President Muhammadu Buhari has called on Nigerians to forgive one another and embrace peace.
The President made the appeal on Thursday in his Sallah message to the nation, to commemorate the end of the Ramadan fasting period.
He emphasised the need to put the virtues of Islam into practice beyond the fasting season.
President Buhari congratulated the Muslims on completing “this spiritually significant month of sacrifice”, and asked them to reflect on the importance of Ramadan in becoming good ambassadors of their religion at all times.
“Religion should be the moral compass for all believers in their public and personal lives,” he said in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu.
“If people allow the teachings of their religions to influence their conducts, problems such as corruption, which diverts public funds to private pockets, would have been eliminated in the society,” the President added.
He, however, decried that selfishness and greed have overcome the conscience of some individuals to the extent that they don’t have moral inhibitions in the pursuit of their greed.
President Buhari noted that it was impossible to separate morality from religion.
According to him, removing this connection will encourage corrupt leaders and other exploiters to commit atrocities against the society.
The President said, “I always wonder why any true believer, be they politicians, civil servants or businessmen, would seek to make profits from the misfortunes of others.”
He further called on religious leaders to always pray for peace and unity in the country and avoid making inflammatory utterances that can endanger peace or promote conflicts.
Similarly, President Buhari commended Nigerians for their patience with his administration, assuring them that their sacrifices will not be in vain.
He noted that reforming a country that was pushed into near decay on account of corruption comes with teething pains.
