Most of the challenges plaguing the country will be a thing of the past if Nigerians truly adhere to the teachings of their faith, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday.
Buhari, who stated this in his Eid-el-Kabir message to Nigerians, said Nigerians should use religion as a motivation for the love of our shared humanity.
According to a statement by presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, the president asserted that if Nigerians put the teachings of their religion into practice, most of the evils afflicting the nation would have been solved.
“The exploitation of the people by traders and the stealing of public funds by civil servants and other holders of public trust is a reflection of the abandonment of the teachings of our religions,” he said.
“Our society is a bundle of contradictions. People display external religiosity without fear of God; they make life difficult for others; money becomes their god; leaders abandon their oaths of office by taking money meant for the welfare of the people and divert it to their private pockets.
“Religion should not just be used as a mere badge of identity, but as a motivator for doing good for our country and humanity.”
While congratulating the Muslim faithful on the Eid celebration, Buhari also advised Muslims “to promote the good virtues of Islam through personal examples and practice,” adding that “Muslims should avoid association with violent extremist ideas that have wrongly given Islam a negative image or poor perception.”
On the current security challenges and costs of living in the country, he assured Nigerians that “I won’t rest until I bring relief to Nigerians,” adding that “I am quite aware of the difficulties people are facing and working to resolve them”.
He also gave “special mention” to security operatives fighting terror on many fronts and their families, as well as hostages kept away by terrorists.
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