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Sylva,Daniel counsel Nigerians on Easter
Newsdiaryonline Sat April 23,2011
Governor Timipre Sylva
of
Bayelsa State
has said Nigerians should see this year’s
Easter
as a season of faith renewal in the Nigerian project. Sylva said
this in his Easter message to the people of the state.
“Easter is all about sacrifice, hope, love and peace. Our Lord
Jesus Christ gave his life as ransom so that each one of us may
live. Let this spirit of selflessness that was in Christ spur us
to greater love for one another and renew our faith in our
nation, as we celebrate this promise of peace and joy that God
renews to us each year,” the governor said in a press release by
his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Doifie Ola.
Sylva said this year’s Easter holds special significance for
Nigeria.
“The celebration of the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has special
import to us as Bayelsans and Nigerians. It marks the death of a
historical injustice and jinx that had held us down for so long
as a country, and the dawn of a new era of equity and hope. We
must strive to continue to nurture this critical national gain
and use it to continuously strengthen our unity,” the governor
said.
The governor emphasised that
President Goodluck Jonathan’s victory in the
presidential
election was the pride and joy of every Bayelsan
and, therefore, advised citizens of the state to “resist any
temptation to retaliate the violent uprising in some parts of
the country in the aftermath of Jonathan’s win in the historical
presidential election that has been highly praised by civilised
humanity.”
Sylva said, “Politicians in the country must grow up and move
with the times. They must learn to emphasise those things that
bind rather than divide us. They must emerge from their past and
move into the future we are trying to build as a nation.”
In a related message ,
Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has urged Nigerians
to use the Easter period to reexamine their commitment and sense
of dedication to the growth and development of the country. In
his Easter message issued in Abeokuta, Governor Daniel said the
essence of the period which he said was sacrifice; love for
humanity and total submission to the will of God should not be
lost on all and sundry. He urged all Nigerians to continue to
pray and work for the success of the elections and the
transition programme.
“Nothing must be done to disrupt the elections, all of us have a
stake in this country and we must ensure the success of the
electoral process. Winners must be magnanimous in victory while
losers should be gallant in defeat. All of us must show greater
commitment to the survival of our nation and shun acts that
could cause crisis of any kind. Jesus Christ showed the perfect
example of selflessness, sacrifice, love, moderation and peace;
we should all imbibe these virtues in our dealings with
ourselves in both our public and private conducts. Without peace
we cannot make progress and achieve the Nigeria of our dream. We
must all imbibe the spirit of give and take and make sacrifices
for the greater good of all and glory of our country,” the
Governor said in the message.
The Governor while wishing Christians and the generality of
Nigerians a happy Easter celebration counseled them to celebrate
with moderation and also appealed to motorists to drive with
care in order to prevent carnage on our roads
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