The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have joined millions of Nigerian Muslims and others all over the world to celebrate the Eid-el-Fitr, which marks the end of the 30-day Ramadan Fast.
The NLC in a statement issued on Saturday by its National President Ayuba Waba, felicitated with Muslim workers and indeed the Nigerian Muslim community for successfully concluding the observance of the holy month of Ramadan.
He said that the restrictions and inconveniences imposed by the novel Coronavirus had made the observation of this year’s Ramadan far more tasking and indeed more spiritually rewarding for all Muslims.
“Your perseverance through the fasting period is a shining embodiment of the spirit of Eid. Eid-el-fitr is a very significant event in the life of every Muslim chiefly because of the virtues it exemplifies. Eid-el-fitr teaches denial, dedication, discipline, diligence, love and sharing. Eid-el-fitr is also a time of stock taking as Muslims use the period of the Ramadan fasting to take an objective assessment of their areas of strength and weakness.
“The strengths are consolidated while the weaknesses are strengthened. Eid-el-fitr reinforces the lessons of Covid-19. The need to love and to share has never been as profoundly communicated as during the current global fight against Covid-19. There is no better time to share with those who do not have, especially the destitute in our midst,” the statement said.
Waba noted that this year’s Eid-el-Fitr also echoes the message of hope which inspires all that though the night of COVID-19 might be long but the rays of the dawn of Allah’s benevolent mercies would soon arrive to compensate for all the current troubles even as he called on Nigerians to keep faith alive.
The labour leader urged every Nigerian Muslim and all citizens to fully imbibe the virtues of Eid-el-Fitri. He added that Nigerian workers have demonstrated a strong affinity to the values of Eid-el-Fitri by soldiering on in self-denial, dedication, and diligence as frontline workers against Covid-19 pandemic.
He also called on governments at all levels and employers to make workers’ load lighter by ensuring the security of jobs, income and livelihood. He also warned that the Ramadan Holiday is not the time to arbitrarily cut down the salaries of workers or deny workers’ their means of livelihood.
“It is also important to stress that we must all rise to the existential challenges thrown up by the Coronavirus pandemic. We must take personal responsibilities for our own health especially through abiding by extant public health regulations,” Waba said.
Meanwhile the APC in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary Lanre Issa-Onilu also congratulated Muslims on the successful completion of the 2020 Ramadan fasting and the celebration of Eid-el-Fitri.
The statement said: “As we complete this important religious obligation, we join the Nigerian Muslim community in beseeching Allah to accede to all their prayers and accept their fasting as an act of worship. It is our hope that the important lessons of Ramadan, including personal sacrifice, charity, sobriety and self-discipline would not cease to be part of our ways of life in the months and years ahead.
“At this critical period of our nation’s history, these noble virtues should continue to guide our daily activities, as we strive to fulfill our duties as good citizens of this great country and stay safe amid the Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic.
“In our continuous efforts to stem the spread of this virus, the APC urges all Nigerians to adhere to public health guidelines and instructions, including safe distancing, use of facemasks at public places, among others.”
In a similar development, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in a statement on Saturday said just as it was a Ramadan like none other, the Eid-el-Fitr celebrations marking the end of the fasting this year too would be epochal.
“I am sure there would be very few Muslims alive today – if any – who had witnessed a Ramadan fasting like the one we just had, and Eid celebration such as we would have this year without the mandatory congressional prayers.
“We fasted this year without spiritual acts of worship that accompany the Holy month of Ramadan like attending tafsir (evening sermons before breaking of fast), sharing of iftar with family, friends and the needy, and even the voluntary seclusion during the last ten days of the blessed Ramadan.
“But all these strictures could not have made our fasting less valid because, as Muslims, we believe that everything that happens is with the command of Almighty Allah. We are taught in the scripture and the Sunnah of Noble Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that God would test our faith individually and as an Ummah.
“The current situation of the Covid-19 pandemic is a test from Allah and, having fasted as we are enjoined as Muslims, let us continue to remember that it is part of our faith to protect all lives and to abide by regulations from those in authority, especially during a time of great uncertainty like this,” he said.
The Wazirin Adamawa stated that those protocols about avoidance of crowded places, social distancing and regular washing of hands are for the benefits of Nigerians and of humankind in general.
“As Muslims, it is incumbent upon us to do our best both in action and in prayers to ensure that the world is healed of this deadly virus in the earliest possible time.
“It is also incumbent on governments at all levels that in planning for the post Covid-19 era, the welfare of the people should be of paramount priority.
“People in leadership positions all over the world should learn from countless examples of how Prophet Muhammed (SAW) and his immediate disciples took the welfare of the people as priority in administration of a state,” he said.
