Christmas: Oshiomhole calls for vigilance

The Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has urged the people of the state and other Nigerians to remain security conscious, as they celebrate Christmas and prepare for the opportunities of the new year.

Governor Oshiomhole, in a message on Tuesday, said the state government had updated payment of workers’ salaries, at a time when many opposition states were unable to pay salaries in arrears of three to four months.


‎Oshiomhole admonished Nigerians to rise above ethnicity, religious preference and clannish inclinations, used by unpatriotic persons to exploit and divide the masses.

He also urged them not to forget that poverty and bad governance are not defined by religion or ethnicity but by inefficient leadership.

“Despite the economic hardship and lean resources accruing to the state from the federation account, the good news is that the state government has paid all workers in the state civil service, including the teachers, their salaries for December, 2014, to enable them enjoy the yuletide with their loved ones.

“This is in contrast to what obtains in many states of the federation, especially the PDP–controlled states, where workers are being owed salaries in arrears of three, four months and even, in some cases, up to eight months.‎”

On the next year’s general elections, the All Progressives Congress governor described 2015 as a year which presented Nigerians with unique opportunities “to vote out bad leadership that have been a clog in the wheel of progress.‎”

He said, “As we approach the General elections holding in February, next year, less than two months away, Nigerians have another opportunity to elect credible leaders who will rise above the present empty rhetoric of the PDP government to confront the challenges facing the nation.

“Even as they admonish the masses to tighten their belts, the few rich ones display nauseating ostentatious affluence in the midst of grinding poverty staring Nigerians in the face.

“While wishing the people of Edo State a Merry Christmas and a bountiful New Year, we urge them to continue to support the state Government in its drive and determination to move the state to the next level.”