Government, Nigerians Charged On Easter Celebration

By Seyi Gesinde - 22.03.2008

THE Federal Government has been charged to at this Easter season revisit the bad policies already entrenched in the system in the last 10 years, rectify the anomalies and, if possible, bring culprits to justice.

Likewise, Christians all over the world, Nigeria in particular, have been urged to allow the basic tenets of Easter – which is love, and willingness to give to others – be their priority during the Easter celebration.

The Metropolitan Archbishop of Ibadan Catholic Archdiocese, Most Rev. Felix Alaba Job, gave this advice in his Easter message to the Christian faithful on Friday.

Also, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade I, has urged Christians to abide always by the lessons of Easter so as to not only live a life of happiness and peace, but also to be assured of eternal life.

In his Easter message signed by his press secretary, Prince, Oyedotun Oloyede, Oba Odulana said one of such lessons was the unequalled demonstration of love and forgiveness by Jesus Christ, even for his persecutors.

But the Archbishop in his own Easter message, signed by the director of Social Communication of the Ibadan Catholic diocese, Rev. Fr. J. T. Pinhero, the Archbishop said Christians should be agents of transformation in their respective environments.

He described the current corruption war in the country as “selective justice,” and charged that it should be given a human face. His words: “The fight against corruption must have human face, especially through the ICPC and EFCC. It will not be out of place to say that what obtains now can be called ‘Selective Justice’.

“The quality of life, food, shelter, transportation, education, healthcare and unemployment are fast on the decline. We cannot fight violence and robbery if the above are left unsolved. We cannot play political gimmicks with problems of this magnitude.”