Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has felicitated
Muslims in the state for witnessing the commencement of the Ramadan fasting.
The governor, in a statement issued in Ibadan on Thursday,
by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, urged Islamic faithful to pray
relentlessly during the fasting period and specifically ask the Almighty Allah
to show mercy on the people.
He said that Muslims must embrace the piety demanded of them
during the Ramadan and ask Allah to put an end to Covid-19, which is ravaging
the whole world.
He also enjoined Muslims in the state to use the month-long
fasting period to pray for the peace of the state and the country at large.
According to the governor, sacrifice and increased prayers
are important and critical at this time when the world is fighting the
Coronavirus pandemic. According to him: "It was regrettable that Muslims
in the state and across the country cannot observe the Ramadan the way they
have been used to over the years, the situation should only be seen as part of
the sacrifice we all have to make at this time."
He added: "I am aware that our Muslim brothers have
been told that they would not be able to gather for Tafsir, Iftar and Tarawih
prayers during the month-long Ramadan, due to the restrictions brought upon us
all by the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I enjoin you all to see this as a reflection of the
sober mood the world has been thrown into as a result of the pandemic.
"Please use the opportunity of this month of blessings
to seek Allah's forgiveness to make the pandemic a thing of the past."
He also admonished Muslims to tune their minds to the
messages of love, brotherliness and peaceful co-existence inherent in the
messages of the Holy Prophet, while also being their brothers' keepers.
The statement further read: “As our Muslim brothers and
sisters are expected to adhere strictly to abstinence from food and other
things during the month of Ramadan, I wish to enjoin them to extend their hands
of fellowship to other fellow Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
“It is only by doing this, coupled with sharing whatever
they have with others, particularly the underprivileged in the society, that
their supplications can be answered and the world will be a good place to live
in for all and sundry."
Governor Makinde, who quoted Qur’an 2 v 267, which says
"O ye who believe, give of the good things which ye have," said this
act would help the underprivileged in the society and reduce hunger and poverty
confronting the people.
He wished the Islamic faithful a successful fasting period,
while praying to God to grant them the strength needed for the Ramadan.
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