President Muhammadu Buhari and a national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, are currently meeting behind closed doors at the Presidential Villa.
The meeting is also being attended by a former interim national chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande.
Recall Buhari had earlier in tasked Tinubu with the job of reconciling aggrieved party members across the country.
…as party chieftains disagree with choice of national leader
There is commotion under the tent of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, as interests of the party leaders continue to clash over who represents it in the forthcoming governorship election scheduled to hold in the state on September 22.
Most visible among the several candidates put forward by chieftains in Osun State is that of the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who reportedly pressures the state governor, Rauf Aregbesola to anoint Gboyega Oyetola, [Tinubu’s cousin] as APC’s flag bearer for the Osun governorship election.
To win the APC guber ticket, Oyetola, who is the current Chief of Staff to Governor Aregbesola will be slugging it out with other contenders like; Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, the state Commissioner for Finance;Mr. Bola Oyebamiji, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly; Hon. Najeem Salam, the lawmaker, representing Ejigbo/Iwo/Ola-Oluwa federal constituency in the House of Representatives; Hon. Mojeed Alabi, the deputy speaker in the House of Representatives; Hon. Lasun Yusuf, representing the Orolu/Irepodun/Osogbo/Oroluunda Federal Constituency.
Others are the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice; Dr. Ajibola Basiru, a Lagos-based legal practitioner; Rasheed Adegoke,Founder of Tiwa n Tiwa L’Osun, a socio-political group
According to a close source who spoke anonymously to TheNewsGurung.com, the alleged plot by Tinubu to influence the outcome of Osun APC’s primaries in favour of Oyetola has put the party excos at loggerheads.
According to the source: “Aregbesola and some of his trusted aides including the likes of Biyi Odunlade for Ife Zone, Gbenga Ogunkanmi for Ayedire and Rasak Salinsile for Iwo Zone, Kolapo Alimi and Bashiru Ajibola for Osogbo/Irepodun, and Victor Fatoki have been alleged to be the brains working relentlessly to realise the Tinubu’s task .”
Fatoki, it would be recalled, is the Personal Assistant to the State Chairman of the party, Prince Gboyega Famoodun, was given three council areas to work on, while Idowu Korede, the State Commissioner for Sanitation, has been given the task of dealing with list of members from Ijesa axis of the state.
The source further hinted that to achieve this objective prominent members of the party have been invited in recent times on several occasions to Osogbo, the state capital, with juicy offers including appointments as Senior Special Advisers to the Governor among others.
According to the source, at one of the meetings, attendees were handed lists of exco members in their respective areas to work on.
Specific orders were said to have been dished out to remove names of deceased members, as well as those that had crossed to other political parties.
Those invited to meetings were specifically instructed to ensure that names of members that are favourably disposed to a particular governorship aspirant be instantly removed.
“The next stage, it was further scooped, is to place all the approved exco members on special salaries and other allowances to ensure the emergence of the governor’s anointed candidate during the forthcoming party governorship primaries,” the source added.
Party leaders in the state have also expressed concern that the likely anointed candidate, Oyetola if victorious at the polls will serve as a compliant governor who will easily help in covering Aregbesola’s track during his eight year reign as governor.
However, when TheNewsGuru.com contacted one of the top aides of Aregbesola, who demanded to speak on grounds of anonymity, he said he was unaware of such undercover plans to anoint Oyetola, saying the governor is rather focusing on completing some of the key projects he promised the people of Osun State.
Contentions
As the governorship election approaches, there are several contentious issues that may play out on who finally picks the governorship ticket of the party. While some have wished these away as trivial, others are lobbying and pushing hard to establish some of these issues and it appears they are beginning to gain grounds.
Some of these are;
‘Home based’ or ‘Lagos/Foreign based politician’
Before now, the APC have been enmeshed in the struggle between members advocating for choice of an “home-based” candidate instead of the “Lagos/foreign” candidate.
Recall that the incumbent governor was an established politician in Lagos State who served under the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration as Commissioner for Works and Special Duties.
Having spent two terms as governor and given all the support he enjoys, some factions within the ruling party in the state believe that Governor Aregbesola should naturally transmit power to a popular and dependable ‘home based ’politician.
