Clerics Task Nigerians On Nation Building
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the citizens to do everything to love themselves as workers and as a people, saying it is only by dwelling in unity that they can build the needed strength for a better nation.
Also, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. (Dr) Alfred Adewale Martins, has admonished Nigerians to remain positive and continue to contribute their quotas towards ensuring that the country surmounts its current challenges and becomes great again. The Catholic Archbishop of Ibadan, Most Revd. Gabriel Leke Abegunri, has also urged Christians to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ in their words and actions.
The NLC, in a statement by its President, Joe Ajaero, yesterday, noted that it is in the moments of unity that the citizens find the strength to overcome challenges and build a brighter future for themselves and generations to come.
In a message titled, ‘At Christmas: May Our Hope be in Christ’, Ajaero said with the year marked by challenges and uncertainties, workers find solace and strength in the enduring spirit of hope, love and the teachings of Jesus Christ.
He said nations are built when the people decide to stand together and work in unity and love, stressing that it is difficult to build the kind of nation the masses want if they continue seeing themselves as different in any way or form.
“This season must teach us that we are one! That is why in the spirit of Christmas, let us come together as a nation, transcending our differences, to spread love and goodwill.
“This is what has allowed unpatriotic elements to hijack our levers of governance, which they have continually used to negate the interests and desires of our people and our nation,” he said.
Ajaero urged Nigerian workers to resolve to build a new nation by mending every crack that has allowed the enemies of the people to take undue advantage of them and hold down the nation perpetually in the morass of underdevelopment.
He urged the nation’s leaders to put smiles on the faces of the people and pursue things that offer hope and not policies that demoralise and eviscerate.
In his 2023 Christmas message signed by the Director of Social Communications, Rev. Fr. Anthony Godonu, Archbishop Martins affirmed that God has a special love for Nigeria and Nigerians, hence they must never be afraid to work towards actualising the country of their dream.
He commended them for their resilience and ability to bounce back to reckoning despite the numerous obstacles they had been confronted with over the years, adding that the present challenges facing the country would also pass and become history.
Martins reminded Nigerians to always focus on the saving grace of God who through His son Jesus Christ has come at Christmas to redeem mankind from sin and bring them to eternal life. This grace, he averred, is always available for all of God’s children, irrespective of their religion, tribe, or creed.
He said: “In this season of Christmas, I give thanks to God and congratulate Nigerians for the grace and privilege of being alive to witness yet another Christmas, a period that we are all reminded of God’s uncommon love for humanity. He exhibited this divine love for us over 2000 years ago by the coming of the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, who left his glory in heaven to be born of a Virgin so as to save humanity from the shackles of sin and bring us to a life of abundance. This love of God for us is selfless and is a perfect example of how we must show love for one another. When we love and care for each other, as Jesus continues to do, we will be able to live together in peace and harmony like true brothers and sisters.”
Also, in his Christmas message yesterday, Archbishop Abegunri advised Christian faithful not to celebrate in a frivolous way or affluence but think deeply and always remember that many people go to bed hungry every day.
He said: “You need to just look along our streets, and roads and the reality of this will become glaring. We see people with disabilities, communities without health care facilities, people without easily accessible water systems, no food and those abandoned due to sickness, the situation of life or old age. To these, we can show concern and the mercy of God, active mercy. Let us learn to forgive one another, live in peace and love, put God above all things and love our neighbour as ourselves. Let us give good examples to the young ones, behave honourably, free ourselves of selfish passions, hatred, cheating, robbing others of their goods and laziness.”
