Sallah: Imbibe the spirit of love, NIPR boss, Sirajo urges Nigerians

By George Aluo

President and Chairman of Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Mallam Mukhtar Zubairu Sirajo has appealed to Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of love as they celebrate the moslem festival of Eid-El-Kabir.

In a goodwill message, the NIPR boss stated that it is important that the lessons of the festival are not lost on Nigerians.

Below is full text of Sirajo’s message: “As it has pleased God Almighty to enable us witness this holy occasion of eid el kabir, I, on behalf of the leadership and entire members of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), convey warm felicitations to all Nigerians.  

As we celebrate this auspicious occasion, it is important that the lessons and message it teaches and conveys are not lost on us. I therefore urge us all, to imbibe the spirit of love, obedience to God and sacrifice bequeathed to the world by Prophet Abraham (AS), which are some of its hallmarks and historical significance.

The period should also be, not only for celebrations and merry making, but also for sober reflections and desire, indeed, efforts to get closer to God Almighty in our actions and utterances by exhibiting the quintessential values of love, peace and good neighbourliness, all of which are encapsulated in the fear of God.  We should also use the occasion to rededicate ourselves to His service by striving to continue to serve humanity irrespective of tribe, creed, political or other leanings.

God in His infinite wisdom and mercy has created us the way He has, with all our diversities, and has decreed that we exist in this highly endowed nation as each other’s keeper.  The best way to express our gratitude to Him is to continue to live in peace and keep on harnessing our diversity in order to explore and exploit the numerous opportunities He has endowed our nation with, in so many positive ways.

It is also significant that we are marking this year’s occasion in a strange and unprecedented atmosphere brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. The NIPR salutes the courage and resilience of Nigerians in the face of the inconveniences and discomforts that the handling of the scourge has entailed. Special mention must be made of our health workers who have been on the frontline of the battle despite the huge risks involved. We call on all to remain steadfast in complying with all protocols of containment as enunciated by the authorities, even as we pray in this holy period, for God to see us through.  

And as our country grapples with various challenges of development, this is also an apt period for all of us to pray earnestly to God to continue to bless Nigeria as well as guide and guard it.

We salute our armed forces and law enforcement agencies for the onerous role they have been playing to secure us from the scourge of insurgency, banditry and other criminalities. We however urge, that given the seeming tenacity of the perpetrators of these evils, our armed forces and other security agencies must up the ante of the fight to ensure our collective, sustainable security.”