The clamour has already been established with many believing in the advocacy. However, the party has been very silent on the issue and some members also consider the matter to be a non issue.
For example, the Director of Publicity and Strategy for the party in the state, Barr. Kunle Oyatomi, in an interview with a national daily [Not TheNewsGur.com] defines someone as ‘Lagos/Foreign politician’ and another a home-based.
In his words: “As long as you are a citizen of the state and you meet other constitutional requirements you are qualified to run for the election. What should be important is how capable and prepared for the job are the aspirants so that the state would not suffer a retrogression as a result of bad governance. The incumbent governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, no doubt has laid a foundation for continued and future development which need a consolidation by the right choice of candidate to succeed him and further increase the fortunes of the state.”
Zoning
The clamour among the members is for the governorship seat to be zoned to the Osun West senatorial districts which comprises; Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore, Ejigbo, Ayedade, Irewole, Isokan, Iwo, Ayedire and Ola-Oluwa council areas, because the zone only ruled for barely two years when late Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke was first civilian governor from 1992 to 1993 since creation of the state since 1991.
However, the Osun Central and Osun East senatorial districts has ruled for 11 and 8 years respectively out of 26 years since the state was created. Both from Central, Chief Adebisi Akande was in the saddle from 1999 to 2003 and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola from 2003 to 2010 until he was sacked by the Court of Appeal in Ibadan and installed the incumbent governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, who has been on the seat from 2010; and will remain there, all things being equal, till his second term tenure expires later in the year.
Many other APC members who believe in continuity are insisting that the search for a credible candidate that can do the job must not be limited to a particular zone if the future of the state will not be jeopardized.
National Chairman, Action Democratic Party, Alhaji Yabagi Sani, said appointment of Alhaji Bola Tinubu as Chairman, All Progressives Congress Reconciliation Committee, would not address crisis within the party.
Sani stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday, appointed Tinubu, one of the national leaders of APC, to lead its consultation, reconciliation and confidence-building committee.
The measure was to improve cohesion within the APC ahead of 2019 general elections.
Tinubu’s assignment would involve resolving disagreements among party members and leaders.
It would also involve reconciling political office holders in some APC-controlled states and addressing crisis in the party`s chapters in Kano, Kogi and Bauchi.
Sani Said: “Tinubu cannot be a judge in his own case. Besides, he is the bone of contention in all the crises in the APC; Nigerians should stop lamenting and join the ADP.”
According to him, Tinubu is not in good relationship with the John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee of the party even though it has the support of the presidency.
Sani maintained that the crisis within APC was in its foundation and should be tackled from there.
Odigie-Oyegun, as National Chairman of the party, had in April, 2016, inaugurated two fact-finding and reconciliation committees to look into the crises rocking its chapters in Bauchi and Kogi States.
The Bauchi committee was headed by Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, while Chief Tony Momoh headed that of Kogi.
While inaugurating the committees at the party’s national headquarters, Odigie-Oyegun, had said that members were carefully selected, and were among the elite in the party.
He had added that APC’s leadership was confident that it would deliver on its mandate and charged the committee members to carry their personal prestige and integrity in discharging on the assignment.
Femi Fani-Kayode, former Aviation Minister, on Tuesday reacted to President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive that Bola Tinubu, National leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, should reconcile aggrieved party members.
The Peoples Democratic Party’s chieftain stressed that Buhari was only trying to destroy the former Lagos State Governor by giving him such task.
In a tweet, the former Minister said Buhari ,after destroying Tinubu will also blame him for the failure of the party.
Fani-Kayode wrote: “When a king wants to destroy his top general, he sends him on a mission that is impossible to achieve or to a battle that can’t be won.
“Sending BAT to settle differences between APC members is mission impossible. And the objective is to destroy him and blame him for its failure.”
Buhari had earlier directed Tinubu to lead a reconciliation process of aggrieved party members across the country.
The directive, according to the President is aimed at improving the cohesion within the ruling APC.
The face-off between the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Intels Nigeria Limited (Intels), a company co-owned by former vice president, Atiku Abubakar is not over yet.
