As Nigerians celebrate Ed-el- Fitri, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has charged Nigerians on the need to embrace restoration of the virtues and re-orientation to respect law and order.
The Governor in statement signed by his Special Assistant Media Mr. Hakeem Bello made available to Journalists said the governor who spoke during a Tasfir and prayer session for the nation organized by the Lagos State Pilgrims Welfare Board in Mecca, Saudi Arabia said the citizenry at all levels need a lot of re-orientation about how to be their brother keepers and be more sensitive to the well being of one another, stating that those virtues are currently missing.
The Governor reiterated that good virtue is not about praying or worshipping God alone because many Nigerians worship God but do not have the fear of God in them, adding that it would be difficult to explain.
According to him, why a Muslim who just left a Mosque after prayers would proceed to drive his vehicle against traffic?.
Fashola? asked? Nigerians who have had cause to visit Saudi Arabia at one time or the other to always ask themselves why the city of Mecca appears orderly and set each time a new set of pilgrims come around for pilgrimage.
He urged all Nigerian pilgrims to Mecca to always copy good deeds about Saudi Arabia and replicate same when they get back to Nigeria, adding that on a yearly basis, many Nigerian Muslims travel to Saudi Arabia on pilgrimage and always obey the laws willingly there but resist the same laws when they get back to Nigeria.??
He stated that Saudis despite their nature are very law abiding people who give utmost respect to their law enforcement agents, adding however that in Nigeria, once a Policeman is not armed, the average Nigerian does not respect him.
The governor added that traffic lights are in the streets of Mecca and are obeyed by everyone including Nigerian pilgrims, but are the same set of people who would resist attempt to be contravened by officials of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) when they disobey traffic lights.
He added that if Saudis adopt driving against traffic as a way of life, the several millions of pilgrims who throng the country yearly may not return there because of the effect of traffic bottlenecks which may even prevent visiting pilgrims from driving out of the airport.
According to him, despite the fact that Saudi Arabia has crude oil, it still depends on tourism for most of its infrastructural developments and has only been possible because the people respect law and order.
Fashola who thanked the State House of Assembly for enacting the new State Traffic Law, added that if the new law is fully implemented and takes full effect in Lagos, the State will surpass the desired progress.