Eid-el Fitri: Muslim group charges politicians to emulate Cameron

The Companion, an association of Muslim Men in Business & the Professions has called on the Nigerian politicians to take a cue from the recent development in United Kingdom (UK) where the Prime Minister (David Cameron) voluntarily resigned on principle following the referendum where the people voted to exit from the European Union (EU).

National President of the group, Mr. Musibau Oyefeso, in a press statement on the celebration of the 2016 Eid-el Fitri said there was a lot for Nigerian politicians to learn from the reaction of the prime minister.

According to him, “This was against his personal wish and what he vigorously campaigned for.  He never engaged in campaign of calumny against section of the country, neither did he accuse any arm of government of plot to remove him. He never raised any religious sentiment but simply accepted the verdict of the people because the whole process was transparently done.

“We call on our political leaders and other individuals who occupy political office to emulate this kind of principled behaviour in the conduct of their duty in power.  Holding political office should never be seen as a do or die affair. They should learn how to bow out whenever it is honourable to do so”.

Having rejoiced with Muslims in Nigeria and beyond on the occasion of the 1437 A.H , the association called on all Muslims to celebrate the Eid in moderation and keep within the limits of Allah in all affairs.

“We call on all Muslims to ensure that the lessons of Ramadan are not lost on them. The spirit of love, sharing and forgiveness including tolerance and righteousness which were imbibed and demonstrated in Ramadan should continue to be our guide and watchword in our daily lives even after Ramadan. We call on all Muslims to continue to pray to Allah for unity, peace and progress in Nigeria. We should not forget to ask Allah to guide our leaders to love Nigeria above self and tribal consideration.

“As we celebrate let us remember in prayers; our brothers and sisters in the Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) Camps and call on the government to do the needful and resettle the people in their respective communities. We pray Allah to restore genuine peace to the land and the Ummah.

The companion also called on the state governments owing the public servants in their state several months’ salary to give the item priority “because those who suffer the hardship include the spouses and their children and other dependants.

“The state governments should also engage in very prudent management of the little allocation they receive from the Federal Government. We call on them to make genuine sacrifices and cut down on cost of governance in the interest of the workers and their family. More importantly they should block all leakages and creatively look inward to improve on their internally generated revenue. They should also show concern and speak up when national assets are being destroyed wilfully in any part of the country knowing full well that such actions hurt the economy very badly as it is currently going on in the Niger Delta.

It also called on the government and the police commission to ensure that the on-going recruitment to police should be transparent and fair to all. They should learn from the ugly experience of the past when scores of applicants were killed during the recruitment exercise conducted by the Immigration service”.