A heavy rainfall this morning forced a change of venue of the Eid el-Kabir prayers to the National Mosque in the Nigerian Federal capital of Abuja.

In a sermon, the Deputy Chief Imam of the Mosque, Sheik Ahmed Onilewura, called on Muslim faithful to use the year’s Eid-el-Kabir in showing love and affection to all citizens irrespective of their socio-political backgrounds.

Onilewura offered special prayer for the continuous survival of Nigeria as a geo-political entity.

Muslims praying at the National Mosque

He enjoined the citizens to partner with the government in ensuring the successful conduct of the 2015 general elections.

Vice-President Namadi Sambo also enjoined Nigerians to always be their brother’s keeper and to cooperate with the government for speedy development of the country.

“We thank almighty Allah for our performance of Eid-el-Kabir this morning and pray that all almighty Allah will give us all the blessings that are in this month. We seize this singular opportunity to extend our sallah greeting, our felicitation and pray for the continued peace and development of our country,” he said during an interaction with newsmen.

“We call on all Nigerians to continue to be our brother’s keeper, to continue to cooperate with the administration of our Mr President to success in the transformation of Nigeria into one of the most developed nations in the world,’’ he added.

Sambo enjoined all citizens to continue to provide useful information to relevant security agents to enable them overcome the nation’s security challenges.

He thanked the Muslim Ummah for their support and understanding and urged all Nigerians to be security conscious in view of the ongoing war against insurgency and terror.