The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, says he will bring his successor in the state in 2019 to the Eid praying ground at Oke Lantoro, Abeokuta during the celebration of the Eid-el-Kabir.
He said this in his speech at the Eid ground on Tuesday while addressing scores of Muslim faithful who thronged the venue to observe their Sallah prayers, in obvious reference to the fact that his administration is gradually winding down.
Those present included a former Minister of Steel and Mines, Sarafa Tunji-Isola; the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu; and a former Military Administrator for Bauchi and Sokoto states, Navy Captain Rasheed Raji, among others.
Amosun, who did not, however, reveal the identity of his possible successor, said both Muslims and Christians should live in peace with one another.
Using the example of having some of his Christian friends following him to the prayer ground, he expressed the optimism that next year’s Eid-el-Kabir celebration would be better than that of 2018.
He said, “I congratulate all the Muslim faithful and our brothers and sisters and even the Christians because all of us are one in Ogun State.
“Next year’s Eid-el-Kabir celebration will be better than this. This is the very last one I will attend as the governor of this state. Next year, I will only come with the governor of the state for prayers.
“Here in Ogun State, we are one family, both the Muslims and Christians, even when I was coming here for prayers, some of my Christian brothers followed me down here.
“I want to say we should be submissive to God Almighty and to one another and that is what Sallah is all about. We must submit to the will of God. We must ensure that peace reigns in the state.
“Allah has made a way on which we must all follow, it is a way of peace. It is a principle we must all imbibe.”
Governor Amosun said even as his administration was gradually preparing to hand over to a successor next year, he was still committed to delivering dividends of democracy to the residents.
He said, “There is still a lot more to be done, until the very last moment, we will not stop working and as you can see we are working round the clock.” (Punch)
