Happy Easter celebration

Nigerian Christians and others the world over will today celebrate Easter, which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is one of the important feasts in Christian calendar. The feast marks the conclusion of the ‘Passion of Christ,’ which begins with Lent, a period of 40 days of fasting and abstinence by Christian faithful. Easter is a season of joy, love, sacrifice and selflessness. It is also a season of sober reflection, prayers and penitence.

By his death on the cross, Jesus Christ reconciled mankind to God by willingly accepting to be a sacrificial Lamb of God for the sins of the world. His resurrection redeemed mankind and also offered hope to the Christian faithful of life after death in God’s Kingdom. That is why many Christians worldwide celebrate the feast of Easter with special church services, prayers, and other festivities.

Despite the prevailing economic hardship in the country, occasioned by liquidity crisis, rising cost of foods, mass poverty, inflation and unemployment, Christians in Nigeria will mark the occasion with prayers, thanksgiving, dances, merriment and exchange of gifts. This Easter is being celebrated at a period of great uncertainty arising from the aftermath of the 2023 general election and rising ethnic tensions in the country.

It is sad that shortly after the polls, insecurity has been on the rise as people are abducted and kidnapped while others are killed in some parts of the country. In spite of reported cases of insecurity, Christians must not be deterred. They should rather use the occasion to ask for divine intervention in the affairs of the country so that the insecurity can be stopped by the security agents.

Nevertheless, Nigerians have every reason to thank God for the gift of life to witness another Easter. With the defeat of death by Jesus Christ, Christians are liberated from earthly and man-made problems. They have also been imbued with the power and resources to overcome all difficulties. Let the Christian faithful show love and kindness to the needy, the sick, the elderly as well as the less privileged people and the vulnerable in the society.

While the Christians mark the event, they should not lose sight of its significance. Beyond the merriment, Easter season calls for repentance and forgiveness of sins and a return to the path of holiness and communion with God. No doubt, the Lenten period has adequately prepared the Christian faithful to imbibe the principles of prayerfulness, humility, purity and love for one another. Let these virtues moderate their lives beyond the Easter season.

The uncertain political climate in the country demands that Christians intensify prayers for peace, justice, fairness and progress in the country. They should also pray for the political office holders so that God will direct them on how best to govern the country and meet the needs of the citizens.

We enjoin all Christians and other Nigerians to emulate the exemplary life of Jesus Christ, being a servant-leader and dying for his followers. They can also benefit from the Christian virtues of forbearance, forgiveness, kindness, humility, love, peace and patience. If our leaders are guided by the exemplary life of Jesus Christ and the virtues of the Easter season, the country will be rid of corruption, nepotism, injustice and bad governance.

Our political office holders should use the Easter season to reflect on the challenges confronting the country and come up with pragmatic measures to address them. Let them also find lasting solutions to the problems of insecurity, unemployment, youth restiveness in some parts of the country, kidnapping, insurgency and terrorism. Let the spirit of the Easter season mark the beginning of better days ahead for Nigerians.  We congratulate the Christian faithful on this joyous occasion and wish them a happy Easter celebration.