Dutse – As the Muslim faithful across the country celebrate the Eid-el-Kabir, Sheikh Badamasi Tijjani, the Acting Chief Imam of Dutse Central Mosque in Jigawa, has called for love and tolerance among Nigerians.

Badamasi,who gave the advice in Dutse on Sunday during his sermons to mark this year’s sallah festivities, admonished the Muslims to always show love to other fellow human beings.

He said that no nation would prosper and develop without love and tolerance among its people.

The Chief Imam also lamented the incessant maiming and killing of innocent citizens across the country and called for concerted prayers from all and sundry for divine intervention.

Badamasiurged Muslims not to consider the celebration as an occasion for merry-making only, but also for sober reflection and rededication of themselves to the service of God and humanity.

He appealed to wealthy Muslims to extend their hands of fellowship to the less privileged members in the society by assisting them with food, drinks and other necessities of life.

In Bauchi, the Chief Imam of Bauchi Central Mosque, Malam Bala Baban-Inna, has commended Gov. Isa Yuguda for curtailing the excesses of political thugs in the state known as “Sara-Suka”.

In his sermon shortly after leading the Eid-El-Kabir prayers in Bauchi, the Imam said the threat posed by the notorious group had reduced drastically.

Bala said: “The people of Bauchi State are saying thank you for addressing the problem of Sara-Suka.

“They are also appreciative of your assistance to Bauchi pilgrims and they are wishing you God’s guidance.

“We are, however, calling on the security agents to intensify efforts in ensuring that there was no breach of the peace from whatever quarters.’’

Bala also appealed that justice be done to those awaiting trial in our prisons.

“Some of them had been in prison custody for long, thereby bringing about congestion of the prisons. There is the need to decongest the prisons,” he said.

In Kebbi, the Chief Imam,Alhaji Mukhtar Wala, led the prayers attended by Acting Gov.  Ibrahim Aliyu, the Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammad Bashar, and thousands of other faithful at the Eid praying ground in the metropolis.

In his sermon, the cleric enjoined Muslims to imbibe the spirit of sacrifice as exemplified by Prophet Mohammed in their daily affairs.

Walaalso performed the slaughtering of a ram to signify the official rite by fellow Muslims to do same soon after the Eid-El-kabir prayers.

The Emir of Gwandu led other traditional leaders on a ride to the payer grounds in the company of well wishers.

And in Ondo state, ram sellers in Akure said there was a low sale of the sacrificial rams in the state this year when compared to the figure last year.

Most of the sellers, who expressed the hope to have sold beyond their sales, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the prices of the rams were not outrageous but that money was scarce.

The ram price ranged between N20,000 and N70,000 at Shasha Market, Oba-Ile and the other markets along the Ado-Ekiti road, Akure.

In Osun, the Chief Imam of Osogbo, Alhaji Mustapha Ajisafe, called on the Muslim faithful to always fulfill their promises and imbibe the teaching of Islam.

Ajisafe,who is also the President, League of Imams and Alfas in the South West, made the call in his sermon to mark this year Ed-el-Kabir celebration at the central praying ground in Osogbo.

According to him, all followers of Islam must emulate Prophet Ibrahim who fulfilled his promise to God, saying that it had made him to become a reference point for the two major world religions- Islam and Christianity.

He said that imbibing the teachings of Islam would make the faithful to exhibit love, tolerance and peaceful co-existence.

Ajisafealso called on Muslims to pray for the nation’s development and harmony among the multi ethnic groups in Nigeria.

Prayers were offered for President Goodluck Jonathan, all state governors and the country at large.

Gov. RaufAregbesola of Osun was among dignitaries who observed the Eid-el-Kabir prayer at the central prayer ground.

Meanwhile, in Kaduna State, Muslim and Christian worshippers were stranded at various bus stops as commercial drivers said, “today is divine to us”.

AliyuManu, a bus driver, said that nobody should overlook this day as one of the days.

“The date was chosen by God himself and this tells us to leave in peace”.

He urged the state government to put in place programmes that would sustain the peace in the state.

Manudecried the recent secret attacks in some local governments in the state and urged security agents to embark on measures that would protect the lives and property of the people.

Mr Ike Chidioka, another respondent, said the Sallah celebration was significant as it coincided with the Christians’ day of worship.

Reports from Lagos stated that the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMIA) witnessed a high turn out of passengers as the Muslim Faithful celebrate the Ed-El-Kabir, popularly called ‘Ileya’ in the Yoruba language.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent at the airport observed that hundreds of people, including children, were seen at various airlines’ counters at the MMA terminal 2, scrambling for tickets to their various destinations.

NANreports that the airlines’ sales attendants were making efforts to attend to their customers, who were in a hurry to board their scheduled flights.

NAN, however, learnt that as a result of the upsurge, domestic airlines had increased their fare, leaving passengers with no choice to book their flights.

The Lagos routes to Abuja, Port-Harcourt, Kaduna and Calabar which were sold for N24,000, now sell for between  N27, 000 and N29,700, while flight to Owerri, Enugu and Benin formerly ticketed at N19, 000 now sell at N24,000.

An Aero Contractor Attendant, Chinwe Okolo, said that there was increase in passengers travelling to Benin and Port Harcourt routes and that most of the passengers were observed to be Christians.

A Dana Airline attendant, simply called Mathew, told NAN that more passengers were expected to travel because of the long holiday. (NAN)