Hardship ’ ll Soon Be Over - Buhari Tells Nigerians. See Details Hete!

The state of the nation’s economy, particularly the recession, dominated this year’s message to mark the eid-el-kabir celebration. But President Muhammadu Buhari appealed to Nigerians to exercise patience with his administration, assuring that government was working hard to deal with the current economic challenges and improve the living condition of citizens.

The president, in his Sallah message, commended Nigerians for their steadfastness considering the difficult economic times the country was going through.He said the lessons of the eid were piety and sacrifice, which the citizens have already displayed through the period of the difficulty.

“My dear brothers and sisters, you have exhibited these in equal measure. The present recession is as a result of cumulative effects of worldwide economic downturn and failure in the past to plan and save for difficult times. “It is impossible to separate the present from the past to appreciate the extent to which mistakes of the past are affecting everyday life today,” Buhari noted.

The president continued that: “I assure you that this administration is working round the clock to remove the hardship the country is going through. Rail and road constructions, projects in the housing sector, support for farmers and for small and medium scale industries, youth and women’s empowerment programmes, support for revival of industries are all designed to reinvigorate the economy and enhance living standards of ordinary people.

“We are getting security right. We are stopping corruption in its tracks and we will get the economy right by the Grace of God.”

He enjoined Muslims to live by the dictates of Islam, to keep good relationships with their Christian brothers and sisters and as patriots to maintain the spirit of the Nigerian nation. President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, also felicitated with Muslim faithful in the country as they celebrate the eid-el-kabir, urging them to pray for peace and accelerated recovery of the nation’s economy.

Saraki, in his Sallah message, also urged Nigerians to remain steadfast and committed to the cause of one, united and developed country. He observed that despite the current economic challenges, the country and its people had all that was required to come out better and stronger.
Saraki said: “I sincerely rejoice with all Nigerians, especially the Muslim faithful, on yet another Eid-el-Kabir, which is both a period of sacrifice and obedience to divine guidance and a time to share our resources with our neighbours, no matter how little.

“It is also a call on all of us to love one another, eschew all forms of violence, adhere strictly to the noble tenets of Islam and peaceful coexistence. We must not relent in being our brothers’ keeper and playing our part to achieve the New Nigeria of our dreams.

“Truly, times are tough,but we are a tough people too. Therefore, I have no doubt that we shall overcome our present economic setback sooner than anticipated, if we all commit to the ideals of nation building. “I also enjoin everyone of us to contribute in strengthening the bond of unity and oneness that exists among us.

This, I believe, will spur us to avoid negative tendencies that could derail our efforts at ensuring faster economic revival and socio-political stability,” he said. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, called on the faithful to use the period for sober reflection and to imbibe the spirit of sacrifice for peace, unity and progress of the country.

The Speaker noted that peaceful co-existence and understanding as well as sustained prayers among citizens were essential in the face of the current economic and security challenges in the country which are not insurmountable.

“As we celebrate Eid-el- Kabir with our friends and families, we must never forget our country and its leadership in our prayers. Eid-el-Kabir celebration is a period of sacrifice and reflection.

I urge us all to emulate the virtues of total obedience, sacrifice in faith and selfless service as demonstrated and exemplified by Prophet lbrahim,” the Speaker admonished. Dogara lamented the pains the citizens were undergoing currently which are occasioned by decades of maladministration and the near collapse of a mono- product economy, but expressed confidence that the diversification drive of the Buhari administration, coupled with its fiscal discipline and transparency, will surely return the nation to the path of true development and prosperity.

Similarly, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, enjoined the Muslim Ummah to use the occasion of Sallah to pray for the nation’s quick recovery from her current economic recession, expressing confidence that Nigerians, working together, could heal the nation’s economy.

Ekweremadu noted that the present economic challenges were not beyond redemption, but could actually become the nation’s turning point away from an oil-driven economy to real prosperity if the right policies and structures were put in place. He said: “I warned long ago that elections had come and gone and we should move from politics to governance.

It is time for governance and we must bring all capable hands on the deck, irrespective of political, religious or ethnic backgrounds. “Nigerians are facing hard times;

and all they are interested in are positive results and urgent succour. They don’t care whether you are All Progressives Congress (APC) or Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and whether you are North or South. ”