Avoid large gatherings during Christmas, APC tells Nigerians

The All Progressives Congress Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) has urged Nigerians to adhere to precautionary measures against the spread of the pandemic, Coronavirus, as they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Secretary of the Committee, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, gave the admonition, on Thursday, in a Christmas message issued in Abuja.

While it counselled Nigerians to imbibe “the true essence of Christmas — giving, forgiving, love of God and love of our fellow men, the ruling party further cautioned that the mood of Nigeria and the global community against the backdrop of a thriving scourge should not be treated with levity.

The statement read in part: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) joins Christians and indeed all Nigerians in marking the joyful occasion of Christmas which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.

“As we celebrate with family, friends and loved ones, the APC urges all to imbue the true essence of Christmas — giving, forgiving, love of God and love of our fellow men. We should give a helping hand to those in need and give succour to the vulnerable ones among us.

“As we celebrate, some issues in the polity stands out.

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“Nigeria has recorded nearly 90, 000 COVID-19 infections and about 1,236 related deaths. This shows that the coronavirus remains a real and serious public health threat. In our festivities, we must all stay safe by adhering to official public health directives by avoiding non-essential trips, large gatherings, using facemasks and washing hands regularly to halt the virus spread.

“As every country affected by the economic slowdown caused largely by the severity of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Nigeria is poised to exit the current recession within a short time, as several measures lined up by the Federal Government shows. It is worthy of note that the decline in the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) came after 12 consecutive quarters of positive growth.

“Issues of security is also on the front burner. The APC assures Nigerians that government and our security services will always mobilise all legitimate assets to ensure the safety and security of all Nigerians.

“From the Chibok, Dapchi to Kankara students abductions and other recorded security incidents in the country, the President Muhammadu Buhari government has never lacked the capacity and clear intent to check and contain such incidence when they arise.

“While the capacity and valiant efforts of our armed forces and other security services is not in doubt and greatly appreciated, they must do much more to further degrade the ability of terrorists and other criminal elements to perpetrate their evil attacks on soft targets across the country.

“The APC wishes all Nigerians a Merry Christmas.”

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Avoid large gatherings during Christmas, APC tells Nigerians