Governor Yahaya Bello charges Kogites to imbibe the spirit of sacrifice at Easter

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.