This is as the NPA has handed a two-week ultimatum to the company to remit an outstanding $48 million that ought to have been paid into the agency’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) in 2017.
Intels, a logistics and facilities services provider in the maritime and oil and gas sectors, was co-founded by Gabriele Volpi, an Italian national, and former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar.
Atiku has since sold down most of his interest in the company to the former Lagos State governor and APC national leader Bola Tinubu.
Speaking yesterday during an interview with CNBC Africa, Managing Director of NPA, Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, said Intels’ notice of termination would stand if the company fails to settle its debt.
“I am giving Intels a possible two-week window to provide payment, two weeks from now, following which the notice of termination will not be withdrawn,” she said.
“One of the issues we have had with Intels is their non-compliance with the TSA. As you are aware, the Nigerian government instituted the treasury single account which is the account that all revenues of government need to be paid into.
“Intels collects revenue on behalf of the Nigeria Ports Authority and had refused to comply with TSA and kept retaining those revenues in their coffers.
“So we insisted that they must comply, no company is above the laws of the country and we went through the whole process,” she was quoted to have said in the interview.
She spoke further on what caused the disagreement between the maritime agency and the logistics firm, accusing the company of failing to comply with the ground rules.
“I think it’s important for all entities operating in an environment to adhere to the rules and regulations,” she said.
“What we seek to ensure is with you have a level playing field and you must comply to regulations. At no point was Nigeria Ports Authority not going to remit their own portion of the revenues.
“All other third-party agreements that we have in the Nigerian Ports Authority have a similar structure, so why should Intels feel it can operate outside of the law? The other companies are complying, why don’t you comply?” She added.
Last year, Nigerian government directed the NPA to terminate the boats pilotage monitoring and supervision agreement that the agency has with Intels Nigeria Limited.
Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami (SAN), in a letter dated September 27, 2017 Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman, said that the agreement, which has allowed Intels to receive revenue on behalf of NPA for 17 years, violates the Nigerian Constitution, especially in view of the implementation of the TSA.
Malami said the agreement, which allowed Intels to receive revenue on behalf of NPA for 17 years, violated Sections 80(1) and 162(1) and (10) of the constitution.
The AGF wondered if the management of the NPA and Intels did not take cognisance of the relevant provisions when negotiating the agreement in 2010.
But Intels insisted that it had settled the dispute with NPA and was awaiting the AGF’s clearance.
The firm admitted the infractions and apologised for its initial rejection of the regulator’s directive on the TSA, stating its readiness to comply.
In its apology, dated October 25, 2017, Intels, through one of its directors, Silvano Bellinato, suggested that an agreement that would ensure “mutual business satisfaction” be signed between the company and NPA.
Bellinato also sought assurances that Intels’ share of collected revenues would always be remitted to it in good time after the TSA account with the CBN is credited.
Former Governor of Lagos State and leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has said his visit with the former interim national chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande to President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday had nothing to do with former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter to President Buhari.
The three men had met behind closed-doors hours after former President Olusegun Obasanjo released a statement condemning President Buhari’s administration and also asking him not to seek re-election in 2019.
There were speculations that Mr. Buhari urgently called the meeting to discuss the political implication of Mr. Obasanjo’s letter.
But Mr. Tinubu said through his Media Adviser, Tunde Rahman, that the meeting was long scheduled, and had nothing to do with the controversial statement by the former President.
The full statement by Mr. Tinubu reads,
Tinubu’s, Akande’s Visit Unconnected with Obasanjo’s Statement
Today’s visit by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande to the Presidential Villa was scheduled last week.
President Buhari periodically schedules talks with Asiwaju Tinubu and Baba Akande, as he does with other Nigerians and APC figures, to discuss substantive issues pertaining to the governance of the country and matters concerning the party.
This visit was one such meeting. As such, the meeting had nothing to do with the statement of former President Obasanjo.
It is totally unconnected. At the time of the meeting, Asiwaju Tinubu and Baba Akande were even unaware that President Obasanjo had released his statement.
Tinubu Media Office
Tunde Rahman
January 23, 2018
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met behind closed doors with the former interim national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande and national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Tinubu arrived the Presidential Villa around 3:50 p.m with Chief Bisi Akande and headed to the President’s office.
