The former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule, has urged Muslims to use the Ramadan period to pray and work towards a solution to the pandemic Coronavirus ravaging the world.
Adebule said this in a message to felicitate with the Muslim world on the commencement of the month long fasting.
According to her, Ramadan is a period during which God accepts prayers and also a time for spiritual reflection and rebirth, sacrifice and kindness, as well as increased devotion and worship.
She said the commencement of Ramadan had provided a unique opportunity for Muslims to support the global effort to end the Covid-19 pandemic with fervent prayers to Allah for mercy.
She particularly called on all Muslims to see the occurrence of the corona virus pandemic and its momentary global impact as a warning from Allah that we humans need Him for our existence and sustenance and that our human might and power can not withstand the weakest of His trials.
She, therefore, urged Muslims, to be more God-conscious, even though movement and congregation is advisedly restricted at this time, we must continue individually and as a nuclear family to continue the observation of our five daily prayers, Taraweeh, increased recitation of the Qur’an, supplications, and remembrance of Allah as well as shunning sinful and inappropriate actions that could aggravate the already bad situation.
Ramadan, she said is, more importantly, a period to display more kindness to fellow humans no matter their religion, race, or gender.
Dr Adebule again reminded Muslims to observe all precautions against the spread of the Coronavirus as advised by the government and health experts. The prescription of physical distancing, use of face mask when going out and especially washing of hands and covering our mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing should not be strange or difficult for Muslims as these have been prescribed more than 1400 years ago by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
She, however, commended the frontline workers for their dedication and bravery in putting their lives on the line for the rest of us to have our own lives. She prayed to Allah to protect them and their families. She also commended the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 for their daily briefings and efforts in the management of the pandemic.
The PTF briefings, she said, have kept Nigerians and the international community up-to-date on the actions of the government in mitigating the impact of this global health challenge in Nigeria.
The former Lagos Deputy Governor hailed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his team for being proactive and decisive in containing the dreaded virus.
She praised the governor for boosting the morale of the health workers by increasing their allowances. This she said was an important step taken by the Governor in fighting the virus on behalf of the people of Lagos.
She urged Lagosians to, therefore, support the governor with prayers and adhere strictly to the government’s instructions on how to manage the COVID-19 scourge. She admonished all Nigerians and indeed people of the world that with dedication and kindness to ourselves, obedience to expert advices, and prayers we will overcome this pandemic sooner than we expect.
