By; Patrick Titus, Uyo.
The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel has reassured the commitment of his administration to do all within its powers to lessen the harsh effects of the economic difficulties on the people of the state.
Governor Emmanuel who stated this in his Christmas Day broadcast to the people of the state on Sunday, sued for the spirit of peace and mutual understanding among the people in order to attract God’s favour upon the state.
“In these tough times, let me re-assure you that I will not relent; I will work tirelessly to ensure that our people have the capacity to put food on their tables; that the basic necessities of life are easily available to our people”, he stressed.
Reflecting on the true essence of Christmas celebration which is about love and sacrifice, the Governor admonished; “let us not give in to the negative impulse of anger and animosity. Let us conduct ourselves in ways that appeal to the better side of us and not those that appeal to our base sentiment”.
“I came to this state to serve and to serve my people irrespective of political labels and affiliations. I am not serving you a Governor for PDP people. This message of love therefore, is for the entire state irrespective of political affiliations. I am the Governor of the entire state, made up of all political parties. Let us come together and work to unite our people around a common good and a common cause,” he added.
“I believe the greatest gift we can give to our Lord and Savour Jesus Christ on this wonderful day of His birth is to love and show love to one another. As He belongs to everyone, let us also belong to everyone. Let us use this season to consign to the dustbin of history the last vestiges of tribalism, divisiveness and ancient animosities”, Governor Emmanuel further stressed.
In another development, the commissioner of police in the state, CP Murtala Mani during a press briefing at the command headquarters, Ikot Akpanabia, Uyo, assured the people of the state to go about their normal businesses freely, saying the command has put in place adequate security measures to ensure hitch free Christmas celebration in the state.
The CP Mani who was represented by the command public relations officer (PPRO), ASP Cordelia Nwawe said the surveillance operations have been beefed up; warning that anyone caught violating the laws shall be dealt with accordingly.
Meanwhile, this year’s Christmas celebration in the state is low keyed compared to previous years. The reason is not far from the current economic realities where too much money is chasing too few goods in the market.