The Social Democratic Party, SDP on this auspicious occasion of end of Ramadan, wishes all Muslim faithfuls in Nigeria, a happy Eid. The celebration of Eid Fitr marks the end of the blessed month of Ramadan, and the beginning of the month of Shawwal.
Fasting, spiritual reflection and reinforcement, the best of behavior and charity, community service and other good deeds are the practices and values that many Muslims around the world strive towards, and most especially, during the holy month of Ramadan.
Islam (the religion of peace), however, enjoins all Muslims to uphold these practices and values throughout the rest of the year, for reverting back to bad ways and habits afterwards, defeats the purpose and lessons that fasting, sacrificing and striving was supposed to inculcate in the hearts of Muslims during Ramadan.
And even though, Ramadan is a month in which Muslims believe prayers are most answered, we must remain prayerful even beyond Ramadan for our country, as it is in a very precarious state of insecurity and an economic downturn. And added to these, we are going through a transition period with campaigns and a general election which traditionally comes with their own challenges, and sometimes, disruptive violent acts.
Most importantly, we must continue to pray for victims of violence and horrendous criminality that we witness around us today, especially those hapless compatriots who have being held in captivity in their homes by Boko Haram and those who have remained in the hostages of bandits and kidnappers in forests across the country. We therefore, hereby call on the federal government to intensify efforts to rescue our brothers, sisters and children who are in one form of captivity or the other in all locations.
We are witnesses to the carnage brought about by violence, banditry and acts of criminality induced by political shenanigans and desperation for power which have turned our country to a killing field and an anarchic society. We are witnesses to how social disorder is fastly degrading us as a people and a country. Hence, we must realize that we can not afford further degradation and slide. We must recognize that the hard work of returning peace and stability to our besieged communities and countryside must be borne by every Nigerian compatriot, home and abroad.
In this regard, it becomes imperative for us to renew our pledges and commitment to peaceful and harmonious co-existence and preserve our diversity. As a people, we must all recommit to doing what is right in our neighborhoods and communities, and we must pledge to uphold what is right even if we may not immediately gain from it. This is the simple and fastest way of achieving our quest of building a good Nigerian society, and spread the social harmony, peace and justice that we all long for.
As we proceed into the critical phase of electioneering ahead of 2023, the SDP reminds Nigerians about the power of their votes to decide their destiny. As Nigerians who desire a national retrieval and restoration of the lost glory, we must use our thumbs to rescue ourselves by voting in responsible and committed and patriotic people into positions of authority in the next general election
The party urges the Nigerian electorate not to sell their votes to mercantile politicians whose promises to us is to continue on the trajectory of our current abysmal leadership failure as a nation. Nigerians should ask the right questions from the current administrators if our national life who are jostling to be brought back to power, about what more they could offer the country, after being a part and parcel of what brought us to where we are today. Shall we reinforce failure of the status quo with a new mandate, and expect any positive improvement in achieving sustainable development? The answer to this critical question from Nigerians, old and young, across the country is a resounding NO!
We pray our reflections as a nation about how low we have sunk as a nation would stir positive actions in all of us, and will make us to come to the realization and consciousness that we can not keep doing the same thing over and over again, and expect a different result. New results demand new approach, new strategy, new people, new orientation, new thinking, and new processes. All the foregoing is what the SDP brings to the table towards national development as the only credible alternative to getting the country out of its current socio-economic woes.
Going forward, therefore, the party calls on all of us to be bold enough to walk a new and uncharted path, one that may not even be unfamiliar to us. Why? Because the path we thought we knew, has brought us nothing but failure and pains.
The power to change the current negative condition of the country for good, is in the thumbs of the Nigerian electorate. Going by the prevailing sense of pervading disaffection occasioned by the obvious dashed hopes and expectations, the Nigerian people have resolved to use the power of their votes in 2023 to change the unsavory state of the nation for good by going the way of a refreshing hope that the SDP offers.
God bless the SDP!!!
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
