Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, who made this declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, congratulated all Muslims both at home and in the Diaspora for witnessing this year’s occasion.
In a statement by Dr. Shuaib Belgore, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, the Minister advised Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of love, patience, tolerance and perseverance which are deep spiritual virtues and which the Holy Prophet Muhammad exemplified..
Aregbesola enjoined Nigerians, particularly Muslims, to refrain from violence, lawlessness and other acts of criminality.
“As the indisputable leader of our race, we must demonstrate responsible leadership in Africa.”
He called for a stop to all divisive tendencies across the country, even as he advised Nigerians, the youth in particular, to embrace the virtues of hard work and peaceful disposition to fellow humans, irrespective of faith, ideology, social class and ethnicity and join hands with the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in its effort to build a progressive and enviable nation that all citizens would be proud of.
The Minister urged Nigerians to be security conscious, asking them to report any suspicious persons or activities to the nearest security agency and through the N-Alert application on Android and IOS.