Ramadan: US envoy, Onaiyekan break fast with Muslims

The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Stuart Symington, and the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, have urged Nigerians to use the period Ramadan to foster peace to engender national development. They made the plea in Abuja at the iftar (breaking of Ramadan fast feast) organised by the Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society (AIS). Symington […]

The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Stuart Symington, and the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, have urged Nigerians to use the period Ramadan to foster peace to engender national development.

They made the plea in Abuja at the iftar (breaking of Ramadan fast feast) organised by the Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society (AIS).

Symington said, “There is need to go back to those days when you celebrate both Sallah and Christmas, Easter and Ramadan together and above all share the language of God that says love and care.”

The National Chief Imam of AIS, Sheik Fuad Adeyemi, said that over 1,800 less privileged Muslims and non-Muslims are fed daily throughout the Ramadan period.

He said the programme was part of the Al-Habibiyyah Food Bank programme meant to help the less privilege and foster unity among Nigerians and formally started 14 years with 500 people.

Also, John Cardinal Onaiyekan commended the initiative of feeding the less privilege and called for peace and unity among Nigerians.

He said he was impressed by the orderliness of the daily feeding programme of the organisation despite the population, mostly youths numbering over 1,800 and not a government programme.

“This may have been due to the orderliness of the (daily) prayers and I am impressed. This also showed that Nigeria as a country can learn a lesson from this, not to be fighting over the resources, which led to waste of half of what we are fighting over. It can go round with all of us with proper management,” Onaiyekan said.