Alhaji Sharafadeen Alli, former Secretary to Oyo State Government, has called on Nigerians to see Christmas period as a time to initiate peace and unity amongst all.
Alli, who is the Ekefa-Balogun of Ibadanland, made the call in his Christmas message to Christian faithful and made available to newsmen in Ibadan on Saturday.
He urged Christians to use the period of Christmas to extend kindness to their fellow brothers and sisters, particularly the underprivileged members of the society.
The former Secretary to Oyo State Government urged the good people to reflect on their past and embrace tolerance, saying such was one of the key attributes of Jesus Christ.
Alli identified the virtues epitomised by Jesus Christ as love, care, selflessness and compassion for people, especially the weak, vulnerable and underprivileged in the society.
In a related message, Dr Olusola Ayandele, a renowned businessman, urged Nigerians to embrace the art of kindness, love and selflessness as they celebrate Christmas.
Ayandele, in a statement signed by his Personal Assistant, Sola Adeleke, called on Nigerians, particularly Christians to embrace the virtues of humility, selflessness and love in their daily activities.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ayandele is chieftains of APC and aspirant for Oyo South Senatorial District
Ayandele said Christmas was a reminder that we are our brother’s keeper, and should allow ourselves to exhibit the spirit of joy which season of birth of Christ marks.
“Christmas is a season that explains the depth of God’s love for mankind and exemplary sacrifice that we should emulate in our relationship with our neighbours, irrespective of status or religious body.
“This season is another opportunity to increase our acts of kindness and touch the less privileged in our society and initiate developmental ideas for the growth of the nation,’’ he said
Ayandele said that embracing those virtues would allow them to contribute their quotas to the task of building a better society for all and sundry.
The senatorial hopeful urged citizens to pray fervently for Nigeria and remain optimistic about the emergence of a more peaceful, stable and prosperous Nigeria in spite of the current challenges.
“Christians use the Yuletide to show love to other people in the society, irrespective of their diversity, faiths, cultures and ethnic groups.
“All these form the imperative of the coming of Jesus Christ into this world.
“We must make it our duty to pray for our dear country and join hands with the governments at all levels to stamp out the challenges of insecurity, instability and poverty currently bedeviling our society,” he said.
According to him, the Olusola Ayandele Foundation, with its Head Office in Molete, Ibadan, has doled out food items, gifts and various sums of money to different categories of people without any form of discrimination.
“This we have been doing over the years and we shall continue to do, even after the festivities since the objective is to alleviate the sufferings of the people in the society,” he said.
