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Senator Bamidele representing Ekiti Ekiti Central at the Red Chamber has urged the people of the country to shed the toga of religious intolerance and extremism and unite solidly behind the administration of President Bola Ahmed.
According to Bamidele, no nation parading the emblem of religious fanaticism would ever achieve prosperity, saying the time is ripe for people of diverse religious inclinations to focus on the project Nigeria and contribute to its radical development.
The Ekiti born senator congratulated all Muslims in the country over the celebration of Eid-el-Kabir.
The hajj is a source of prestige and a major revenue-earner for Saudi Arabia, which is trying to pivot its oil-reliant economy in new directions including tourism.
The devil-stoning marks the start of the three-day Eid al-Adha holiday, celebrated by Muslims by buying and slaughtering livestock to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son.
Afterwards, the pilgrims return to Mecca to perform a farewell “tawaf” — walking seven times around the Kaaba, the giant black cube at the Grand Mosque that is the focal point of Islam.
Mina’s walkways have proven deadly in the past: in 2015, a stampede killed up to 2,300 worshippers in the worst hajj disaster ever. A similar incident killed 364 in 2006.
Other stampedes were reported in 2004, 1998 and 1994. In 1990, the failure of a tunnel ventilation system triggered a huge rush that killed 1,426 pilgrims, mainly from Asia.
Bamidele saluted the Muslim Ummar for their contributions to Nigeria, urging them to imbibe the lessons of sacrifice, faithfulness, steadfastness, obedience, and perseverance taught by the life and time of Prophet Ibrahim.
He said the current government being steered by Tinubu, had promised to make Nigeria a great and prosperous nation, reminding that stoking of religious intolerance could quake the foundation being laid by the present administration.
“I congratulate all Muslim Ummar on the occasion of the Eid-el-Kabir. As we celebrate, let us remember that we have a duty to make this country safe and prosperous for all of us and this can only be accomplished with unanimity of purpose and convergence of thoughts and ideas.
“President Tinubu came with the popular mantra of a Renewed Hope and this has started manifesting by the deft political steps he had taken to mend the already cracked and widened ethnic and religious faultlines.
“This manifested in the way he supported Senator Godswill Akpabio to emerge the Senate President and magnanimously ceded the Secretary to the Government of the Federation slot to Christians to balance the Muslim-Muslim ticket at the presidency.
“All the President needs from all Nigerians as the father of the nation, is a coalition of efforts with him for the realization of his promise to bring prosperity to the doorstep of every Nigerian, which will impact our lives positively, irrespective of religious leanings.
“I appreciate the profound and pivotal contributions of our Muslim brothers to the stability of this nation. They should continue in this stead; for it is an onerous task they have to perform as adherents of Prophet Mohammad(SWT), whose entire life preaches love, togetherness and propagation of the ideal of live and let live”.