Time for sober reflection at Christmas

Christendom is aglow with merriment today in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ more than 2,000 years ago. He was born at a time when ignorance, superstition, greed, hatred and hypocrisy prevailed in the land. Purity was forgotten and morality was neglected. Yet though He lived for only 33 years, Christ made a profound […]

Christendom is aglow with merriment today in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ more than 2,000 years ago. He was born at a time when ignorance, superstition, greed, hatred and hypocrisy prevailed in the land. Purity was forgotten and morality was neglected. Yet though He lived for only 33 years, Christ made a profound impact on humanity, giving a new and spiritual turn to the lives of many. His message of love, mercy, compassion, truth, justice and freedom has inspired some of the most progressive individuals and movements in history.
Globally, Christmas is associated with a festive spirit, reunions and the celebration of family and friendship with the exchange of greetings, visits and presents. It is the time when many are inspired to extend the hand of fellowship and solidarity in charity and thanksgiving to all and sundry.  But for many Nigerians there is little to cheer about this year’s Christmas. Apart from the insecurity and the harsh economic realities, there is the lingering petrol scarcity to mar the Christmas season. Thousands of people are unable to travel and celebrate with their loved ones.
The state of our roads, the erratic power supply nationwide as well as the inability of many state governments to pay workers’ salaries even when we are daily assailed with news of the trillions of naira looted by a few individuals in the last five years in a country where the majority is struggling to eke out a paltry living and then the picture of diminished expectations of a merry Christmas becomes more glaring.  However, there is much more significance about the Christian festival than wining, dinning and presents. There is a much deeper and more important reason for the hilarious joyful mood than simply having fun. Nigerians should use the insight, wisdom and experience of Christmas as a balm for the wounds in our homes, nation and the world.
The life of Jesus Christ teaches us the need to give and to show love. The solution to most of our problems in this sin infested world can be summed in one word – Love. If a public official is in love with God, the masses and the nation, he will not engage in the mind-boggling theft that is being gradually revealed in the ‘Dasukigate’ saga. If we loved our neighbours as we love ourselves, there would not have been the kind of mayhem and bloodletting the Boko Haram sect has unleashed in the country in the past six years.
Therefore, this should not be a period for roaring merriment, but also a time for reflection and mediation. Christmas calls for the evaluation of the outgoing year. Why is Nigeria still in the woods more than 50 years after independence? How can we develop and progress as one indivisible nation and truly be the giant of Africa? This period offers us a good opportunity to meditate on these pertinent issues. It is clear to all discerning minds that unless Nigerians, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, political persuasion,  social and economic status resolve to act in one accord, the country will remain a giant with clay feet.    
As we join Christians in paying tribute to Jesus Christ, the founder of their faith, we urge our leaders to use this special occasion to imbibe the values and virtues He taught the world. Christians in Nigeria and the world are also enjoined to follow the footsteps of the Prince of Peace, who was born in a manger, and chose to come to this sinful world through the household of a carpenter, and was rejected by His people, the Jews, but ended up saving humanity by making the supreme sacrifice. Christians in Nigeria and elsewhere should also embrace Christ’s message of love and righteousness that exalts a nation and encourage all citizens to be humble in serving the nation and humanity as we prepare for the challenges of 2016 which federal government officials have hinted is going to be an even tougher. Happy Christmas!