By Lateef Odegbenle
The League of Imams in Lagos State has called on Nigerians to desist from any act that can jeopardise peaceful coexistence in the country.
The statement which comes against the backdrop of protest staged in some parts of the country over the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, during recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran, was made during the 2026 Ramadan Tafsir programme held on Tuesday’s night at the Lagos House Ikeja.
Speaking on behalf of the guild, the Chief Missioner Ansarudeen Society, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Ahmad said that Ramadan and Lent periods should be used to fervently pray for the country for continuous peace of Lagos and Nigeria, stressing that any form of demonstration or protest should be disallowed.
Ahmad who acknowledged that Nigeria is also affected by the current global happenings, mentioned that there is a need for reflection, solution solving and constant prayers for the government to succeed at both the state and national levels.
“This is a time for prayer, a time to be part of peace, this is not a time for protest and demonstration. This is not a time for insults. This is not a time for upheavals. It is a time of sober reflection.
Allah has warned us to beware of a calamity, that when it happens, it will not just affect those who are responsible for it. And at the moment, it is affecting all of us. How may it go? I told the congregation, they should prepared for increase in fuel price. And today, if you have refilled your vehicle’s tank, you will know how much petrol is being sell per litre. Chances are that it could even go further. It could even hit 2,000 Naira per litre. It may be beginning of the third world war. It may even be worse than that, except we face it with prayer.”
He said that many lives have been lost during several protests in the past including the current loggerhead in the middle east, saying it is needless to witness another bloodbath in the country.
According to him “We are not happy that our brothers and fellow human beings have been attacked on the daily basis, but then, if we cannot be part of the solution, we should not be part of the problem.Don’t join a protest that you don’t know anything about. Remember that the country is still dealing with the effect of End-SARS protests. Don’t cause disruption. Your intention may be pure, may be good, but do you know about the next person who will hide under that and cause mayhem and cause destruction.That is why we have come to appeal to all of us that we should be part of the solution, not a part of the problem.”
He urged clerics to use their respective altar to preach against disaffection, confusion and any form of protest and allow peace to thrive across the land.
