Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians to rise up with one voice and jointly confront the menace of instability bedeviling the nation.
In his Christmas message to Christians, Buhari said: “It is a special period that brings peoples of the world together with one purpose; to celebrate togetherness, joy, peace, and above all, to share love with one another through exchange of goodwill and gifts.
“For the second Christmas running, the world will not be able to celebrate as we used to in years past.
“The COVID-19 pandemic, with its attendant debilitating impact, has remained with mankind, mutating and leaving in its wake devastating consequences on the economy, social interaction, and curtailing certain freedoms.
“The silver lining, however, is that humanity has been able to rise up with one voice and purpose, to confront the foisted conditions.
“I use this opportunity to appeal to our dear citizens to embrace vaccination, which is the best scientifically known bulwark against the pandemic. Recent events have shown that vaccination greatly reduces the effects of the virus on the human body.”
On security, he noted that despite the remarkable successes generally recorded, “we still have some challenges. Our courageous security forces, bolstered by the necessary support from this administration, daily confront the wicked ones amongst us, who continue to threaten the peace of the land”.
“Recently, during the meeting with fellow Heads of State of the ECOWAS, I discussed the need to intensify efforts to jointly confront this menace causing instability in our sub-region.
“I am confident that with the renewed commitment and empowerment of our committed security personnel, all these issues which inflict pain and trauma on us will soon be history,” Buhari said.
He urged Nigerians to utilise the opportunity that the festive period brings to encourage themselves so that the machinations of the wicked ones will find no place to thrive.
“Christmas is a season when hope is rekindled. Hope, peace, joy, love are the recurring themes of this time. It is in the midst of hardship that the true test of a nation emerges.
“I urge Nigerians to invoke the indomitable spirit in us and see the present order of things as a phase that will also pass, just like other unsavory situations in the nation’s history. This government will not abandon the promises made to Nigerians for a better lease of life,” he added.
The Nigerian government has declared Monday December 26, Tuesday, December 27 and Monday January 1, 2022 as public holidays to mark the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
GIK/APA