President Muhammadu Buhari has enjoined Nigerians to imbibe and demonstrate the essence of the Christmas season, which entails love; goodwill among all the ethnic groups in the country.
In his Christmas message released on Tuesday in Abuja, Buhari urged Nigerians to also strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and good neighbourliness, while “focusing on all that bind us together as one united country”.
“I, therefore, urge our compatriots to shun all actions which negate the spirit of the season,” he said, adding that celebrating the spirit and virtues of Christmas need not be a one-day affair, but rather, ought to continue into the New Year.
“It is in line with the spirit of Christmas that I call on all elements whose actions are opposed to what the season represents, especially, insurgents, terrorists, armed robbers, kidnappers and economic saboteurs, to retrace their steps and join people of goodwill and common humanity.
“If they fail to heed this call, they will meet their end as the armed forces, security and law-enforcement agencies are poised now to confront and defeat them.
“Our people must make extra efforts to live in peace and harmony with their neighbours, irrespective of differences,” Buhari said.
He noted that incidents of violence and conflicts have reduced drastically owing to the several operations embarked on by our security agencies and stated that “we must not let our guards down”.
He assured that Nigerians can look forward to a turnaround in the administration’s priority areas of fighting corruption, providing security, economic diversification, job creation and infrastructure upgrade.
GIK/APA