President Bola Tinubu on Friday joined Muslim faithful for Jumat prayers at the Lekki Central Mosque, where the visiting Imam, Dr. Salahudeen Munirudeen Arriyadhi, urged him to remain resolute and focused on his vision for Nigeria despite mounting challenges and criticisms.
Delivering his sermon before the congregational prayers, Dr. Arriyadhi commended the President for the administration’s ongoing developmental efforts, noting that leadership inevitably attracts divergent opinions and resistance.
He reminded the President that it is impossible to please everyone at the same time, urging him not to be distracted by opposition but to remain guided by purpose and service.
Quoting from the Qur’an, the Imam said Allah is pleased with leaders who listen to the cries of their followers and respond to their needs, but displeased with those who ignore the plight of the people they govern.
“Leadership is a trust,” he said, adding: “We are praying for you. By the grace of Allah, you will succeed.”
In the sermon titled Unity in Diversity and Remembering the Day of Judgement, Dr. Arriyadhi stressed that human differences in colour, tribe, religion, language and nationality are neither accidental nor arbitrary, but divinely ordained.
He explained that diversity is intended to promote understanding, cooperation and mutual respect, rather than division and conflict.
“Diversity is a sign of Allah’s wisdom,” the Imam said. “If Allah had willed that all His creation be the same, He would have created them so. Differences in tribe, language and religion should therefore not be a source of hostility, but a foundation for harmony, unity and learning.”
President Tinubu was accompanied to the mosque by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, alongside other senior government officials.
He was received by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, as well as members of the mosque’s management committee.
The President had arrived in Lagos on Saturday, December 20, to spend the end-of-year festive season in the nation’s commercial capital. (Guardian)
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