Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has asked Muslims in the country to unite behind the country’s leaders in the efforts to find a lasting solution to problems of poverty and insecurity bedeviling the nation.
“On the blessed and joyous occasion of the Eid-Fitr after the rigorous and spiritually uplifting Ramadan fast, I urge Muslims and all Nigerians alike to embrace the common goal and unity, which the Ramadan essentially manifests,” Abubakar said.
In the message by his media office, Abubakar said without unity, Nigerians cannot build a prosperous, modern nation-state.
He challenged all Muslims and the other citizens to avoid hatred, anger and revenge in view of the current national dispensation.
According to the former vice president, leaders also have a duty to identify with the problems of those who put them into office.
He stated that poverty is a potential threat to social stability and that leaders at all levels must work with greater commitment to tackle the urgent task facing democratic governance.
Abubakar said fasting is a spiritual sacrifice intended to bring both the rich and the poor to experience hunger and thirst in obedience to God’s command.
For this reason, he said, the leaders should treat those who elected them with empathy and compassion.
Abubakar wished all Nigerians a happy Sallah celebration, marked by peace, security, bounties and blessings.