Ramadan: Northern governors sue for peace

The Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum and Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, on Saturday called on the Muslim Ummah to use the period of fasting to pray for Allah’s guidance, protection and peaceful coexistence of Nigerians.
Aliyu, whose position was contained in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Israel A. Ebije, said Nigeria is a great country that must overcome its social, political and economic challenges to attain its position as a nation on the path of development and leadership on the African continent.
He therefore urged Muslims to use the period to reflect on the past, evaluate the present and project into the future, adding that presently all is not well with Nigeria, especially in the area of collective aspiration, socio-political trust and most importantly security of lives and property.
He said: “We must use this period to pray for peace. We must ask Allah to first forgive our sins, then show us the best path to follow in dealing with our differences as a people. We have to go spiritual in ending insurgency, we have to go spiritual in working for a unified aspiration, we have to go spiritual in bringing back the lost trust and bridging the yawning gap of disunity in Nigeria.”
Aliyu further added that security issues bedeviling the country may be political but expressed concern over its ethno-religious twist.
He said with the way and manner perceptions trail the more than frequent bombings in parts of the country, a section of the country will soon become victims based on stereotype.
Aliyu, therefore, on behalf of the Forum asked Muslims to pray to Allah to expose evil perpetrators in the country, adding that while they pursue their self-based political agenda, the backlash is on the average poor, who are either killed on daily basis or exposed to suspicion by security operatives.
He said: “Nigeria is a project for all of us and it is our duty to ensure it work. The ceaseless security challenges in the country is fast blackmailing a section of the country, which is totally unacceptable. We are all victims and we must use this Ramadan period to ask Allah to expose the desperate ones trying to make Nigeria ungovernable and unlivable.”