A frontline national chairmanship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, Malam Saliu Mustapha, has called on security agencies to be alive to their responsibilities during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
The top chairmanship contender made the call in a statement by his media aide, Dapo Okubanjo, on Friday in Abuja.
The statement was to felicitate with Nigerians, especially Christians, as they celebrate Christmas and the New Year.
Mustapha, the Turaki of Ilorin, said this was critical to ensuring peaceful celebrations across the country.
He called on Christian faithful to see the season as a time to be more dedicated to God and to pray for peace and unity of the country and its leadership.
He said: “I particularly urge Christians, in particular, and Nigerians in general to use the period to rededicate themselves to God as well as pray and work for peace and unity.
“Since it is also a time of love, it is my wish that more of our people consider extending a hand of generosity and fellowship to one another, especially the less privileged ones amongst us.
“Coming at a time the world is witnessing the fourth phase of the coronavirus pandemic, it is my hope that more Nigerians continue to abide by Covid-19 protocols.”
This, Mustapha said, was important as Nigeria recently recorded 4,035 COVID-19 cases in one day.
He advised Nigerians not to hesitate to wear their nose masks and to stick to non-pharmaceutical measures in public places, such as markets, recreational centres and churches.
Mustapha also used the opportunity to solicit prayers and support for President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration.
He said: “We should not also forget to pray for the administration as it goes about the duty of repositioning the country after 16 years of misrule by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“While it is true that we have challenges of insecurity in some parts of the country, we should not lose sight of the fact that the President Buhari-led government is not sitting idly.
“It has only recently approved a 20 per cent increase in the wages of police personnel aside from ensuring that the Nigerian military are highly motivated with some of the most modern hardware in Africa.”