The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has declared that religion is incapable of dividing Nigeria as a nation.
Akpabio made the declaration on Monday evening when he had Iftar (breaking of fast) with his Muslim colleagues.
In his remarks at the occasion which was also attended by some Senators who are of the Christian faith, Akpabio said, “Religion cannot divide us,” stressing that it was not a mere coincidence that the Christian Lenten and Muslim Ramadan periods came up again same time.
He said it was to show that though Muslims and Christians have different religions, they both have only one God, the Supreme God.
Akpabio said, “I want to congratulate all of us for breaking fast today and thank Almighty Allah for keeping us alive to see this day and pray that He will continue to protect us and continue to look after our health, look after our families through this Ramadan period and also use this opportunity to congratulate you on the Easter celebration.
“It is not a coincidence that God is merging the fasting of the Muslims and that of Christians. This is about the second or third time it is happening.
“The intention is to show that we may have different religions, but we have only one God and that God is the Supreme God that looks after all of us.”
He added, “So to the glory of God, the invitation was for those of us who are still around. Those who have not yet gone to Saudi Arabia particularly for these last 10 days of Ramadan, that we should meet and break the fast together.
“And of course, we also invited the Christian Senators to come. For them, it’s a celebration of the Easter period. Coming together is all that we need. We need to continue to work together as brothers and sisters of the one Almighty God, for the benefit of our dear country. Religion cannot divide us. “
The Senate President further emphasised, “No matter the turmoil, no matter the political disagreement, even families do disagree. But we must bear one thing in mind, that we are serving humanity and we are serving humanity through Almighty God and that one day, we shall leave this world to go and account for our deeds while we were on earth. I think that is the guiding principle.
“For every human being, there is a time to be born. There is a time to go. And this period of Ramadan, this period of Easter, reconnects us with God so that we know that we are not in this world for nothing.
“He sends us here for a purpose and that purpose is to live in peace with one another, love one another, pray together, and work for one another to ensure progress for humanity.”
“So, on departing, we would have left legacies, an imprint that yes, we were here and others will take over from us. My prayer tonight is that God should enable us to leave a better future for all Nigerians,” he added.
Responding on behalf of other Senators present, the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, thanked the Senate President for inviting them to have Iftar with him.
“We are really grateful. This invitation is a demonstration of the care that you have for all Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We all know you as a very caring leader, someone who cares about the welfare of all Senators.
“This invitation has reinforced what we know about you. There is an adage in the Hausa language that says: Inviting you to come is more delicious than the food.
“So when we heard about the invitation, we were very happy that you have us in mind and that you are very caring. So we thank you very much.
“May the Almighty Allah continue to be our guide, continue to support us as we work with the Executive arm of government to face the challenges we have and by the grace of God, we are going to change our challenges to prosperity. Within a short time by the grace of God, this country will become a land of eldorado,” Senator Jibrin added.