By Eniola Idris
Nigerians have been urged to believe and have the feeling that, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and the darkest hour is just before the dawn, in spite of the myriad of problems that the country is facing.
This ray of hope was given by the Chief Missioner of Nasrul-Lahi-l-Fatih Society, NASFAT, Abdul-Azeez Onike, in his independence anniversary message to Nigerians.
According to Onike, Muslims are enjoined to always hope for the better because to do otherwise will amount to disbelief.
He quoted the Quran as sayig; “…..do not despair of Allah’s mercy. Verily only the unbelievers despair of Allah’s mercy.”(Qur’an 12:87)
Onike continued, “In corroborating Allah’s injunction , Our Noble Prophet Muhammad (saw) was reported to have said, “When one of you calls upon Allah, let him hope for the greatest of things. Verily, nothing has any greatness over Allah”
He went further that though things might not yet be rosy for Nigerians, it is however clear that the government is trying to ensure that, the country gets out of the woods. These can be seen from efforts at improving infrastructure, equipping the security forces, attracting investments and honour for the nation among its peers among others.
“We should remain prayerful, trust our leaders and come to terms with the fact that, most nations are facing one challenge or the other” as we have seen in cultism, gun violence and fuel scarcity in major cities of the world.
We are all leaders and must create a better environment in our own sphere of control. If we all do this, then we will begin to witness a turnaround of the situation of the nation. This is a responsibility we owe our nation as we celebrate the 61st independence anniversary, so we can create a better future for the generations coming after us.
Onike quoted Chris Bradford who once said: “Anyone can give up; it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone would expect you to fall apart, that’s true strength. ”
Onike concluded his message of hope to Nigerians at the country’s 61st independence anniversary with prayers for the nation and her citizenry. Allah will continue to bless Nigeria and its people.
