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Tag: Easter

  • Agba preaches brotherly love, national unity at Easter

    Agba preaches brotherly love, national unity at Easter

    Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, has urged Nigerians to show love to one another as Jesus Christ showed to the world through His death on the Cross at Calvary.

    Agba, in his Easter message to Christian faithful and Nigerians of other religions, said love did not recognise ethnicity and religion, hence the love of Christ was universal.

    He said that for Nigeria to enjoy rapid development, Nigerians must work with one another on national agenda for development in love and with common focus on issues that emphasise national unity.

    According to him, “the time has come for all of us to dedicate ourselves to the ideals of nation building through collective efforts that constrict the space for ethnicity, religion and other divisive factors.”

    He urged all hands to be on deck as the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has just begun the “implementation of the National Development Plan 2021-2025 that will reform and industrialise Nigeria as well as lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.”

  • Easter: APGA canvasses national reconciliation, genuine commitment to unity

    Easter: APGA canvasses national reconciliation, genuine commitment to unity

    The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has called on Nigerians to demonstrate a true commitment to unity and shun all divisive tendencies threatening the national coexistence.

    Chief Victor Oye, National Chairman of APGA, made the call in his 2022 Easter message made available to newsmen in Awka on Saturday.

    Oye said Easter, which was a commemoration of the sufferings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is another opportunity for all to take a look at their lives and their relationship with one another.

    He said Jesus Christ laid down his life to reconcile humanity to God, so they could live life in abundance.

    Oye said the prevailing political tension, insecurity and economic hardship are products of hatred, greed and mutual distrust, adding that it is time Nigerians talk to one another in the interest of our nation and its people.

    According to Oye, “I must thank God for sparing our lives and making us witness yet another Easter.

    “I also want to congratulate Nigerians on the occasion of Jesus Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. It is only for the grace of God that we are alive.

    “On this occasion, I want to call for national reconciliation, we must jettison sectional and religious proclivities and talk to one another as Nigerians with true love, compassion and empathy with the aim of addressing our challenges.

    “God loves this country. He is still interested in Nigeria, and our problems are not insurmountable, but He needs our cooperation, and we must show to ourselves the type of love Jesus Christ showed to humanity,” he said.

    Oye called on Nigerians to embrace fair play and tolerance instead of intimidation, brigandage and animosity as the country goes into a crucial national election in 2023.

    “Other political parties should learn from the peace, order and progress in APGA. Nigerians should look our way and vote our party massively in all elections because we have the solution to the myriad of challenges facing Nigeria,” he said.

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: He is risen!

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: He is risen!

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Luke 24:1-7

    Meditation verse:

    “Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “why do you seek the living among the dead? (Luke 24:5).

    Whilst on earth, Jesus told His disciples about the death He would suffer and how He would rise after three days. He told them several times to prepare their minds. Yet, on resurrection morning, certain women amongst those who had followed Him closely, went to look for His body in the grave. They did not remember the words that Jesus had spoken to them until two men stood by them in shinning garments and said “why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but is risen. Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee…” (Luke 24:5-6). Then they remembered His words.

    Why did they forget what Jesus told them about His death and resurrection? Or was it that they simply did not believe Him? Whilst we may marvel at their unbelief, are we not also guilty of ignorantly seeking the living among the dead in our everyday experience as Christians? Do we not forget all of God’s promises to us in His word? Promises such as: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5), “fear not, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, yes I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10)? Yes, we forget, and we fret, get depressed or run helter-skelter when we face challenges.

    When your lived experiences or circumstances cause you to doubt the life transforming power of God’s word such that you seek solutions in places you ought not to or when delayed promises cause you to give up on God and bow down to the gods of this world, you are seeking for the living among the dead. When you fail to hold God to His word like your life depends on it or when you live just as the world lives, a foreigner to the covenant of God’s promises, devoid of hope, you are seeking for the living among the dead.

    Remember who you are in Christ and remember His promises upon your life. God has given you everything pertaining to life and godliness, according to His divine power (2 Peter 1:3). Because of the finished work on the cross of calvary, you are meant to live a life of victory, not of defeat. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Easter Blessings!

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

    For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

    or call +2348155525555

    For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org.

