Christians evoke crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday

Lagos hosts Easter party tomorrow, Police pledges security
Christians all over the world will today observe solemnly the fifth day of the Passion Week or Holy Week known as Good Friday, to mark Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. It also marks the beginning of the celebration of Easter.Christians regard Good Friday as a day that calls for sober reflection and most importantly, a day to identify with the Jesus, who on this day was arrested and crucified. As a result, many faithful do not eat meat today.

Explaining the significance of Good Friday, the Bishop of Lagos and Missioner, Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. Humphrey Bamisebi Olumakaiye, said: “Good Friday is the day that we remember the crucifixion of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It is called Good Friday, not because the events of the day are good but because of what Jesus did for us when He died on the cross.

“Good Friday was an awful day for Jesus. He was tried, declared innocent, but condemned anyway. He was whipped almost to death before His crucifixion. We can see the love for mankind in Jesus who allowed Himself to be arrested without any resistance despite the fact that He had the power to resist it. He knew that salvation of mankind lies in his arrest and the subsequent sufferings that would lead to His death, yet He did not resist.”

In his own message, the Archbishop of Lagos, Catholic Archdiocese, Most Revd. Adewale Martins, described Good Friday as a special day in the Christian calendar, a day that Jesus was crucified and died before his resurrection. He added that following the sacrificial death of Jesus, Christians should ensure that the discipline of lent which they have carried for the last 40 days continue to reflect in them through alms giving and prayers.

A Pentecostal, Michael Edun said the reason why Christians do not eat meat on Good Friday is to identify with Jesus and also feel His pains. “It is not a day for merriment. It is a day that calls for sober reflection. It is a day that we should also realize and appreciate the love of God for mankind and strife to be like Jesus who forsook His own convenience to take the place of mankind on the cross,” he said.

Also, as part of events preceding Good Friday, the Island Club, organized an Annual Lenten Talk, Choral Renditions and Breaking of Fast with the topic: “Renewal of the Spirit and the Re-born Worship in Nigeria, Life in the Spirit, Life of Worship”.At the event, chairman of Island Club, Olabanji Oladapo, said the Lent, which precedes Good Friday was a period to abstain from all sinful acts and express penitence.

“It is believed that the faithful do this in commemoration of Jesus Christ’s fasting in the wilderness for 40 days and nights. We are reminded today of the suffering, death and the subsequent resurrection of Jesus Christ our Savior on which the Christian faith hinges on. Without the sufferings of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection, there is no Christianity,” he said.

Meanwhile, the General Manager of Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK), Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, has said the state government will host a concert to mark Easter on Saturday, April 20. Making this known in a statement, Adebiyi-Abiola said the event would enable citizens to share knowledge through digital games.

According to her, the concert is to bring together people in a tranquil environment to have a fun-filled Easter celebration. “This is to break people’s social inhibition by creating an interactive platform where they could exhibit their innate talents to proffer solutions to socio-economic impediments bedeviling the society in a more relaxed environment,” the statement added.

“The concert will take place at Johnson Jakande Tinubu (JJT) Park, Alausa, Ikeja. The concert will also hold simultaneously in most of the state’s recreational parks with tailored programmes designed to meet the needs of the locals residing within the axis.

“It is organised as part of the state government’s commitment to improve the social life of the citizenry by connecting them with opportunities inherent in the contemporary recreation and digital networking. The programme is another affirmation of government’s commitment to lead the way in exposing its citizens to the concurrent benefits of communal interaction.”

Meanwhile, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, has said the command has put adequate security and intelligence measures to protect lives and property during the Easter celebration. The police boss, who addressed newsmen yesterday at the Command Headquarters, said that every place, including worship centres and fun outlets would be well policed. He, therefore, advised members of the public to go about their businesses without fear of violence or attack.

According to Muazu: “It is obvious that with the elections over, fresh security challenges are beginning to resurface in our state but our collective resolve in projecting the lives and property of the people of Lagos. The state command has evolved new strategies in preventing and combating crimes in the state that is aimed at reassuring the people of their safety. Our deployments are targeted towards combating traffic robbery and easing free flow of traffic across the state.

“My vision is to present to Lagosians a state where every one is safe to carry out his or her legitimate duties at all time. To achieve this we have initiated training programmes to police officers in Lagos state on respect and protection of human rights.
“We are calling on good citizens of Lagos to report any erring police officer through the GSM number 09090003792 and we will take action immediately,” he said.

Also, leading electric power distribution company, Ikeja Electric Plc (IE), has assured customers across its network of its commitment to ensure hitch-free services during the Easter holiday.While wishing all its customers a safe and merry Easter season on behalf of the company, Felix Ofulue, the company’s Head of Corporate Communications, urged customers to take advantage of its numerous channels for payment of electricity bills to avoid disconnection during the holiday period. Ofulue explained that measures have been put in place to ensure networkability and smooth operations during the Easter holidays.

“In anticipation of customers’ expectations during the holiday, we have provided a maintenance process to monitor and patrol the network to ensure faults are cleared as and when due and also mitigate the effect of any threat to supply”, he assured.He also cautioned against harassment of its employees on duty, noting that IE has provided multiple channels and customer care touch points through which customers may seek redress. He confirmed that Customer Service has expanded its teams dedicated to handling customer complaints and they can be reached on 01-448-3900, 01-7000-250, 0700-022-5543. Ofulue further advised customers not to resort to using those unqualified electricians to clear fault in their areas, adding that such activities were usually responsible for most of the technical problems on the network.