PRAY FOR NIGERIA, MARK CHARGES MUSLIM FAITHFUL AT RAMADAN

President of the Senate, Senator David Mark has urged Muslim faithful to dedicate the period of fasting and prayer to the nation to overcome the myriads of challenges including insecurity in the land.

Senator Mark in a goodwill message to Muslim Ummah as they embark on this year's Ramadan fast said recent events had made it imperative to pray for the continued corporate existence and survival of Nigeria.

'As you embark on this month-long spiritual renewal and supplication to the Almighty Allah, I enjoin you to remember Nigeria and her people in prayer. The current security challenges we have witnessed in recent times call for a divine intervention so that we may all continue to toe the path of peace, harmony and respect for the sanctity of life.

'We have faced challenges in the past, especially during the 30 month-old fratricidal civic war, fought with much hate and bitterness, but this current challenge is one that is truly avoidable and absolutely unnecessary.

'We have come a long way as a people bound by common ancestry and purpose. We have lived together as brothers and we believe that whatever affects one ultimately affects the other.

'We cannot at this stage of our development advertently or inadvertently embark on self-destruction or take actions that tantamount to diminishing our long years of toil and sweat to keep the nation one.

'We must therefore rise to this challenge and shun those mundane issues that honestly do not engender development, peace and unity of Nigeria because no nation has ever prospered in an atmosphere of distrust, doubt, fear and disrespect for law and order.

'Whether religious leaders or adherents, we all have a stake in the project. Nigeria, and only the commitment and loyalty to this course will take Nigeria to her rightful place in the comity of nations. We must therefore apply caution in all our utterances and actions so that we would not unwittingly aggravate the situation. We must therefore be our brothers' keeper at all times because we have no other place to call ours but Nigeria.'