NUJ Ramadan Lecture: Pray for Nigeria, Sanwo-Olu

A CALL has gone to muslim faithful in the country to use the period of Ramadan to seek the face of God for divine help in Nigeria while they remain each other’s keeper. 

Governor Sanwo-Olu made the call on at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Information Chapel, 17th Annual Ramadan Lecture with the theme “Security and Safety: Concern for All”, held at the state secretariat mosque, Alausa, Ikeja.

 The Governor, represented at the event by his Special Adviser on Islamic Matters, Alhaji Abdullahi Jebe, stated that the Ramadan season affords muslim faithful the opportunity to seek the face of God for complete restoration in Nigeria as well as the state, noting that the coronavirus pandemic affected almost all aspects of our national life. 

  While enjoining members of the pen profession to be objective in their reportage and eschew all forms of fake news that can cause rift and disunity in the country, Sanwo-Olu advised all muslims in the state to be considerate of the needy around them by sharing out of the abundance given them by the Almighty Allah during and after the period of Ramadan.

 The state council chairman of NUJ, Adeleye Ajayi, remarked that the Ramadan period is a time for sober reflection on good morals and the need to draw closer to the Almighty Allah.

 Ajayi noted that the topic of the lecture “Security and Safety: Concern for All” is apt in view of the growing fears of kidnapping, armed banditry and other vices, calling on governments at all levels to step up the fight against perpetrators of such acts by meting out appropriate punishments against them.

 “Fasting for 30 days is not an easy task. We should learn to be upright during the fasting period as well as ensure that we do not go back to our sins. What I admire most with the Islamic religion is the daily Tafsir (sermon) organised by spiritually-endowed clerics, which usually focuses on morals and good behaviour”, he said.

 Earlier in his welcome address the Chairman, NUJ Information Chapel, Comrade Debo Adeniji, noted that security and safety is a collective responsibility as insecurity has drastically affected our economy and governance.

  He reiterated the need to make peace and security one of the major prayer points during this Ramadan season, stressing that without an atmosphere of peace security, no one can live up to his or her full potentials.

  “Looking at the challenges of security and safety confronting us in Nigeria, we would all realise that security and safety are our collective responsibility. Manifested as terrorism, assault, stereotype or bigotry, these awful conditions are as a result of social imbalance and oppression which we are all suffering from today,”,he said.