  • Good Friday: Catholic Bishop tasks Nigerians to fish out criminals

    Good Friday: Catholic Bishop tasks Nigerians to fish out criminals

    The Catholic Bishop of Lafia Diocese, Most Rev. David Ajang, has urged community leaders to fish out perpetrators of crime in their domains and hand them over to security agents for prosecution.

    The Bishop stated this on Friday in Lafia in an interview with newsmen immediately after the Stations of the Cross held at Saint. William’s Cathedral in commemeration of 2022 Good Friday.

    Ajang also urged security agents to discharge their duties without fear or favour for peace, justice and development of the country.

    According to him, communities must find a way of assisting the security agencies in fishing out perpetrators of criminal activities who carry out crimes and go back to their communities without any form of punishment.

    He noted that one of the reasons Nigeria is facing a lot of challenges is because of bad leadership and followership, saying both the leaders and their followers must dischange their attitudes for growth and development of the country.

    “People keep dying in this country but it seems as if what interests most politicians is who takes over in 2023 and that’s quite unfortunate.

    He expressed the hope that “With rising insecurity in the country, people should focus on restoring hope to the people for them to, at least, feel secured.

    “The leaders have a part to play and the body language must change. It seems as if people can get away with crime now and nothing encourages crime like what is happening now.

    “With everything that has been happening, nobody has been prosecuted to deter others who might want to commit crimes. Perpetrators, even in large numbers, commit their crimes disappear into thin air and nobody is punished.

    “That is a recipe of confusion and that is why things keep getting worse everyday,” he said.

    The Bishop said that Good Friday is a day, celebrated by Christians in remembrance of the Crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ on the Cross for the salvation of mankind.

    The bishop said that Jesus came into the world, suffered and died on the cross for the salvation of mankind, a lesson Christians must learn from and strive to be like Him.

    He said incarnation of God who became man was because he saw that the world was helpless and inorder to restore the hope of man, Jesus came to save us.

    “This is the time we must turn to God, we all must critically examine ourselves and see what we need to do in order to change the situation of our country,” he said.

    In a separate Interview, the Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, said Good Friday calls for sober reflection and urged Christians to turn to Jesus who died for the salvation of mankind.

    “This is a period that we should reflect as citizens of this State and see how we can build our State to become the envy of all.

    “We should resolve our grievance, love and forgive one another so that God will answer our prayers,” Akabe said.

  • Death on a Friday – By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    Death on a Friday – By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    This week is marked in Christendom as the Holy Week. The Holy Week reaches its apogee on Good Friday when Jesus Christ is crucified to death on the Cross, and was buried but on the third day he rose from death. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ has wrought salvation for the whole mankind. Though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not regard his equality with God as something to be grasped. Rather he emptied himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a Cross, and was buried, but rose from death on the third day. If Jesus Christ has not risen from death, writes St. Paul, our Christian faith would have been in vain. By dying on the Cross, Jesus conquered death, but by rising from the death he restored our life. Thus the Cross is the emblem of Christianity. Ecce lignum Crucis (Behold the wood of the Cross). Behold the wood of Cross on which hangs the salvation of the world. The tree upon which life was taken became the tree upon which life was restored.

    By his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ has taught us to render selfless services to our neighbors and others including those who cannot directly repay us in this life for those selfless services. Therefore let us turn a new leaf. Let us hearken to the assistance of our neigbours and others. The greatest obstacles to the promotion of the common values of justice, equity, fairness, love and mutual reliance are ethno-religious hatred, suspicion, official corruption, unbridled individualism, greed and passivity. Therefore the struggle against these miseries is crucial to the future of our country Nigeria. Certainly, a system that creates loopholes for many public office holders to loot the public treasury certainly calls for a change. Also a system that keeps widening the gap between the rich and the poor is considered loathsome. Worst still, a government that folds its hands and allows anarchy to reign supreme in the land is an irresponsible government. It is sad that kidnappers, bandits, miscreants, arsonists, separatists and the so-called unknown gun have virtually overran different parts of the country at the moment including the different Nigerian villages, clans, communities and kindred. In fact most Nigerians are no longer visiting their respective villages because they are afraid of being killed by unknown gun men and criminals who are presently occupying their respective villages, clans and communities. When Nigerians especially those from the South-East refuse to flee to their respective villages for safety and succor it means that things have completely gone bad in Nigeria. Therefore the citizens must erect a new framework of human solidarity that would guarantee the safety of lives and property in Nigeria.

