Lanre Issa-Onilu, the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), has called on Nigerian Muslims to pray for peace, unity, and national development of the country in the month of Ramadan.
Onilu made the charge in a statement issued on Saturday by the agency’s Deputy Director, Media and Communication, Paul Odenyi.
He enjoined Muslims to use the month of Ramadan for spiritual reflections, increased devotion, and acts of charity that align with the teachings and tenets of Islam.
While making the charge as part of his 2025 Ramadan message to the nation, the NOA boss said, “For the development of the country, all citizens must pray for peace and unity irrespective of one’s religious and political affiliation.
“All Muslims should renew their commitment to Allah and embrace the spiritual opportunities that Ramadan signifies.
“This no doubt is a sacred period of reflection for self-renewal and the way to move humanity forward. As an agency, we will continue to work for the greatness of our country.”
The DG called on all citizens to use the month of Ramadan to continue to pray for the present administration and the development of our country.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")