The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abukakar III-led Jama’atu Nasril Islam, has cautioned the Muslims and other Nigerians against traveling for the Sallah celebration following the worsening security situation across the country.
The Muslim body also called on the Federal Government led by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to wake up to its responsibility of protecting the lives and property of Nigerians.
This is just as the JNI appealed to the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities to sheathe their swords and ensure amicable resolution over the protracted strike, which had hampered academic activities across public universities in the country.
These were contained in a statement by the JNI Secretary-General, Khalid Abubakar-Aliyu, in Kaduna on Saturday to mark the end the Muslim Ramadan Fast.
According to the JNI, the continued closure of universities will spell doom and aggravate the current security dilemma in the Country.
The statement partly read, “The Jama’atu Nasril Islam, under the leadership of His Eminence, Alhaji (Dr.) Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, Sultan of Sokoto and President-General JNI, once again congratulates the Nigerian Muslims and Muslims all over the world for the opportunity to have observed Ramadan fast, which of course is gradually coming to an end.
“By Allah’s will, tomorrow Sunday, 1st May 2022, or next tomorrow Monday, 2nd May 2022, shall mark the end of the Ramadan fasting, to witness yet another Eid-el-Fitr celebration in-sha, Allah.
“We would also like to implore all to treat with caution on traveling home for Sallah festivities given the pervasive security challenges in the Nigerian state. May Allah, the Highest, continue to protect us all. Amin.
“Likewise, we call on the government to exert more efforts in attending to all forms of criminalities and deal appropriately with the agents of destruction and fragmentation in every nook and cranny of the country.
Government should be more up and doing and it should heed to the different wake-up calls to improve the security architecture, tackle ravaging economic hardship and transparently address the seeming unemployment problem in order to reinvent the spirit of patriotism and commitment to the ideals of national goals.”
On the ongoing ASUU strike, the group added, “In the same vein, arising from the various calls for the resolution of the ASUU-FG face-off, we use this medium to appeal to the Federal Government and ASUU to, in the name of Allah (SWT) and as a matter of urgency, resolve the lingering crisis between themselves (each other) which has bedevilled the public university in the country.
“Parents, students, and the entire nation have been adversely affected by this nightmarish impasse. The time has come for all the critical stakeholders, especially the Federal Government to nip this national malady in the bud once and for all.
“Continued closure of our universities spells doom for our nation and aggravates the current security dilemma in the country.
“Nevertheless, we must continue to intensify our prayers for Nigeria and its leaders, especially that the 2023 general election is fast approaching.”
The JNI also urged wealthy Muslims to remember the needy in the various internally displaced persons’ camps “occasioned by the incessant attacks of bandits and the intractable Boko Haram insurgency.”
