Gov. Bello Matawalle of Zamfara has called on Muslims to use the Eid-El-Kabir festival to pray against the COVID-19 pandemic afflicting humanity.
Matawalle made the call on Friday in a statewide broadcast in commemoration of the Eid-El Kabir.
“This year’s Eid-El Kabir is coming at a time when the world is grappling with the threat of the dreaded coronavirus pandemic.
As humanity is struggling with the virus, Allah in His infinite mercy has made it easy for our state to contain the situation.
“We must thank Almighty Allah for His mercy and blessing on us and pray that He will continue to be our benefactor,” he said.
He noted that Muslims from all parts of the world were not able to perform this year’s Hajj due to the pandemic.
“As painful as it is, we shall take solace in the fact that Allah, the all-knowing, is fully aware of our situation; He will reward us for our patience and good intentions,” he said.
The governor expressed satisfaction at the successes so far recorded in the fight against banditry and other criminality especially in the North West.
He urged members of the public to continue to pray for governments and security agents and support them with information that would lead to arrest of terror groups.
“We must also thank Allah for His blessing, especially as we are daily recording successes in our fight against banditry.
“Based on our security strategy, our peace and reconciliation programme goes hand-in-hand with actions by our gallant security forces against the recalcitrant elements.
“Many communities will be celebrating this festival in their towns and villages after a long period of displacement.
“Many of our markets are now fully operational as farmers and herders are interacting freely in a genuine spirit of friendship and brotherliness while the legendary cordiality between farmers and herders is fast returning,” he said.
He congratulated Muslims on the occasion of Eid-El Kabir, urging them to continue to be law-abiding and love their neighbours to promote peace needed for meaningful development. (NAN)
