Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has charged the people of the state
to imbibe the spirit of sacrifice which is the hallmark of the Easter
celebration, saying the season calls for sober reflection, sacrifice,
tolerance and unity.
The Governor, through a press release by his Chief Press Secretary,
Kingsley Fanwo called on the people of the state to key into the need
for unity and togetherness, urging them to emulate the selfless spirit
of Jesus Christ.
"In this season, I call on all Kogites to live a life of love, sacrifice
and brotherliness. We are stronger in unity and perseverance as we must
all be prepared to contribute our quota to the development of the
state.
"We are at a critical juncture where heroes and heroines must emerge to
lead our state forward. The season must glue us to our destiny as a
people and focus our minds to the need to love one another, which was
the impetus that led Jesus to die for the salvation of man".
Governor Bello urged Christians around the world to promote love and
unity, saying the world must be united against every form of hate,
strife and terrorism. He charged the church to emulate the sacrifice of
Christ by contributing to the upliftment of the poor and the less
privileged in the society.
"This is the time for sober reflection. This is the season we need to
probe into the state of brotherly love. Now is the time for the Church
to probe their existence in consonance with the demands of the religion
and life of Christ which was all about living for others."
The Governor called on the people of the state to continue to have faith
in the determination of the government to promote ethnic and religious
harmony in order to remove the cog in the wheels of progress.
He said: "I have sworn to serve the people of the state irrespective of
class, ethnic or religious status. God in His wisdom decided to create
us and permit us to worship him in different ways. Our government shall
be fair to all."
He called on the civil servants in the state to bear with the temporary
hardship resulting from the ongoing staff verification exercise,
assuring them that the exercise is in their best interest.
"We are monitoring the process of the screening committee. I share the
pains of our civil servants and wish to assure them that the exercise
will serve their best interest. I call on all civil servants to keep
cooperating with our administration to rid our payrolls of ghost workers
in order to have enough to pay legitimate workers."
On why Local Government Councils have not been able to pay their
workers, the Governor said government is still awaiting the Allocations
Performance Reports from some of the Councils, saying they will pay
their salaries as soon as all the Councils comply with the directive
which was aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability in the
management of Local Government Councils' funds in the state.
Governor Bello promised to enthrone accountable Local Government
administration in the state that will strengthen grassroots development.
He called on the citizens of the state to keep supporting his
administration as he is poised to deliver on his promise of leading the
state through a New Direction to a new destination of opportunities and
prosperity.