The meeting was still in progress at the time of filing this report.
Details later…
National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and all the South-West APC governors on Saturday boycotted inauguration of Muhammadu Buhari, Osinbajo South West campaign office organised by the Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu in Ibadan.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony the Minister accused Oyo State Governor Senator Abiola Ajimobi of insincerity.
It was observed that the governor who was billed to be the Chief Host did not attend the inauguration ceremony and was he represented.
It was learnt that the governor had to summon the leadership of the party from a meeting in Ibadan so that they would not be able to attend the inauguration.
Apparently reacting to allegation by some cross section of people from Saki that he (Shittu) had threatened to pull down the post office in the town, he said “that is one of the lies of Ajimobi”.
Meanwhile, former Abia State governor, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu has called for the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari and national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun in the crisis.
The former governor of Abia State” said for us, we, I and former Senate President, Ken Nnamani are students of preaching peace and unity. We are students, who say the truth.
We are students, who are no afraid of telling people what we feel that is not right. Everybody in this hall will agree with us that there is a break in the communication between our governor and the minister.
We don’t want that to continue. “If anybody inside this house today in the University of Ibadan would say it is good for these two elephants to continue quarrelling, I and my senior brother would disagree that they should not be quarrelling,” he said.
According to him, the minister and the governor should be the best of friends, “And we are going to make that happen. “We have already agreed with the Minister of Health, and my brother, former senate president, that we are going to take it upon ourselves to the highest level of this party.
If both of them are quarreling, there will be no peace and progress in this state. “We are going to be fighting a very big party, a party that knows how to do it.
We don’t want to lose any vote in Oyo State. We don’t want to lose one single sympathy here.
“I cannot understand, the minister is very close to me and the governor is very close to me. They are also very close to Ken Nnamani.
“We came here to honour both of them. I am slightly not very happy what I have seen here that the governor is not here, the party officials are not here, the commissioners are not here, the main things that will make APC what they supposed to be here please.
They are not here. “I am not a man that you will keep inside a room, and ask not to say the truth. Everybody knows that even what people are afraid to say, I will say it because it is only the truth that can set us free.
When you leave the truth, we will suffer. “I have spoken to the Minister of Communication, I told him I wasn’t very happy. Immediately I came, both the Minister of Health and former senate president whispered to me that the governor is not here.
“I said the governor is going to Lagos this afternoon. This is what the Chief of Staff told my aide, after this programme, I will go and drink water with him,” Orji said.
Former Lagos state Governor, Bola Tinubu, yesterday condemned the nationwide killings perpetrated by herdsmen, stressing that herders have no right to kill, while urging government to put an end to the violence.
He added that nomadic way of life is fast becoming obsolete.
Tinubu, in a paper he delivered at the Daily Trust dialogue, urged government to establish a relief and rehabilitation program for families and communities that have been so grievously harmed.
Represented by a former Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State, Olawale Edun, Tinubu specifically lamented the “terrible killings” that have occurred in Benue and Taraba states.
He said “It is important that we place the current crisis in proper context. No one should pretend that this evil just suddenly appeared from nowhere. We have been living and dying with this lethal situation for many years.
In years past, there have been herdsmen attacks smaller than this. There also have been attacks larger than this.
The current hue and cry against these killings is hopefully a sign that we are maturing as a nation. That we shall no longer countenance the wanton destruction of human lives no matter the religion, ethnicity or origin of the victims or the villains. If so, maybe this nation is coming of age and none too soon.
As such, this outcry is as welcome as it is overdue. We should have been agitating in this manner 5, 10, 15 years ago. Lives would have been saved. For reasons I cannot completely fathom we have come late to the point of strong, collective outrage at this bloodletting. Yet, all in all, late is better than never in this regard.
This spirit of compassion and care must be enshrined in our political culture because it is integral to national greatness and democratic progress. True patriotism requires that you love more than the concept of Nigeria. You must love the people who comprise this nation, whether they worship in a church, mosque, and shrine or not at all.
Over the course of history, nations have faced crises more crimson than this. Through wise policy, many nations emerged from the thicket better situated to realize their better destiny.
