Christmas:If you have been blessed, reach out to brethren in need – Gov Emmanuel

By Christiana Ekpa

Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has encouraged stakeholders and those who have the wherewithal in the state to reach out to people around them who are in need in the spirit of Christmas.

This was the final part of his broadcast Christmas speech on Sunday, December 25, 2022.

According to the governor: “This season is one of love, of giving and of hope. Let us show love to the infirmed and the less privileged; let us give a shoulder to those who may be consumed by hopelessness; let us offer a hand to lift up those who may be at the lowest rungs of life’s ladder; let us give them a reason to be cheerful and hopeful. If you have been blessed, please reach out to your kindred in need and show love [in] the season of the birth of our saviour.”

He also called on the political class and stakeholders to conduct themselves during this period of transition with decency, and circumspection and not to heat up the polity.

“Leaders don’t burn down the homes they had built; leaders don’t ignite violence through the words of their mouth; leaders don’t engage in peddling falsehood and misinformation, neither do they deploy violence as a means of getting elected into political offices. Leaders do not attack and insult the very institution and the symbol they aspire to represent. Leaders should and must understand that the cords of our unity, of brotherhood and of our common patrimony remain enduring and rock-solid, and that political foes you know today may be allies tomorrow,” he admonished.

He said further: “As we get ready to elect our new set of leaders, I urge our people to know that that same God who granted us a state 35 years ago, with dusty streets and thatched roofed houses sandwiched between a number of concrete structures, a state where the aspiration of some of our people was to go to Lagos and elsewhere and be domestic workers and gatekeepers, has done supreme things in our lives. Our narratives have changed, and it can only get better.”

He also advised the next government to protect his achievements and leverage them as building blocks.

“As I get ready to brace the tape, I do so, with a heart of gratitude to you my dear people, a grateful heart to the One who made all these possible through His only Begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, whose Birth, we are today celebrating,” he said.

The governor, who also used the occasion to present a brief scorecard of his administration in sectors such as aviation, education, healthcare, infrastructure and security, said there must be continuity to protect the state from going back to its dark days.