urge them to do more in this regard.
“I also seize the opportunity of this occasion to assure all Nigerians once again that my administration remains fully committed to the successful implementation of its agenda for national transformation.
“We shall continue to do all that we can in the coming months to curb corruption, eliminate waste and redirect national resources to identified high priority areas such as public infrastructure, power supply, transportation, agricultural development, education and other sectors that will have a direct and positive impact on wealth creation and employment generation.
“I thank you all for your continuing support and understanding in spite of being called upon to make additional sacrifices for national development recently.
“Remain assured that all my actions as President are motivated by a burning desire to significantly improve the lives of the people of this country within the tenure of my administration.
“With your support and God’s guidance, I will succeed.
“May God Almighty continue to bless, guide and protect our dear country.
“I wish you all happy Eid-El-Maulud celebrations.”