We’ll continue to implement palliative measures to ease burden of vulnerable Nigerians — Tinubu

…LP berates FG, says Nigerians are celebrating Christmas on empty stomach

By Moses Adeniyi and Grace Olatundun

President Bola Tinubu has promised that his administration will continue to implement palliative measures to ease the burden of the most vulnerable among Nigerians.

Tinubu said this in his Christmas message to Nigerians, mentioning that  the year has been a time of transformation and relentless change for the country, while noting that the implementation of necessary reforms to “achieve a more prosperous, peaceful nation for all have imposed unique sacrifices.”

He urged “all endeavour to extend the warm embrace of kindness to those around us who need it and let the multiple acts of kindness serve as a light that guides us into a happy and wonderful new year.”

“Fellow Nigerians, as we navigate this transition to stability, prosperity, and Renewed Hope, I urge you once more to hold fast and rest assured of my commitment to govern with vision, dedication, and empathy.

“Be confident that by the strength of our joint endeavour, we will shortly emerge into a new dawn of prosperity, peace, and irreversible progress.

“Christmas is a special time of the year for all of us. For Christians, this time of the year marks the birth of Jesus  Christ and celebrates the hope and redemption that are the hallmarks of Christ’s life.

“For people of all faiths, this is an opportunity to enjoy the company of family, celebrate life, and delight in the gifts of love and friendship that make life worthwhile.

“This is also a time to look out for each other because, amidst the festivities, this time of year for many will be tinged with sadness: some mourning the loss of loved ones and others grieving the hopes that failed to materialise and the dreams that fell short.

“In the spirit of Christmas, reflecting the best of Christ, let us all endeavour to extend the warm embrace of kindness to those around us who need it and let the multiple acts of kindness serve as a light that guides us into a happy and wonderful new year.

“This year has been a time of transformation and relentless change in our country. And I am aware that the necessary reforms we are implementing to achieve a more prosperous, peaceful nation for all have imposed unique sacrifices.

“My administration will continue to implement palliative measures to ease the burden on the most vulnerable,  address current hardships and alleviate the suffering of all our nation’s people.

“Fellow Nigerians, as we navigate this transition to stability, prosperity, and Renewed Hope, I urge you once more to hold fast and rest assured of my commitment to govern with vision, dedication, and empathy.

“Be confident that by the strength of our joint endeavour, we will shortly emerge into a new dawn of prosperity,  peace, and irreversible progress,” he said.

He further called on Nigerians as they celebrate in the season to “spare a moment of remembrance and prayer for the men and women of our nation’s armed forces, bearing arms in our names and ensuring our safety. May God protect them and bring them back to their families.

“And let us together commemorate the memory of those who, in their service, have paid the highest price for our nation. May God bless their souls and comfort their families and loved ones.

“Let the light of Christmas guide our paths as we bring this year to a close and usher in the New Year.”

Meanwhile, embattled Chairman of the Labour Party, Barrister Julius Abure, has lamented that many Nigerians are celebrating this year’s Christmas on empty stomachs due to bad leadership.

In his Christmas message to Nigerians, on Sunday, Abure called on Nigerians to let the lessons learn from the birth of Jesus Christ guide our lives individually and collectively in order to make the world a beautiful place to live.

The LP National Chairman said, “Nigeria is an example of a nation which God created and ensured that abundance of deposits of resources are huge enough to make us a giant nation.

“Nigeria must have been created as a perfect example of ‘heaven on earth’ but leadership has remained the bane and today, in spite of the abundance of resources, Nigeria is ranked as one of the poorest nations in the world.

“Today, most Nigerians would be celebrating Christmas on empty stomach due to bad leadership.

“A few days ago, the APC-led government with fanfare and heart-thumbing, came up with a policy that guarantees reduction by half, transportation for holiday markers.

“And I sometimes query the level of advice this government gets. In a nation of over two hundred million persons, the government employed the services of only 5 transport company, in addition to the rail services which completely excluded a particular Christian dominated zone.

“The beneficiaries of this social scheme will be less than 0.05 percent of Nigerians.

“The question has always been, what happens after the yuletide when the scheme would cease to function. Would the government also subsidise transport system in Nigeria as it boasted months ago?

“Schools will be opening in early January, how do the poverty stricken Nigerian grapple with that chaos waiting to happen?

“Did it ever occur to this government that a good percentage of those Nigerians travelling may never return to their base due to economic strangulation perpetuated by this government as one of its economic policies?”

He further said, “Christmas is known as the day of remembrance for the birth of Jesus Christ but beyond that significance, it is the remembrance of the day Heaven came down to the earth for the sake of redemption of mankind. His coming was to bring joy to the world by reconciling humanity with divinity.

“He came to make the world a better place but today that purpose is being defeated by the evil actions of men.

“The destiny of nations is being changed by men in the position of authority and the will of God is being continuously subverted by power hijackers.

“In all this uncertainty facing millions of Nigeria, I will still wish Nigerians a happy celebration and also plead with them to keep fate alive because a new Nigeria is not just possible but is already on the horizon.”