Happy Easter celebration

As Christians celebrate Easter, the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ today, we enjoin them to reflect deeply on the significance of the occasion and mute the revelry often associated with such festivity. Easter marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ, three days after his death by crucifixion. Also, Easter is a joyful end to the Lenten season of fasting and penitence. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a basic affirmation of the Christian faith. With the resurrection, Jesus Christ has defeated the powers of sin and death.

Unarguably, Easter is the most important feast in the Christian calendar. It is central to Christian faith and belief. Easter remains the core essence of Christianity. Easter is so important to Christians because all of Christianity revolves around the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the Christian faithful and other Nigerians should emulate the humility, sacrifice and love displayed by Jesus Christ in his earthly ministry in their lives.

This is the time Christians should show love, forgiveness and compassion to other Nigerians in the spirit of the season. We enjoin them to use the occasion to pray for peace, unity, good neighbourliness and harmonious living among the various ethnic groups that make up the country. They should also pray for our leaders so that they should emulate the leadership example of Jesus Christ, who served rather than being served.

If our leaders have been following the leadership example of Jesus Christ, Nigeria would have been a better place for all. Let our leaders use their political offices to serve the people who elected them into office. Holding a political office is a call for service. It must not be used for personal material gains at the detriment of Nigerian masses. Unfortunately, some of our politicians have not emulated the example of Jesus Christ in their personal and official conduct.

Although this year’s Easter is coming at a time of great economic hardship and suffering in the country arising from some harsh economic policies of the present administration, we enjoin the Christian faithful and other Nigerians to make the best out of the bad situation and celebrate the risen lord with faith, hope, kindness and cheerfulness. The resurrection of Jesus Christ offers hope for individual and national rebirth and redemption from material worries.

We call on Nigerian leaders to use the Easter occasion to make good policies that will address the rising cost of living and threatening hunger and food insecurity across the country. The government must ensure that staple food items are available and affordable to all Nigerians. With the nation’s abundant human and material resources, it is regrettable that many Nigerians cannot purchase basic food items.

It is sad that at a time Christians are celebrating Easter, many Nigerians, including the Christian faithful, cannot afford rice, meat, drinks and other edibles associated with the great occasion. The government should address rising poverty, unemployment and insecurity.

Let the government and the Christian faithful use the occasion to remember the poor, the aged and the less privileged. The government should also address quickly the rising abduction of school children, the kidnapping and killing of many Nigerians by bandits, terrorists and kidnappers. The growing atmosphere of insecurity is not good for the socio-economic development of the country. It is not even good for the peaceful co-existence of all Nigerians.

Above all, the security agencies must ensure that this year’s Easter celebration is peaceful throughout the country. Let them provide adequate security during the occasion and after. Besides, we should remind those in government that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. On no account should this important duty of the government be abdicated.

As Christians mark the event, we urge them to be modest in their celebration and remember the needy in the society. Apart from the usual eating and drinking and other activities associated with the celebration, let them dwell more on the spiritual significance of the occasion. They must imbibe the virtues of love, sacrifice and humility, which Jesus Christ eloquently demonstrated. We wish the Christian faithful, Nigerians and our esteemed readers a Happy Easter celebration.