    It is imprudent to rely only on the government to rebuild the social order since oftentimes the government is not so responsible. The civil society or private-public partnership should be engaged to carry out some public tasks that are beneficial to the people. Government should stop pretending that it has the competence to do many things. It should be humble enough to admit its failure. It should seek help from civil society. Civil society dominates modern political thought and the political space under different names and varying acronyms-Village Assemblies, Town Unions, Neigbourhood Associations, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Not-for-profit Organization (NPO), Charities, Company limited by guarantee, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Social structures, socio-cultural organizations and Mediating structures (as they are called in the U.S). Today the civil society, if you like, has crystalized and reached its highest crescendo in strengthening the social fabric and erecting the necessary formidable blocks for alleviating human suffering.

    We must recognize that each one of us is no more human being or less human being than other human beings. Our common humanity dictates that we team up with others in finding solutions to the problems of the society. As St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, aptly puts it in his book Christ is Passing By , “a man or a society that does not react to suffering and injustice and makes no effort to alleviate them is still distant from the love of Christ’s heart. While Christians enjoy the fullest freedom in finding and applying various solutions to these problems, they should be united in having one and the same desire to serve mankind, otherwise their Christianity will not be the word and life of Jesus: it will be a fraud, a deception of God and man”

    If Jesus Christ has allowed himself to be crucified on the Cross in order to redeem us, we have to reciprocate that sacrifice by sacrificing ourselves for the good of others. We cannot shut ourselves up in our religiosity oblivious of the sufferings of our neigbours. Life is a gift we receive only when we give ourselves to the service of our fellow human beings as Jesus did. Somehow in Nigeria we have grown accustomed to tolerating all sorts of abnormalities and laughable spectacles. While the country is sick of lack of focused leadership, many Nigerian people have become victims of dangerous passivity. For example, the 2023 elections are fast approaching. Most of the politicians who ruined Nigeria in the past are gathering again to see how they can bulldoze themselves into power in order to continue to steal government money and acquire ill-gotten material wealth. Some have indicated their interest to run for President. So this is the time for the citizens, especially our social media critics, to do everything legally possible to ensure that none of these corrupt and never-do-well politicians and political office holders returns to power in Nigeria. Silence may be a sign of prudence, but the ominous silence we are witnessing in Nigeria at the moment in the face of moral crisis could be construed as a sign of cowardice if not a sign of dangerous despondency. Evil thrives, we have been told, when the so-called good men sit back and do nothing.

    Holy Week invites us to bring light to the dark land; hope to the hopeless; justice to the oppressed and integrity to the wasteland. It is no use putting up a show of big penance when the heart is filled with dead men’s bones. It is no use abstaining from food without abstaining from bribery and corruption. It is pharisaical abstaining from food without abstaining from cheating our neigbours. “The bread of the needy is the life of the poor; whoever deprives them of it is the man of blood. To take away a neigbour’s living is to murder him; to deprive an employee of his wages is to shed blood” Sirach 34; 21-22). Therefore let employers pay just wages. Let employees render good service commensurate with their pay. Faith without work, we have been told, is a dead faith. Charity itself is the bond of perfection. As St. Augustine explains, “Everyone can make the sign of the cross of Christ; everyone can answer, Amen; everyone can sing Alleluluia; everyone can have himself baptized, can enter churches, can build the walls of basilicas. But charity is the only thing by which the children of God can be told from the children of the devil. Those who practice charity are born of God; those who do not practise it are not born of God…”

