Bishop, Diocese of Lagos, Revd. Ifedola Gabriel Okupevi; his wife, Mrs. Modupe; Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Bababjide Sanwo-Olu; his wife, Dr. Ibijoke and Baba Oba of Ifewara, Chief Oladele Fajemirokun during the Christmas Service at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, on Monday, 25 December 2023.

*Bishop urges govt to provide palliatives for citizens

Lagos Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has urged Nigerians to remain hopeful of greater prosperity that would be recorded in the country as the current administration of President Bola Tinubu continues to tackle the myriad challenges facing the nation.

The Governor spoke on Monday during an interview with journalists after attending a Holy Communion Service at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos in celebration of Christmas.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, who was accompanied by the First Lady, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, promised to work for Lagos better and faster in his second term in office so as to accelerate developments across the identified areas in his THEMES+ agenda.

He said:  “We are at a time as a people when things are indeed at various levels of challenges. Our case is like that of a patient who had been diagnosed with an ailment in the hospital and who had also received some medication but he is now in the process of recovering. And during that recovery process, there would still be pain that would be felt.

“The world has gone through a lot and so it is not peculiar to us alone. So, we are at the recovery stage and it will appear as if we still have a bit of pain here and there. But I can assure us that with all the medications that we have taken with all the policies of the current Federal Government’s Renewed Hope agenda, there is light down the tunnel.

“My message to all Lagosians is to remain hopeful. What we are going through is not peculiar to us and I want to assure you that better times are ahead of us.

“In Lagos, we are thankful to God. We are thankful for what God has done for us. We will continue to remain the commercial and economic nerve center of our country. We will continue to attract investments at the highest level into the country. We would continue to be a beacon of social economic transformation in our country. We will continue to remain the most peaceful part of our country.

“Our government is committed to the Federal Government and the Renewed Hope agenda. And more particularly, we are committed to giving hope to the hopeless. Indeed the rising of Lagos is about us and several things will happen as we enter the new year.”

Governor Sanwo-Olu also congratulated President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for celebrating their Christmas in Lagos. “We are happy and I want to congratulate Mr. President and Mr. Vice President for coming to Lagos to celebrate Christmas with us. We do not take it for granted. We want to wish them the very best of Christmas.

“We also want to wish all Lagosians the very best this Christmas. We are coming back to say by this time next year, we will all have better reasons and greater joy in our hearts to celebrate,” Governor Sanwo-Olu assured Lagos residents.

In his sermon, the Bishop of Lagos Diocese, Rt. Revd. Ifedola Okupevi, said the birth of Jesus is about good news that brought civilisation and changed the history of the world.

He commended President Tinubu and Governor Sanwo-Olu for providing leadership at the federal and state levels and urged governments to provide palliatives for the people and reduce poverty in the country.

The Bishop also urged governments to address the issue of exchange rates and work toward reducing the mass exit of Nigerians to foreign countries.

In a related development, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu last night attended the Christmas Eve Dance of the Yoruba Tennis Club and Island Club respectively at the Lagos Island area of the State.

Governor Sanwo-Olu while speaking at the two foremost clubs in Lagos, appreciated members of the clubs and the entire Lagos residents for re-electing him for another four years as well as electing Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as President of Nigeria.

The Governor who spoke passionately about some of the capital projects commissioned by his administration in 2023, among which were the first phase of the Blue Line Rail, Lagos Rice Mill in Imota, Lekki Deep Sea Port, the first phase of the Lekki-Epe Expressway and three bridges in Yaba, Ebute Metta and Ikeja, said he is committed to delivering good governance and dividends of democracy through the THEMES+ agenda for residents of the State.

He also urged Nigerians not to lose hope based on the current challenges in the country, saying the President Bola Tinubu-led administration is committed to turning around the economic fortunate of Nigeria with the Renewed Hope agenda of the Federal Government.