Imo State residents claim they have chosen a low-key celebration of Eid-el-Fitr as Muslims throughout the world mark the holiday.
They attributed the development to the state’s areas of instability and its poor economic status.
In order to commemorate this year’s Eid-el-Fitr festival, the Federal Government set Friday, April 21, and Monday, April 24, as public holidays.
On behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Federal Minister of Interior, disclosed this to the general public.
However, a variety of Muslims surveyed in the Shell Camp Mosque in Owerri, the Senator Alhaji Umar Maduagwu Memorial Mosque in Oguta Local Government Area, and Ama-Hausa Douglas Road, Owerri, stated they found comfort in simply being alive despite the difficulties.
Due to the unrest that unidentified gunmen have caused, life has become difficult in many parts of the state of Imo.
D was informed by several people in Ama-Hausa Owerri that the sole reason they were celebrating Eid ul-Fitr was to thank God for preserving their lives.
The tailor, Quadri Rabiu, stated that he wanted to go to the celebration in his hometown but was unable to afford the travel expenses.
“My family and I would rejoice in this tiny way to give Allah praise and to ask for better days ahead.”
“I’ve sent everything I can to my people back home,” he declared.
Another local, Abu Aisha, said she couldn’t live without the practise of travelling for Eid el-Fitr every year since it allows her to communicate with other family members. Abu Aisha was on her way to his village.
It may be challenging for Muslims living in the Shell Camp mosque parts of the state to fully participate in Zakat Fitri, a crucial aspect of Ramadan that entails providing for the less fortunate during the Eid-el-Fitri festival. This is because food costs have increased.
Mrs. Adeola Raji, a housewife, claimed she had to drag her husband to the market so he could learn about the unpleasant development firsthand.
“We realised that things are difficult economically,” Elrufia Yahaya, a resident of Shell Camp, told Obasanjonews24. We should thank God for protecting our lives nonetheless. We must follow it moderately and hold out hope for a brighter year in 2019.”
Abdulrasheed Muhammed, an Oguta mosque resident who also talked with our correspondent, disclosed that he had given up the yearly tradition of travelling to his native Kaduna State because of the economic problems facing the nation.
For all of us Muslims, Eid el-Fitr is a special period of the year, he declared. It is the season to practise love and compassion, two Islamic principles. It is a time when we sit quietly, reflect, and beg Allah for compassion.
