The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has called on Nigerians, particularly the wealthy, to use the holy month of Ramadan as a period of reflection, compassion, and concrete support for the less privileged.
Speaking at a Ramadan lecture he organised in collaboration with the Council of Imams and Alfas in Surulere, Lagos, on Saturday, the chief of staff said the season goes beyond fasting and prayers.
“Ramadan reminds us that leadership is a trust and wealth is a responsibility. We must use what God has given us to uplift those around us,” he said.
Gbajabiamila, who was represented by his wife, Mrs. Salamot Gbajabiamila, noted that sustainable governance must directly impact lives, especially at the grassroots level.
“Government must not only design policies; it must ensure those policies translate into real improvements in the lives of ordinary Nigerians,” he stated.
The event featured the distribution of empowerment tools including mini-buses, grinding machines, hair dryers, freezers, food items, and cash support to selected beneficiaries in Surulere.
Gbajabiamila explained that the initiative was carefully structured to promote long-term economic stability.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Budget, Lukman Lawal, praised President Bola Tinubu for what he described as impactful leadership.
Lawal credited Tinubu’s Renewed Hope initiative with strengthening these areas and called for continued support and prayers for national progress.
On his part, the Mufti of Ilorin, Kwara State, Sulaimon Onikijipa, also called on wealthy Nigerians to extend support to the less privileged as a way of narrowing the widening gap between the rich and the poor.
Onikijipa stressed that every good deed attracts divine reward, saying, “He who pours water on the ground will step on the wetland.”
He warned those blessed with wealth but unwilling to assist the needy risk divine consequences.
Highlighting the Islamic principle of Zakat (almsgiving), he explained that it was instituted by God as a tool to eradicate poverty.
The cleric commended Dr. Lateefat Gbajabiamila, mother of the Chief of Staff, for her steadfastness in raising her children and prayed for her continued prosperity and long life.
