Bolgatanga, July 20, GNA – Mr Stephen Yakubu, the Upper East Regional Minister, has called on the Muslim community to inculcate the spirit of sacrifice and self-denial to significantly contribute to the sustainable development of the country.
“If we should individually imbibe the spirit of sacrifice in our daily dealings, most of our problems will be resolved. By sacrificing, we should not demand more than what the state can provide for our welfare and should be mindful about the needs of others,” he said.
The Regional Minister said this in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Joseph Atura Amiyuure, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, in Bolgatanga during the commemoration of the Eid-Adha.
Mr Yakubu said the Holy Qu’ran and the celebration of the Eid-Adha taught people all over the world the need to employ sacrifice as a virtue to properly relate with one another and help develop the nation.
The Regional Minister indicated that when people focused on building the nation and being content with what the state was able to provide, they become disciplined and that prevented them from doing evil and reducing the indulgence of anti-social vices in society.
“The teachings of Islam are to stand the test of time. Eid-Adha therefore is a crusade and religious organizations have a role to play in spreading the message of honesty, probity, and accountability. Religious leaders must not only preach these virtues, but must be seen practicing them and be role models for their members,” he added.
The Regional Minister noted that the government was committed to implementing policies and programmes geared at addressing the wellbeing of the vulnerable in society and asked the religious bodies to rally their people to embrace and support the programmes to succeed.
Mr Yakubu further called on Ghanaians to continue to work together to preserve the prevailing peace to ensure continued development and progress.
Alhaji Adam Yussif, the Regional Chief Imam who prayed for the leadership of the country, urged government to work towards implementing policies that promoted rural participation and development.
He urged Muslims to endeavour to imbibe in themselves the spirit of tolerance and eschew violence to ensure that they lived peacefully with other religious bodies and work to improve the lives of the less privileged.
GNA