President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians to tolerate each other’s religious beliefs.
President Buhari made this known on Friday when he arrived at his country home, Daura, in Katsina State, for the Eid-el- Kabir.
The President who landed at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport this evening was received by Emir Alhaji Faruq Umar and other important dignitaries in the town.
In his Eid-el Kabir message to Nigerian Muslims and other citizens, he said Nigerians put religious teachings into practice, and most of the evils afflicting the society would have been solved.
Buhari called on Nigerians to put the interest of the country above selfish interests and “use religion as a motivation for the love of our common humanity.”
“If we are putting the teachings of our religions into practice, most of the evils afflicting our society would have been solved,” he said.
He explained that “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.”
“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 diverting it to their private pockets,” he said.
President Buhari congratulated the Muslim Ummah in Nigeria and the world on the occasion of Eid, citing for special mention, “the brave men and women in uniform fighting terror on many fronts and their families, as well as others held hostage and kept away from their families by wicked and heartless terrorists.”
He used the occasion to call on all Muslims to reflect on the significance of the sacrifice epitomised by Eid.
