Easter is the most important feast in the Christian calendar and represents God’s redemptive mission over humanity, the triumph of light over darkness, hope over despair and good over evil.

The Christian festival commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ is also a time to emulate the virtues of love, sacrifice, forgiveness, humility, courage and endurance, which Christ embodied and remarkably demonstrated during His earthly ministry.

To this end, President Muhammadu Buhari urged Nigerians to use the opportunity of the festivity to pray for the country and maintain peace with their neighbours.

Buhari in his Easter message, enjoined all Nigerians to intensify prayers for peace and security to return to all parts of the country.

He called on Nigerians not to lose hope of a brighter future of the country, saying the country was facing a lot of security challenges but expressed optimism that the country would overcome its challenges.

Buhari condemned the outbreak of violence in parts of the country, particularly, in this festive season, saying violence and wanton destruction of life and property were offensive to the lessons of love and peace that Easter brings to humanity.

He said he was saddened by “the latest needless violent clashes between Jukuns and Tivs in Taraba State, and Fulani, Genjon and Bachama in Adamawa State resulting in arson, injuries and deaths.”

According to him, Violence and bloodshed for whatever reason is unacceptable and condemnable, especially when it is coming as the nation celebrates Easter, with all the lessons of love and peace for humanity.

“Violence has not and cannot be the solution to the resolution of misunderstandings among the people.
“Once we abandon reason and good judgment, we are giving violence the chance to take over and make a bad situation more complicated and difficult to resolve.

“The primary initiative for ending violence once and for all must originate from the local actors involved in these clashes.”

Furthermore, Buhari assured that intervention by the military had doused the situation in the affected communities, adding, “The government will not rest on its oars to provide security for all Nigerians, and will at the same time engage in dialogue with local stakeholders in order to get to the root of the crises.”

Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and former Senate President David Mark urged Nigerians to remain steadfast and hopeful of a better nation.

Ekweremadu and Mark urged Nigerians to use the occasion of Easter to pray for the security of the country and return to the path of reconciliation, peace, and justice.

Ekweremadu added that prayers should also come with the necessary steps to rethink the country’s security architecture, especially the policing arrangement.

“We must also muster the political will to take on these security challenges head-on, beginning with the decentralisation of policing such that constituent parts of the nation are constitutionally empowered to take responsibility for the security of lives and property of the citizens, like other federal states and as was the case in this nation before 1966,” Ekweremadu stated.

He stressed, “Importantly, we need to move away from the path of disunity, mutual suspicion, discrimination, and injustice to make any progress. At Easter, therefore, we must rededicate ourselves to the virtues of love, unity, peace, justice, forgiveness, reconciliation, and sacrifice, which the ministry, death and resurrection of Christ represent.”

Mark canvassed the need to strengthen the bond of unity among the diverse ethnic and religious groups in Nigeria, insisting that there is hope for the country if it remains together. He said in spite of the challenges of insecurity, ethno- religious conflicts, and declining economy, “We should not be discouraged because the challenges are surmountable.”

The former senate president urged the citizens to reflect on the sacrifices and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which symbolise peace, tolerance and forgiveness, in order to coexist harmoniously with one another.
He said the authorities must work to restore the people’s trust and confidence in the system.

Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, advised Christians and Nigerians, generally, to use the occasion of Christ’s resurrection, which Easter symbolises, to reinvent their abiding faith in God and promote peace, love, and unity. Ugwuanyi said observation of 40 days of Lent through fasting, abstinence, prayer and charity in memory of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection, “reinvigorates the spiritual strength of Christians and God’s amazing grace for salvation of mankind”. He added, “God’s extraordinary act of love for mankind should be cherished, celebrated and sustained.”

In his message at Easter, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki urged Christians to imbibe the virtues of selfless service and love. Obaseki stated, “I join Christian faithful in Edo State and across the world in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice to redeem mankind is an enduring example to all.

In the spirit of Easter, Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel made a reconciliatory offer to his political opponents, saying they should join in building a state whose economy will be the envy of all.

Emmanuel said in a broadcast weekend, “We have just concluded an election cycle where the chords of our brotherhood and amity were severely tested. Even though some of our political gladiators had likened the contest to going to war and had unfortunately invoked certain metaphors of war and violence, the battle has been fought and won to the glory of the ONLY GOD we worship and serve.

Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State enjoined Nigerians to eschew hatred and bigotry, which Christ preached against before paying the ultimate price on the Cross. In his Easter message, signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Rotimi Durojaiye, Amosun stated, “As we celebrate Easter, let us reflect on the significance of the season, which is love and sacrifice, to unite as a people.

President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Samson ‘Supo Ayokunle, in his Easter message, enjoined Christians in the country, as well as Muslims and people of other religions to pursue peace, tolerance and love for one another.

“This is one of the greatest needs today in our dear country and it requires genuine sacrifice to achieve it,” Ayokunle stated. “This is because it is in the atmosphere of peace that we would have progress as a nation.”

Ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) charged Nigerians to remember the essence of Easter, which is love, sacrifice and suffering.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC urged all citizens, irrespective of religious affiliation, to imbibe the selfless attributes displayed by Jesus Christ.
“In our collective efforts to progress as a nation, we must all rise above our perceived differences which pit brothers and sisters against themselves. Love and tolerance will take us above internecine violence, killings, agitations, and other divisive tendencies,” the statement said.

It also urged Nigerians to use the occasion of Easter to pray for the safety and wellbeing of members of the Armed Forces and other security personnel deployed to flashpoints around the country.

The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) called on Nigerians to use the occasion of Easter to pray for national rebirth and fulfillment of their aspirations for a safe and prosperous nation where love, truth and justice will prevail. The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said Nigerians must remain optimistic.

The statement said, “The Easter festival, which marks the celebration of the resurrection of the Jesus Christ from the dead, offers great lessons on the inevitable victory of life over death; truth over falsehood; light over darkness and freedom over captivity.