Christmas:Ikeakor, Buhari, Mark, Tambuwal, govs, others preach peace, love

Anglican Bishop of Amichi Diocese , Right Reverend Ephraim Ikeakor has led by pack of All Progres­sives Congress (APC)’s presi­dential candi­date in next year’s elec­tion and former head of state, General Muham­madu Buhari, Senate President , David Mark , embattled Speaker of the House of Representatives , Aminu Tambuwal and other ministers of God as well as Governors  wishing Nigeria peace and love.

Ikeakor lamented the rise in the insurgency in the country which  he said the President Goodluck Jonathan administration has done much and with the support of Nigerians , would do better. He encouraged Nigerians to show love, kindness and follow peace to all men.

For Buhari he has called on Nigerians, irrespec­tive of tribe, ethnicity or religion to share love and eschew hatred, espe­cially during this Christ­mas season.

He said the celebration of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ, symbolized peace, love and together­ness to mankind as exem­plified by Jesus himself and urged all Nigerians to emulate Jesus by placing the interest of the coun­try and mankind over and above selfish desires.

He condemned the fail­ure of the Federal Gov­ernment to contain the onslaught of the Boko Haram Islamist sect in the North-East, which had now crept into the North- Central regions of Bauchi and Gombe states leading to wanton and unavoid­able wastage of human lives and property worth millions of naira.

He called on the Federal Government to review its current military strat­egy against the sect and promised to initiate con­sultations with the serving generals and those across the world to work out an alternative and effective strategy to crush the in­surgency within the short­est possible time if he was elected president in Febru­ary 2015.

The APC presidential candidate condemned the harrowing experience the people of South-East would experience as they travel to their various vil­lages for Christmas due to bad roads evidenced chiefly by the failed prom­ises of the Second Niger Bridge, just as he sympa­thized with the westerners who would languish on the long queues occasioned by the endless traffic on La­gos-Ibadan Expressway.

He, therefore, promised that if voted into power in February 2015, his admin­istration would ensure that 2015 Christmas would be enjoyable because his ad­ministration would have ensured that inter-state roads were smoother and easier to ride on.

Sympathizing with mil­lions of Nigerians who languished in penury and poverty as Christians cel­ebrate the Christmas, he said: “We know that mil­lions of Nigerians cele­brate this season in pover­ty and misery, not because they have committed any grievous sin but because the system of production and distribution of na­tional resources have been rigged against vast major­ity of our people.

“Our manifest destiny is to empower our people so that we can take our prom­inent place in the comity of nations. I pledge that the Christmas of year 2015 will meet all of us in great­er joy and happiness. It is indeed significant because it (presidential election) falls on Valentine’s Day, a day to celebrate love among mankind. I urge you all to keep sharing the love that binds us together. Let us eschew hatred and make our nation the land of justice, peace and prog­ress.”

Also, the Senate Presi­dent, David Mark, has called for peace and reli­gious tolerance among dif­ferent faiths in Nigeria in the spirit of Christmas.

He also decried the in­creasing insecurity in the country amplified by ter­rorism and insurgency ravaging the country and urged religious leaders and traditional rulers to collaborate with govern­ment at all levels to end the menace.

Mark, in a goodwill message at Christmas, noted that only peace, re­spect for one another and harmonious co-existence would guarantee the need­ed development.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, also urged Ni­gerians to use the occasion of Christmas for the suc­cessful conduct of 2015 general elections.

In a message issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mal­lam Imam Imam, he en­joined Nigerians to seek God’s intervention in the ongoing war against insur­gency.

He said despite the cur­rent difficulties facing the country, a new dawn was about to set forth in Nige­ria.

He said: “We should all pray for the success­ful conduct of the 2015 general elections because candidates who emerged through free, fair and cred­ible exercise are more likely to serve the interest of the nation.”

