Engineer Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo State on Thursday felicitated Christians in the state and across the country on this year’s Christmas, urging them to continue to live in love and harmony with one another and with their neighbours.
The governor made this known in a Christmas message released by his Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, in Ibadan, the state capital.
He described Christmas as a season of love, noting that the birth of Christ remains the essence of the celebration, and urged Christians to reflect this love by living peacefully with others in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Makinde also counselled residents of the state to remain security conscious as they celebrate the Yuletide, stressing that safeguarding the state is a collective responsibility of both the government and the people.
He charged residents to report suspicious movements to security agencies through the Citizen Emergency Number, 615, reiterating that the principle of “if you see something, say something” remains in force.
“This is to wish our Christian brethren and, indeed, all residents of Oyo State and Nigeria a Merry Christmas.
“Christmas, as we all know, symbolises love as exemplified by the miraculous but humble birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, thus we must live the message and the essence of the festival.
“Let me also use the opportunity to charge residents of the state to be vigilant and observant as they go about merrying. As a government, we have been up to the task in terms of securing the state but there is still a role for residents to play. This is why we always say that if you see something, say something and your government will do something.
“The Oyo State Citizen Emergency Number 615 is active, please call to report any emergency or suspicion of criminality and our rapid response system will be activated to bring the situation under check.
“Once again, Merry Christmas,” he said
Credit: punchng.com
