Stop glorifying thieves, Buhari urges Nigerians

President Muhammadu Buhari has called on Nigerians to stop glorifying thieves who have brought hardship on the country.

He stated that such thieves who have ruined the nation through their corrupt acts deserved to be treated with disdain, and not hero worshiping.

In his Sallah message to mark the end of the Ramadan fasting period on Friday, President Buhari also called on Nigerians to be patient with his administration because it was tough getting the nation back on track.

According to him, reforming a country that was pushed into near decay on account of corruption comes with teething pains.

While thanking Nigerians for their patience and assuring that their sacrifices will not be in vain, the president in a statement by Garba Shehu, his Senior Special Assistant (Media & Publicity) Buhari said, “these pains are temporary, the APC administration which I am privileged to lead, is beholden to the ordinary Nigerians and will leave no stone unturned to make their security, welfare and happiness our priority”.

On the end of the Ramadan fasting period, President Buhari stressed the importance of putting the virtues of Islam into practice beyond the fasting season.

Read also: APC has shown that there’s no place for personal interest in the party— El-Rufai

While congratulating Muslims on completing “this spiritually significant month of sacrifice”, the President urged them to reflect on the importance of Ramadan in becoming good ambassadors of Islam at all times.

According to the President, “religion should be the moral compass for all believers in their public and personal lives,” adding that “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.”

He regretted, however, that “selfishness and greed have overcome people’s conscience so much that they don’t have moral inhibitions in the pursuit of their greed.”

He said “it is impossible to separate morality from religion, and removing this connection encourages corrupt leaders and other exploiters to commit atrocities against the society.

“I always wonder why any true believer, be they politicians, civil servants or businessmen, would seek to make profits from the misfortunes of others”, the President added.

President Buhari enjoined religious leaders to always pray for peace and unity in the country and avoid making inflammatory utterances that endanger peace or promote conflicts.

The President also appealed to fellow citizens to forgive one another and embrace peace.

In this respect, President Buhari lauded the families of recipients of national honours for showing good examples to Nigerians and urged our country men and women to copy their good examples.

 

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