    Considering the scandalizing human miseries and other miseries in Nigeria, a new humanitarian strategy must be adopted for promotion of human welfare in Nigeria. There are many Nigerians dying of hunger, illness, frustration and poverty. This Holy Week is an opportunity to visit them, console them, share with them our human warmth and offer them our spiritual and material assistance, if we can. Any development unaccompanied by adequate social concerns for these seemingly helpless members of the society is not a true development. It was H. G Wells who said in 1901 that “if the universe is non-ethical by our present standards, we must reconsider those standards and reconstruct our ethics”. Therefore I think we need to reconstruct our ethics in Nigeria at the moment. There should be concern for the social order. For example, we should learn to feed the man dying of hunger otherwise we would be slowly killing him. We should build a strong solidarity for the welfare of the poor, weak, sick, prisoners, elderly, lonely and the frustrated. We cannot live in our little cocoons unmindful of the plight of our neigbours. If man is said to be a social animal he should always socialize with his neigbours as well as hearken to their assistance in times of need. The poor and the suffering around us should move us to pity to team up with others to alleviate their suffering. That is the true meaning of human solidarity which we have seen demonstrated in many countries.

    Our world is claiming the lives of many people through war such as the Russia-Ukraine war and other man-made disasters. Therefore we must lend a helping hand; we must hearken to the assistance of our needy neighbours; must start giving as music legend Michael Jackson is wont to sing. This is the only way to win the human race.

  • Easter: We must all put our nation first in our prayers, says Saraki

    Easter: We must all put our nation first in our prayers, says Saraki

    Former President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, in his Easter greetings to Nigerians said we must all put our nation first in our prayers.

    The former Kwara State Governor’s and his family congratulated Christians across the nation as they celebrate Easter.

    This was contained in a statement issued by his Media Office in Abuja, Saraki, who is also a former Governor of Kwara State, stated that this year’s Easter celebration, which also coincides with the Holy Month of Ramadan, was a critical intersection of Nigeria’s two major religions.

    He said:

    “As families across Nigeria and the world settle in to celebrate the significance of Easter, which commemorates the ascension of Jesus in the Christian faith, Toyin, the children, and I wish all those who are celebrating a very Happy Easter.

    “Today, we find ourselves in a critical intersection of our faiths. As our Christian brothers and sisters celebrate Easter, we, the Muslim Ummah, are still observing the Holy Month of Ramadan.

    However, we must all come together. Let us pray to the Almighty God for the peace, unity, and development of our nation; the protection of the lives and property of all Nigerians; and for the future of Nigeria.

    “Let us all remember that though we are of different faiths and religious practices, as Nigerians, we share common values and collective national aspirations. We all want our families and communities to be safe; we all want a thriving economy, and we all want a nation with ample opportunities for everyone.

    “This is why, as we all pray today and throughout this festive weekend, we must all remember to put our nation first. Let us seek the face of the Almighty God in finding real solutions to the problems that confront us. Let us also ask, that as we prepare to select our next set of leaders at all levels, may the Almighty God intervene in the affairs of men, and guide us all aright.

    “Happy Easter to you and your families!” the former Senate President stated.

  • Good Friday: Obaseki tasks Christians on love, tolerance

    Good Friday: Obaseki tasks Christians on love, tolerance

    Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo, on Friday in Benin, enjoined Christians to emulate the virtues of tolerance, love and selflessness as shown by Jesus Christ on Good Friday.

    Obaseki gave the charge in a message to mark Good Friday, a Christian holiday in preparation for the Easter celebration.

    He urged Christians to use the celebration of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for mankind on Calvary, to reflect on the significance of the day by imbibing the virtues of love, tolerance and selflessness.

    “It is only when we are able to tolerate and accommodate others; love one another irrespective of religious, political, ethnic, or ideological differences, and live selflessly as Jesus Christ did by sacrificing his life on the cross, that we will be able to tackle the many challenges facing us as a country and people.” he said.

    Obaseki urge all to be their brother’s keeper, uphold the spirit of togetherness and remain resolute on their love for God and our nation.

  • Easter: Tinubu sends Good Friday message to Christians

    Easter: Tinubu sends Good Friday message to Christians

    A former Governor of Lagos State, Sen. Bola Tinubu, has urged Christians across Nigeria and the world at large to imbibe on Christ’s life of service, sacrifice and compassion as they mark Good Friday.

    Tinubu, an All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential hopeful, made the call in a statement on Friday in Lagos.

