President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has felicitated with the Christian faithful as they celebrate Christmas.
Lawan in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Ola Awoniyi on Thursday in Abuja, said the 2020 celebration came at a time when the world was combatting the resurgence of the Coronavirus pandemic.
He said the pandemic had forced many countries to ramp up health safety protocols at a time when people traditionally gathered to share love in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
The senate president noted that aside from the global health emergency of COVID-19, Nigeria also faced security and economic challenges.
Lawan, however, expressed confidence that the resilience and positive attitudes of Nigerians would not only help Nigeria to surmount the challenges but would ensure that their strains did not stop a merry and responsible Christmas celebration.
” As we celebrate, however, people of faith should remember our country in their prayers, especially for divine guidance for the government in its efforts to improve national security and strengthen the economy.
“I celebrate with the Christian faithful and enjoin all of us to remember the essence of the august occasion.
“In the true spirit of the season, let’s show love to our neighbours, kindness to the less-privileged and vulnerable and tolerance for one another across the lines of faith, politics and ethnicity; in the spirit of the unique sacrifice and teachings of Jesus Christ.
“With the prayers of the faithful and our continued support for the government, I am confident that Nigeria will surmount its challenges, attain its manifest destiny of greatness and become the pride of its citizens and the entire Black World,” Lawan said.
He said the National Assembly, particularly the senate was in consultation with relevant agencies to ensure that due diligence was followed in procurement and distribution of COVID-19 vaccine when available.
This he said, was to ensure that all Nigerians had equitable access to inoculation against the stubborn virus.
Lawan urged Nigerians to celebrate the festival responsibly by adhering strictly to public health protocols as announced by the PTF to curtail spread of the virus
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Christmas: PDP Urges Hope, Prayers For Nigeria
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) urges Nigerians to use the Christmas
and Yuletide celebrations to rekindle hope and trust in God’s divine
intervention in the affairs of our nation.
The PDP stressed that though the manifest failures of the current
administration have led to an excruciating widespread economic hardship
and worsened insecurity across the country, Christmas rekindles faith
that all hope is not lost for our nation.
The PDP laments that under the prevailing circumstances, most families
have nothing to celebrate with, many are in deep mourning over their
losses from escalated insecurity due to the failure of those entrusted
with the leadership of our nation.
Nevertheless, we must keep hope alive and find strength in God’s
unfailing intervention as demonstrated with the gift of salvation in the
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Indeed, Christmas offers us a great lesson as a nation that no matter
how long darkness, characterized by violence, oppression, economic
repression, hunger, abuse of rights, disregard to the need of the
people, and widespread corruption, as we have witnessed in the last five
years, may appear to dominate, salvation will surely come as exemplified
in the birth of the saviour.
Our party therefore urges Nigerians to use this period to intensify
their bond of unity as well as comfort and reach out to one another in
love so that the joy that Christmas brings would not be lost.
The PDP restates our call on those leading our nation at this time to
have some introspection, show remorse and review their anti-people
policies that have brought anguish to the people.
The party prayed God for healing, stability and prosperity of our nation
as well as blissful Christmas and yuletide celebrations.