Deputy Senate Presi­dent, Ike Ekweremadu, has also called for peace, love and immediate end to insurgency and blood­bath in the country, say­ing: “Since Christ came so that humanity might have life in abundance, the sea­son of Christmas presents Nigerians with yet an­other golden opportunity to make peace, show love and work together as one people to overcome the challenges of insurgen­cy, terrorism and violent crimes.”

He cautioned against politicization of the war against terror and advised Christians to use the sea­son’s opportunity to pray for peace and the end of insurgency because noth­ing was beyond God.

In his Christmas mes­sage, the Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano said it was time to heal Ni­geria with love.

He said this year’s Christmas should serve as a clarion call to heal Nigeria with love. “The outgoing year presented a huge challenge to Nige­ria on many fronts. While the nation reeled from the shockwaves of unavoid­able bloodbaths caused by terrorists in the North, Nigerians suddenly woke up to horrifying nightmare of the dreaded Ebola virus epidemic,” he said.

He called on the people of Anambra to embrace the Anambra Heritage Festival instituted to spice up the festive period for them.

Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibiukunle Amo­sun, also called on Nige­rians to pray for peaceful 2015 general elections in the country.

In his Christmas mes­sage signed by his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Mrs Olufunmilayo Waka­ma, Amosun said with prayers, the country could overcome the insurgency and bloodletting currently experienced in some parts of the country.

He also urged parents to be vigilant and ensure that their children and wards were not used as tools for violence during the cam­paigns for the forthcoming elections.

For the Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke, the season calls for Christians to reflect on the significance of Christmas brought about by the birth of Jesus Christ and its re­demptive hope for human­ity.

In his goodwill mes­sage issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Ita, Imoke urged Christians to use the op­portunity of Christmas celebration to rededicate themselves to the values of love, peace, sacrifice and tolerance as embodied in the birth of the Saviour, Jesus Christ.

He urged Nigerians to eschew hate and bigotry, which was what Christ, spent his brief but valuable life preaching against.

He said: “As we share with one another gifts, let the season be a stark reminder to all of us as a people and as a nation that at such challenging times as this, what is required of all of us is love, tolerance and forgiveness to our friends and neighbours.”

On his part, the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson enjoined Nige­rians to show solidarity and love for one another regardless of ethnic or re­ligious differences.

He noted that the cur­rent economic and secu­rity challenges facing the country were peculiar to the nation, stressing that what was required of every Nigerian was a high sense of patriotism to move the country forward.

In the same vein, Kadu­na State Governor, Muktar Yero, has also urged Chris­tians to use the Christmas season to pray for peace­ful conduct of next year’s general elections in the country.

In a goodwill message to the people of the state and Nigerians, he said it was a period of sober re­flection on the message of peace, love and salvation to mankind through the birth of Jesus Christ and urged the people to live in unity to sustain peace and harmony not only in the state but also in the coun­try.

Former governor of Eki­ti State, Kayode Fayemi, on his own part congratu­lated the Christians for witnessing another Christ­mas and urged them to continue to live in peace, love and harmony with one another and with ad­herents of other religions.

The Peoples Demo­cratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) were not left out.

PDP in a message signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metu, implored Nigerians to extend the Christmas gesture to the families of the dead as well as wound­ed officers and men of the Nigerian security forces, who volunteered to con­front insurgency headlong in the country.

The APC in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Al­haji Lai Mohammed, said hope was in the horizon for millions of Nigerians who could not celebrate this year’s Christmas due to the prevailing gloomy atmosphere across the land.

The party said it held the power to bringing about the much needed change and urged Nigeri­ans to vote wisely during the February 2015 general elections so they could install a government that would address squarely the challenges facing the country.

Also reaching out to Ni­gerians during this season, the Prelate and Moderator of the General Assem­bly of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, Most Rev Emele Uka, called on Nigerians to continue to pray for and keep faith with the unity and prog­ress of Nigerian nation in spite of the many politi­cal, security and econom­ic challenges facing the country.

He encouraged Nigeri­ans to emulate Jesus’ ex­ample of love, peace and goodwill to all people ir­respective of differences in tongues and tribes.