    According to him, Good Friday is a precious opportunity to be thankful to God for His mercy and a time to reflect on ones belief in the Divine and what that means as one go about the conduct of daily lives

    “This year has brought together the sacred days of two of the great Abrahamic religions and as Christians commemorate the sacrificial death of Christ, Muslims observe the Holy Month of Ramadan.

    “In this, we are reminded that we Nigerians may be of different religions, yet we are of one family. We serve but one God,” he said

    Tinubu said that given that each of the great faiths hold compassion, devotion, humility and peace among their pillars, there should be no room amongst them for those who might use religion to divide and sow discord among brothers and neighbours.

    He said Nigerians must stand against those who sought to do injustice to another because of their religious creed, ethnicity, or place of origin.

    He, therefore, advised Nigerians to live a life of compassion, love, and selflessness , which Jesus preached and lived, and for which He gave his innocent, blameless life.

    “God made all humankind for his purpose and that purpose no man has the right to disrupt or question. Thus, we mark our common humanity and dedication to peace for all.

    “As we celebrate Jesus’ sacrifice this day, let us remember the millions of people who have been displaced by violent conflict and attack in our own nation.

    “On this Good Friday, let us remember our sacred duty to uphold the dignity of every human being and let all who suffer be close to our hearts and become our brothers and sisters.

    “May we labour to give them relief and to end the cause of their oppression. Let us truly do good to one another this Friday,” he said.

  • EASTER: Current spate of insecurity will soon unfold a season of triumph of good over evil- Buhari tells Nigerian Christians

    EASTER: Current spate of insecurity will soon unfold a season of triumph of good over evil- Buhari tells Nigerian Christians

    President Muhammadu Buhari has said the current spate of uncertainty and insecurity will soon unfold a season of triumph of good over evil, as he congratulates Nigerian Christians on this year’s Easter celebration.

     

    Buhari, in his Easter message, said “I join our Christian brothers and sisters to celebrate this year’s Easter, which is the most significant event/festival in the Christian calendar.

     

    “This year’s celebration is very unique for adherents of the two great faiths in Nigeria. It culminates the 40-day season of Lent for Christians, where the faithful is expected to fast, pray, assist the poor, abhor injustice and strife, give alms, penitently engage in self-examination and repentance of sins.”

     

    He noted that similar values apply to the Muslim faithful, currently about half-way into the holy month of Ramadan.

     

    Former Vice President- Atiku Abubakar; and the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, also congratulated Nigerian Christians on this year’s Easter celebration.

     

    Atiku, a Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential aspirant, called on Nigerians to emulate the virtues of love and sacrifice which characterized the life of Jesus Christ.

     

    In a message released by his media office in Abuja, the former President stressed that the two qualities of love and sacrifice are essential to the unity that Nigeria so desperately needs at this time when vested and provincial interests threaten to tear our nation apart.

     

    “This weekend, we join our Christian brothers and sisters in Nigeria and across the world to celebrate the Easter festivities. This commemoration is a time for deep reflection as it marks the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and his victory over death. It is a time to reach out to our brothers and sisters in need.

     

    “It is also a time for all of us — regardless of faith, or ethnicity — to come together to pray for the peace of our nation. We must all remain constant in our efforts to promote unity — across all lines — because united, our nation remains stronger and we thrive as a people,” he said.

     

    Bello, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Muhammed Onogwu, congratulated Christians for the successful completion of the fasting period which he noted was much-needed self-denial in order to pray for the peace of the country and wisdom for its leaders.

     

    The governor said just as the death, burial and resurrection of Christ signified hope for mankind, there must be a rekindling of hope for Nigeria in this season of challenges.

     

    He, therefore, urged Christians to reflect on critical issues affecting the nation and to continue seeking the face of God for the nation so that security, unity and peace will prevail in the overall national interest.

     

    Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria has expressed disappointment in the regime of President Buhari over the security challenges in the country and worsening economy but said the nation would rise again.

     

    The organization said the situation in Nigeria, “without an iota of politics looks very gloomy.”

     

    The President of CAN, Dr. Samson Ayokunle, expressed the views in his Easter message titled, “Hope in the midst of gloom: Nigeria will rise again”, obtained by journalists in Abuja on Thursday.