These nations and their people are no better than us. We can and we must do the same thing.
Against this backdrop we must take prudent action. It is incumbent on the federal government to do what past governments neglected to do. We must forget our age-old prejudices in order to resolve this problem. What we need is serious committed action.
At its essence, this crisis was not born of religious or ethnic hatred. It is about a shrinking amount of grass and water.
In recent years the desert has expanded, consuming land once used to graze livestock. This pushed cattle herders farther and farther south to collide with the farmers who were there.
Ecological peril spawned economic conflict which descended into violence.
This violence has taken on religious, ethnic and regional consequences because of the identities of the parties involved. This tragic episode tolls a caution to us all.
Left to fester, this problem expanded to assume dimensions that now tremors the body politic.
This is what too often happens when dire problems are left unattended. Now, the current administration is moving to arrest the lethal situation.
I welcome the deployment of more law enforcement and military into the troubled areasThese security measures will stem the immediate violence and loss of life.
As we commend these security measures, we must not lose sight of the fact that the problem bears an economic origin. Thus, agro-economic policy initiatives must help shape the lasting solution.
The crux of the matter is that the nomadic way of life is fast becoming obsolete. Large scale nomadic practice does not belong in this day and age. This is reality and it is inescapable.
Thus, herders have no right to cling to this way of life by killing others. Government must stop their violence but also offer them a viable new way of life by moving them toward more modern, non-nomadic cattle rearing.
To resolve this lethal problem, government must implement a multi-dimensional policy that encompasses security, agro-economic, educational and emergency relief elements. This is the art and mastery of governance that our nation and its complex problems require.
In addition to mending this rupture of peace, I believe those who seek to enshrine good governance must boldly act to improve the quality of life of the people.”
Some Nigerian leaders on Monday (Christmas day) advised Nigerians especially the Christians to emulate the sacrificial life of Christ by demonstrating love and tolerance towards each other to achieve a better Nigeria.
The President of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki, said the season affords Nigerians the opportunity to pray and work towards a greater Nigeria.
In a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja, Mr. Saraki also urged Christians to use the festive occasion to pray for unity, peace and prosperity of Nigeria.
He called on Nigerians to rededicate themselves to the service of humanity in line with the true teachings of Jesus Christ which emphasises tolerance, patience, brotherly kindness, care for the needy and love for one another, among other virtues.
“The yuletide season presents us an opportunity once more to love, share and forgive. I urge all Nigerians to utilise the period to pray for unity, peace and prosperity in the nation.
“We must also rededicate ourselves to the true virtues of faith in God, love for one another, honesty and peaceful co-existence. It is time to make these virtues more evident and practical in our daily lives,” Mr. Saraki said.
Similarly, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, urged Nigerians, particularly Christians, to spread love to their neighbours and remember the underprivileged as they celebrate Christmas.
In a statement to mark Christmas, Mr. Dogara said Jesus Christ was an embodiment of sacrificial love.
He said when Nigerians begin to exhibit unconditional love to one another, the impact will bring about a positive change that will lead to unity and development which will move the nation forward.
“As we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, let us all remember that it is a time to spread the love of Christ with family, friends, neighbours and the underprivileged in the society
“We should bear in mind that the greatest command Jesus gave to his followers is to love one another. Not only does this have spiritual benefits, it will also make Nigeria a better place because love overcomes all things including hatred, violence and other vices,” he said.
Also, the Lagos State Governor, Akinwumi Ambode, felicitated with Nigerians, particularly Christians at the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Mr. Ambode in a statement by his chief press secretary, Habib Aruna, urged Nigerians to use the period of Christmas to rekindle acts of love, kindness to one another and to the vulnerable in the society.
He said the season symbolises love, care and compassion for persons, especially the weak, vulnerable and less-privileged.
“This season is another opportunity to increase our acts of kindness and touch the less privileged in our society,” he said.
Also in a statement by his spokesperson, the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, in his Christmas message, urged Nigerians to pray and support their leaders as they strive to find lasting solution to the myriad of challenges confronting the nation
Mr. Tambuwal also called on Nigerians to continue to reflect on positive tenets that unite the nation and strengthen the polity.
