Posted by In the spirit of Christmas, Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel has urged stakeholders and those with resources in the state to help those in their community who are in need.
On Sunday, December 25, 2022, he gave his broadcast Christmas speech until this point.
The governor declared: “This season is one of love, giving, and hope. Let us show love to the infirmed and the less privileged; let us give a shoulder to those who may be consumed by hopelessness; let us offer a hand to lift up those who may be at the lowest rungs of life’s ladder; let us give them a reason to be cheerful and hopeful. In the season of the birth of our Savior, if you have been blessed, please extend a helping hand to your kin in need.
Additionally, he urged the political class and all interested parties to act decently and cautiously during this time of transition in order to avoid igniting the polity.
“Leaders don’t burn down the homes they had built; leaders don’t ignite violence through the words of their mouth; leaders don’t engage in peddling falsehood and misinformation, neither do they deploy violence as a means of getting elected into political offices. Leaders don’t criticize and disparage the very institution and symbol they want to stand for. Leaders should and must understand that the cords of our unity, of brotherhood and of our common patrimony remain enduring and rock-solid, and that political foes you know today may be allies tomorrow,” he admonished.
He said further: “As we get ready to elect our new set of leaders, I urge our people to know that that same God who granted us a state 35 years ago, with dusty streets and thatched roofed houses sandwiched between a number of concrete structures, a state where the aspiration of some of our people was to go to Lagos and elsewhere and be domestic workers and gatekeepers, has done supreme things in our lives. Our stories have evolved, and things can only get better from here.
He also gave the incoming administration advice on how to preserve his accomplishments and use them as a foundation.
“As I get ready to brace the tape, I do so, with a heart of gratitude to you my dear people, a grateful heart to the One who made all these possible through His only Begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, whose Birth, we are today celebrating,” he said.
The governor, who also used the occasion to present a brief scorecard of his administration in sectors such as aviation, education, healthcare, infrastructure and security, said there must be continuity to protect the state from going back to its dark days.