Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has 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 all their neighbours.
The governor stated this on Thursday in a Christmas message.
According to Governor Makinde, Christmas is a season of love, with Christ’s birth as the essence of the festival, thus Christians must show love to others and live at peace in line with the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The governor counselled residents of the state to pay close attention to their environment as they go about celebrating the Yuletide, noting that securing the state remains a responsibility for the government and the governed.
He charged them to report suspicious movements to security agencies through the Citizen Emergency Number, 615, saying that the principle, “if you see something, say something” remains in force.
He said: “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!”
