Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Wednesday evening urged Muslims to extend love to others and imbibe the act of selfless service to humanity during and after Ramadan, saying such would go a long way in making the world better.
A statement Thursday signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Habib Aruna, said the governor was speaking at a Ramadan Tafsir held at Lagos House in Alausa, Ikeja organised by the State Government to mark the official commencement of the Muslim fasting month, Governor Ambode said those having in excess must show gratitude by helping others and also exhibit total submission to God’s commandments.
“To all my Muslim brothers and sisters, I just want to use this opportunity to greet all of you that as we commence the Ramadan month and with all the lectures we have heard, we are doing this to be in tune with Allah and to be in sync with the kind of supplication that we want to give and we know 30 days out of 365 days are not enough to really show our total submission to Allah.
“What I just want to say is that the important thing in all these 30 days that we are going to have the Ramadan is to show love to ourselves and also show love to our neighbours.
“You need to love yourself first before you can even show love to another person. So, when we have in excess, we must show the attitude of gratitude to be able to give to others because somebody else has over provided for us,” the Governor said.
He said since assuming office, the guiding philosophy of his administration has been about inclusion and to positively touch lives, just as he admonished Muslims to imbibe the spirit of giving selflessly to others at all times.
“Beyond Ramadan, we must also show the attitude of giving at all times; that is the philosophy of our government; that is the practice we have been doing in the last three years; we must touch the poor and we must touch our people.
“There are people who are suffering and that is why we do projects that are people-oriented; that is why we go to areas that have never been touched before; that is why we would be in Ayobo, Akute, Badagry, Epe and places that have not been touched and that is the whole essence of why Allah has brought us on earth.
“God did not say we should come and acquire resources; He did not say we should come and acquire wealth; He says we should come and serve Him and we should serve Him selflessly. That is the philosophy of our government and that is what we have been preaching ever since I came into office. That is what we have continued to preach and imbibed and that is what I want every Lagosian to imbibe,” Governor Ambode said.
In his lecture on the importance of Ramadan, National Missioner, Ansar-ud-deen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh Abdul- Rahman Ahmad, said almighty Allah, through the month, was calling on Muslims to learn the spirit of piety and service relationship with Him.
“We must introspect and ask fundamental questions about our relationship with almighty Allah. He has sent us here to worship him and worship is also love and care for humanity.
“When you fast, you are taken closer to how disadvantaged people feel. It is also an opportunity for us to be generous because we feel what it is meant to be deprived,” Ahmad said.