President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday urged Nigerians to embrace tolerance, generosity, and peaceful coexistence, stressing that ethnic divisions and hatred have no place in the country’s quest for unity and progress.
The President made the call after observing Eid-el-Kabir congregational prayers at Dodan Barracks, Lagos, where he encouraged citizens to use the sacred celebration to strengthen bonds of love and humanity.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu said the festival of sacrifice serves as a reminder of the enduring values of obedience, compassion, and total submission to the will of God, as exemplified by Prophet Ibrahim.
“We thank Almighty Allah for making us witness another year of Eid-el-Kabir. We thank Him for His mercy, and we must learn from this season’s lessons, namely showing love to one another. No discrimination, no ethnicity, no hatred; we should share love and be generous to one another in a way that reflects the values of our country and humanity,” he said.
The President emphasised that Nigeria’s strength lies in its diversity and shared humanity, insisting that differences in ethnicity, religion, and politics should never supersede the nation’s collective aspirations for peace, development, and prosperity.
“It is essential that we should be very tolerant and obedient to the wishes of Allah and the rule of law, which must guide our society,” he added.
Tinubu also called on Nigerians to support the less privileged and reflect on the sanctity of human life, condemning banditry and violence.
“Nowhere in the holy teachings does it say you should engage in banditry or take a human life. The sacrifice we speak of, even from the beginning of life where we take these lessons, teaches us that a child was replaced with an animal. That is the value placed on human life,” the President said.
He was joined at the prayer ground by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, and other dignitaries.
In his sermon, the Grand Chief Imam of Lagos State, Sheikh Sulaimon Abou-Nolla, urged Muslims to uphold the virtues of piety, sacrifice, generosity, and unity, while praying for continued wisdom and good health for the President.
He also paid tribute to the contributions and sacrifices of past Nigerian leaders toward building a united nation.
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