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ChristMAS is an important festival in the Christian calendar. Celebrated every December 25 across the world, it marks the birth of Jesus Christ, the saviour of the world, over 2000 years ago. Usually, the season is characterized by parties, events, carols, gift-giving and decorations. But Christmas goes beyond all these.
The real reason for this season is Jesus Christ. It is a season God reconciled with man. It is also a season of love, faith, hope and sharing of gifts. Christ was born to save the world from the sin of Adam and Eve at the Garden of Eden. The punishment for that sin was death. But out of love, God gave his only begotten son to die for mankind so that whosoever believes in him shall be saved from sin and eternal damnation. This is the greatest act of love.
According to the Bible, Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her husband Joseph, believed and accepted what an angel told Mary that she would become pregnant and bear the son of God. This was an act of faith. Likewise, mankind is enjoined to have faith in the power of the almighty to turn certain ugly situations around for good.
This year’s Christmas comes at a time of heightened insecurity and massive abduction of schoolchildren, Christian worshippers and others. Many citizens have either been kidnapped or killed in the recent past. This engendered fear in the minds of many citizens who wanted to travel to the hinterland for the Yuletide.
Last month, terrorists attacked a church in Kwara State, killed two worshippers and abducted 38 others. The victims have since been freed. Also attacked last month were Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, and St. Mary’s Catholic school, Papiri in Agwara LGA of Niger State. In the Kebbi school attack, 25 schoolgirls were abducted and the Vice-Principal killed.
In the St. Mary’s school attack, 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were kidnapped. In Borno State, a Brigadier-General, Musa Uba, and some of his troops were ambushed and killed by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists. Between May 2023 and April 2024, the National Bureau of Statistics indicated in a report that 2.2 million Nigerians were kidnapped.
Amid these killings, the United States President, Donald Trump, slammed Nigeria with the Country of Particular Concern (CPC) tag and allegation of Christian genocide. He threatened to attack Nigeria if the government failed to address the alleged killing of Christians.
Incidentally, out of the 4,476 Christians said to have been killed globally, Nigerian Christians reportedly account for about 3,100 of the number. Some of the Christians killed in Nigeria for alleged blasphemy against Islam include Gideon Akaluka, who was beheaded in 1994 in Kano; Bridget Agbahime who was beaten to death in Kano in June 2016; and Deborah Yakubu, a student who was stoned and burnt alive in Sokoto in May 2022 by Islamic fundamentalists.
This year’s Christmas also comes at a time of severe economic hardship. Many Nigerians are out of jobs. For many of those working, their take-home pay hardly takes them home. This is why, most times, lecturers under the auspices of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) go on strike. Poverty, hunger and other deprivations have crippled a lot of families. Prices of many staples are out of reach of the majority of Nigerians.
Many people cannot afford the prohibitive cost of health care. This partly explains the rise in sudden deaths in the country as many citizens find it difficult to cope with the difficulties of life. The average life expectancy in Nigeria is approximately 56.05 years. This is below the global average of approximately 73.7 years.
Nigerian leaders should strive to emulate the leadership example of Jesus Christ. He not only had a low background, He was also a servant-leader and lived all through His life in humility. This signifies that humility is the hallmark of leadership. As Christ washed the feet of his servants and provided the needs of his followers, our leaders should attend to the needs of Nigerians, especially food security as well as the security of lives and properties. They should realize that the position they occupy today is an opportunity for them to serve mankind.
The police and other security agencies must provide security during and after the Christmas season. They should protect all worship centres and other public places.
This season should be used to visit the sick, the aged and the less privileged people in the society. They should be made to partake in the joy of Christmas. It is time to reawaken and imbibe Christian virtues and eschew vices. Beyond the revelries of the occasion, the Christian faithful should never forget the significance of Christ coming to earth. We wish all our readers and advertisers a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