     

    While congratulating Christians, he said arrest of Jesus by evil men and the so-called religious leaders, his crucifixion and burial were the greatest shocks in the life of his disciples.

     

    According to him, although Jesus told them several times that it was going to happen, considering His miraculous power, they thought nobody would be able to arrest, not to talk of crucifying him, addin, “they understood not the scripture that Christ must suffer first before entering into his glory and be Lord over all.

     

    Ayokunle said, “Jesus remained three days in the grave as if he was not going to resurrect. However, on the third day, there was a great happening. There was an earthquake, the foundation of the earth was shaken and Jesus Christ, the King of Glory, the Lord of lords rose triumphantly from the dead. His resurrection brought smiles to the faces of his disciples and shame to his enemies.

     

    “Fellow Christians and fellow Nigerians, the situation in the country today, to say the truth, without an iota of politics looks very gloomy. There seems to be nothing to celebrate because of unimaginable insecurity. Despite the efforts of the government to arrest the situation, the scope of insecurity keeps expanding to our consternation.

     

    “Coupled with insecurity are other challenges such as mass unemployment, industrial disharmony, especially that of Academic Staff Union of Universities, just to mention but a few.

     

    “The prices of goods and services have risen in a way unprecedented in our country before and entrepreneurs are relocating to other countries that have better ease of doing business. Is there anything that calls for celebration in all these things we are facing?

     

    “Yes, there is. Nothing is worse than death! If Jesus died and was buried, putting his disciples in the greatest state of disappointment and sorrow but afterwards rose from the dead, then, Nigeria is going to be great again. This nation will rise from all the challenges we are facing and we Nigerians are going to rejoice and be proud of our nation again in the name of Jesus Christ.”

     

    Also, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has ordered intensive security patrol of all public spaces and critical national assets ahead of the Easter celebrations.

     

    Specifically, he directed all state Commissioners of Police and their supervising Assistant Inspectors-General of Police to ensure adequate deployment of police personnel, and operational assets in areas of security interest within their respective areas of responsibility.

     

    The acting force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, disclosed in a statement on Thursday that the IG also instructed the supervising officers to ensure that “confidence-boosting, proactive, and high visibility patrols” are carried out along the highways, motor parks, train stations, airports, worship centres, recreation centres, banks, and other financial institutions while taking adequate measures to provide a peaceful, crime-free, and enabling environment for religious, cultural and other socio-economic activities to thrive.

  • We’ll overcome uncertainty, insecurity – Buhari says in Easter message

    We’ll overcome uncertainty, insecurity – Buhari says in Easter message

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday enjoined Nigerians not to give up in the face of seemingly daunting challenges of life.

    He made this known in his 2022 Easter message, stating that Nigeria would soon overcome its uncertainty and insecurity.

    He called on Nigerians to continue to show love to one another, rather than hate, and to also show more patriotism to the general good of society.

    “Easter evokes in us the resilience of the human spirit not to give up in the face of seemingly daunting challenges of life.

    “This period emboldens us to believe that the current spate of uncertainty and insecurity will soon unfold a season of triumph of good over evil; hope over despair, and light over darkness.

    “I urge us to increase our love for one another rather than hate, and show more patriotism, as this is the only country we have.

    “I enjoin us, therefore, to live out the eternal words of Jesus Christ on the cross where he said: ‘‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.’’

    “Let us remember that the scriptural emphasis of love has so much relevance for us today as a nation more than ever before,’’ he stated.

    The president, who described this year’s celebration as very unique for adherents of the two great faiths in Nigeria, noted that it culminated the 40-day season of Lent for Christians.

    According to him, this is where the faithful is expected to fast, pray, assist the poor, abhor injustice and strife, give alms, and penitently engage in self-examination and repentance of sins.

    “Similar values apply to the Muslim faithful, currently about half-way into the holy month of Ramadan.

    “For us as a nation, the message of Easter, which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ after crucifixion and burial, reminds us of the power of divine love, faith and redemption.

    “As we approach another season of electioneering, let the security and unity of the nation guide our actions and utterances.

    “I wish all Nigerians a joyful and blessed Easter,’’ the president wrote.