EKITI State Muslims have defied a call from their leaders not to accept Sallah ram gifts from Governor Ayo Fayose to mark tomorrow's Eid-el-Kabir celebration by queuing up in numbers to receive them.
Nigeria marks the Muslim Sallah festivalEid-el-Kabir tomorrow and in line with tradition, millions of Muslims will slaughter rams to celebrate the occasion. Of late, government officials and politicians have used Sallah as an opportunity to hand out food and livestock to their constituents in what has become known locally as stomach infrastructure.
Governor Fayose of the opposition People's Democratic Party, is a well known proponent of stomach infrastructure, who uses every opportunity to hand out foodstuffs across Ekiti State. Earlier this week, Muslim leaders in the state urged their followers not to accept gift of rams from the governor, however, because has not considered them in his appointments.
Local Muslim leaders known as the League of Imams and Alfas, Ekiti State, urged the faithful in the state to reject the gifts because their members were not adequately represented in Governor Fayose’s appointments. However, another group had countered the League of Imams and Alfas for its action, describing those behind the attack as impostors, who were not known in Islam circles.
It appears that local Muslims are oblivious to the row, however, as they have defied the directive of the League of Imams and Alfas. Across Ekiti State, thousands of Muslims have trooped to Government House in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, to collect the rams distributed by the governor.
While distributing the rams to imams and other top dignitaries, Governor Fayose said he would not allow himself to be dragged into playing politics with religion in the state. He urged Muslims to prevent themselves from being used as instruments of politics by desperate politicians, who are bent on maligning his government at every slight opportunity.
Governor Fayose said: “I won’t allow anybody to drag me into playing politics with religion. What I am doing today is a demonstration of love and support for the Muslims.
"I am not that kind of a leader who does things with religious interest. I will do same to Christians at Christmas exactly what I am doing to Muslims today.”
Only yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari rejected a trailer load of rams from a local associate in his native Katsina State. President Buhari directed that the trailer be turned back and returned to the sender without delay.
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