“This period calls for introspection and continued prayers for our dear nation.
“On behalf of the people and Government of Sokoto State, I wish all Nigerians, especially those of Christian faith, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ahead,” he said.
The Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, congratulated Nigerians on the occasion of this year’s Christmas, saying it is a season to celebrate peaceful co-existence and show love to one another.
The governor’s message was contained in a statement on Sunday in Asaba by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Aniagwu. He tasked Christians to offer special prayers during the yuletide for greater peace, love, unity, peaceful co-existence and progress of Nigeria.
“I call on all Christians; indeed, all Deltans and all residents in Delta State, to reflect on the virtues and teachings of Jesus Christ in their lives and activities so that Nigeria and indeed the world would be a better place for all of us.
“I wish all Deltans and indeed all Nigerians, a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year in advance as I pray for the warmth of God’s love to fill every heart and home,” he said.
The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, In a press statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Francis Agbo, urged Nigerians to live a Christ-like life, which he noted was a life of sacrifice, selfless service, love and forgiveness.
He called on Nigerians to use the Christmas celebration to intensify prayers for the peace and security of the state and the nation in general.
Mr. Dickson also called on political leaders to emulate Jesus Christ, who used his ministry for the good of all, by using their offices to advance the cause of the ordinary people.
“Service to man is service to God; he that serves man well, serves God well,” he said.
The Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, urged Christians to exhibit the spirit of peace, love and forgiveness, all through the Christmas celebration and beyond.
Mr. Amosun in a Christmas message by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Adedayo Adeneye, noted that these were the values that Jesus Christ preached and exhibited all through his sojourn on earth.
“As we mark the Christmas, all true Christians must remember the reason for the season as well as the person, whose birth we are celebrating, who is Jesus Christ,” he said.
Similarly, former Governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, in a Christmas message urged Nigerians to keep their hope alive despite challenges facing the nation and the world at large.
He stated this in a statement signed by his media aid, Ayomide Giwa, where he asked Christians and Nigerians to rediscover themselves and dedicate themselves to love.
“Christmas was the time to rediscover and rededicate ourselves to love, peace, unity, equity and justice.
“The lessons of humility, selflessness, love and simplicity learnt from the birth of Jesus, should be our guiding principles,” he said.
The Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Emmanuel Uzor, called on Nigerians to celebrate this year’s Christmas with love and trust.
He urged Christians to celebrate beyond mere merriment of the yuletide by abiding in Jesus Christ whom he described as the reason for the season.
Mr. Umahi called on Christians to use the solemnity of the remembrance of Jesus symbolised by Christmas to show love and accommodation to every other tribe and faith as demonstrated by Christ.
The Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, in his Christmas message enjoined Nigerians to shower cash and gifts on the less-privileged this festive season to enable vulnerable compatriots have a feel of Christmas celebration.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Yomi Layinka, the governor urged Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of true love and sacrifice which the life and times of Jesus Christ epitomised.
Mr. Ajimobi urged Christians to use the opportunity of the season to pray for the country’s economic turnaround and political leaders to surmount the challenges assailing the country.
“I congratulate our Christian brothers and sisters on the Christmas celebration.”
“As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, I enjoin all to imbibe the spirit of true love and sacrifice for one another.”
In his Christmas message, a national leader of the All Progressives Congress and former governor of Lagos, Bola Tinubu, urged Nigerians to learn from the example of Jesus Christ “who faced and overcame the greatest evil” by uniting to overcome our challenges
He also called for support for President Muhammadu Buhari so that the country can overcome its current challenges.
“Today, Christmas Day, is one of the most precious days of the year for it celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Be you Christian, Muslim or just a human being with a soul that yearns for peace, compassion and hope, Jesus Christ belongs to all of us. His teachings are universal in application and speak of truths eternal”
“This Christmas, let us acknowledge his birth but let us also give that acknowledgement its fullest meaning by recognizing how Jesus lived and what he lived for. He reached out to all. Jesus fed the poor and healed the sick. He spread compassion and charity and preached love and justice. There are no finer aims than these and we can do no better than to do all we can to follow his example,” Mr. Tinubu said.