Vice
President Arc Mohammed Namadi Sambo has urged Nigerians, particularly the
Muslim Ummah to pray fervently for continued peace and tranquillity in the
country.
The Vice
President made this call on Sunday in Abuja, when he spoke at the maiden
edition of the National Prayer for Peace and Security, organised by the
Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, which held at the National
Mosque, Abuja.
Vice
President Sambo, who emphasised that prayer was a strong weapon against
any adversity, reiterated the commitment of the President Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan administration to providing adequate security and ensuring the
stability and unity of Nigeria.
He said
“let me reiterate that when any adverse situation befell the Ummah during the
time of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and the Sahabah, their
greatest weapon was resorting to prayers to seek for Allah’s intercession.
“We
shall continue to organize prayers as frequently as possible and Allah SWT in
his infinite mercy will answer our prayers in removing in totality the act of
terrorism by the Boko Haram and all other vices in Nigeria. Let me at
this juncture urge all Nigerians to continue to pray for lasting peace and
unity of our dear country.”
He
called on the Muslim Ummah to promote the ideals of Islam by living according
to the tenets of the religion, which promotes peace, good neighbourliness and
kindness, saying Muslims should “not allow the few disgruntled elements among
us to portray Islam and Muslims in bad light,” even as he appealed to Muslim
clerics to “apply modesty in their sermons and preaching, while admonishing
adherence to the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW).”
On the
ongoing efforts to ensure the safe return of the abducted Chibok girls, Vice
President Sambo said the government was “working assiduously to support the
efforts of the military by increasing their capacity in the search of our
missing girls and to further secure the territorial integrity of the nation and
make a call for the immediate release of these girls.”
Arc
Sambo used the opportunity to express appreciation for the support of Nigeria’s
neighbours, including, Niger Republic, Chad, Cameroon and Benin Republic and
all African countries in the fight against the scourge of terrorism in the
country. He also commended the United Kingdom, France, as well as the United
States of America, China and “all countries of the World that are against the
terrorism that is happening in Nigeria, Africa and the World in general.”
In his
remarks, the Speaker House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal said the National
Assembly would do everything within its constitutional powers to support the
government’s effort to fight terrorism.
The
Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar for his part stressed the importance of
justice, equity and fairness to the maintenance of peace in every society, the
Sultan urged Muslims especially those in leadership position to shun corruption
and any act that affect the development of the country.
Prayers
were offered by renowned Muslim clerics from all over the country for continued
peace, unity and the development of Nigeria and had in attendance the Acting
Governor of Taraba State, Alhaji Garba Umar, deputy governors, members of the
legislature, federal executive council members, royal fathers and several
Muslim faithful.
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Politics