The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has rejoiced with Nigerians, particularly Christian faithful and residents of the state, as they celebrate this year’s Easter, which marks the commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, in an Easter message during an interview with journalists at Lagos House, Marina, urged residents to embrace love, unity, and the spirit of sacrifice, reflecting on the lessons of Jesus Christ.
He commended Christians for their devotion to prayers, sacrifices and compassion during the Lenten season and encouraged them to sustain the virtues of spirituality, charity, compassion and peaceful coexistence imbibed during the season.
He said, “As we come to the end of the Lenten season, which is a yearly 40-day fasting for all of our Christian brothers and sisters, it is my wish and hope that all the lessons we have learnt throughout the period of fasting, a season of denial and reflection, will come forward in our daily life.
“The Lenten season is a period we speak to God Almighty, and this year’s Easter is coming shortly after Ramadan, which was also a period of reflection. Easter is a period we need to be grateful. We need to show gratitude to God as citizens of our State.
“Easter is a season of blessings, love and happiness. Let us not forget all the preachings and teachings that have been taught during this period by ensuring that we are our brother’s keeper, giving, loving our neighbours as ourselves and keeping a community that is for everyone.
“We are all brothers and sisters. We could be of different faiths, but at the end of the day, we are all from one country and from one Almighty. As I said before, let us be our brother’s keeper. Let us watch and keep a safe and secure environment for ourselves. Let us go out and enjoy, but do it with caution.”
Speaking about the state of the nation, Governor Sanwo-Olu commended President Bola Tinubu for his commitment to several reforms that have brought positive growth and development to Nigeria.
He said: “The country itself has its own challenges, but this moment is a period to also commend and congratulate President Bola Tinubu. Even though things might seem tough, especially regarding security, he has indeed earned the credibility and leadership qualities we know him for.
“We have seen the ability of our financial institutions to meet all of their share capital. We have seen strength in our capital market. We have seen growth in our financial industry. We have seen a reduction in food prices. We have seen economic growth. We have seen a reduction in inflation, month by month, in the last 12 months. So, there are strong economic indices.
Even with the ongoing war in Iran, which has caused an increase in pump prices worldwide, we have managed to cope. We have not seen any queues in any of our stations. Of course, there are a few security issues here and there, and our hearts are with our citizens who have lost their loved ones, who have been killed needlessly in Plateau and other parts of the country.
He acknowledged the commitment of Mr President to frontally deal with issues of insecurity across the country.