The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Abubakar, has felicitated with Nigerian Christians on the occasion of the 2017 Christmas celebrations.
He made this known in a statement signed by the Deputy Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, Salisu Shehu on Friday.
The statement said, "Christmas, which marks the commemoration of the birth of Prophet Isa (Jesus Christ) -peace be upon him-, should inspire love, compassion and kindness and these are virtuous attributes and characters that all believers are enjoined to imbibe.
"As you celebrate this important event, the Muslim community in Nigeria wishes you God's guidance and abundant blessings."
He encouraged Christian believers to continue to preach the gospel of unity, understanding, peaceful co-existence and development.
"We, therefore, wish to use this opportunity to urge our Christian compatriots to make the best use of this season to pray fervently for our dear country, Nigeria that we can continue to live together peacefully so that we prosper as a nation.
"For these reasons, all believers in Him (Jesus Christ) have an obligation to stand for justice, equity and fairness to all oppressed people in this country and the world over," the statement said.
In honour of the celebration, the Nigerian government on Wednesday declared Monday, December 26, and Tuesday, 27 as public holidays to mark the Christmas and Boxing Day celebration.
The government also declared Monday, January 2, 2017 as public holiday to mark the New Year.
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