Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri has awarded a scholarship to a three-year-old girl, Zoe Ebimie-Eleke, following her excellent performance at the state’s Christmas Carol of Nine Lessons held over the weekend.
The event that was held at the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre in Yenagoa featured little Zoe, who did an impressive rendition of the “A to Z of Jesus Christ.”
Governor Diri, who was impressed by the rendition of the young girl commended her parents for the values instilled in the toddler.
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He said, “To see that very little girl of three years do, what she came to exhibit is quite awesome. And henceforth, she would be under the scholarship of the state government.
“I keep making reference to the kind of values we instil in our children. Of course, her parents are imparting good values in this girl and she came to entertain us and to worship God. But this ought to encourage us as parents to live up to our responsibilities.
“Bayelsa would be better if we hand over to a generation that is better than our own. Let our children not leave this land and refuse to come back home. They can only return if we make it better for the,” he said
In a short exhortation during the Christmas carol, the state pastor of the Church of God Mission, Bishop Bob-Manuel Emmanuel, stressed that one can only find fulfilment in Christ no matter the level attained in society.
Bishop Emmanuel stated that there could be ups and downs but Jesus brought light for all men to be saved from darkness.
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In a related development, a Muslim group, popularly called the Shiites, on Sunday, attended a Christmas church service at one of the largest denominations in Zaria, Kaduna State, as a sign of love and efforts to strengthen religious tolerance.
The prayer session was held at the Church of Brethren in Nigeria (Ekkelisiyar `Yan Uwa Ta Nigeria (EYN), Samaru, Sabon Gari, Zaria, Kaduna State.
The group also presented a gift to the church to further stem love to boost religious tolerance between the two faiths.
Speaking to newsmen after the service, the Leader of the team, Prof. Isah Mshelgaru, said the essence of attending the service was to rejoice with Christians on the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
He added that the visit was to rekindle and cement the existing relationship between the two faiths.
“Islam says if someone is not your brother in faith, he is your brother in humanity and we share this humanity with everybody, either Muslim, Christian or whatever,’’ he said.
“We decided to attend this church service today because today is Christmas Day, a day that the birth of Jesus Christ is being celebrated over the globe and we feel that we also have our concern to share with them the feelings of the day Jesus was born.
“The coming of Jesus to this world is a blessing to everybody, so we wish that we should come and celebrate this glorious day with them,” he said.
Mshelgaru said that as Muslims they considered Christians as their fellow brothers and sisters in humanity, stressing that they are at the church service to join them in celebrating and sharing the joy of this day with them.
“As they (Christians) attach importance to this day so also we attach so much importance to the day and that is why we came today to clear all the unnecessary imaginary boundaries that have been created between Muslims and Christians.
“This is important now that the country is facing multiple security challenges that require all hands to be on deck in order to overcome them,” he noted.
In his message to other Nigerians, Mshelgaru advised Nigerians to come together irrespective of religious, tribal or political divide to save the nation.
Similarly, Rev. Tijjani Chindo, the Resident Pastor, EYN Church, Samaru, Zaria, noted that the church received the Muslims with joy and appealed for the replication of the gesture across the country.
He added that the purpose of the coming of Jesus Christ was to salvage humanity (without segregation) from the bondage of sin.
“We are all one, as the Lord has told us to love one another and extend the good tidings of salvation which Christ has brought to the world.
“He (Christ) has come in a humble way; we are celebrating his coming in a humble way, we are not differentiating ourselves from Muslims. Today we are celebrating the good news that the Lord has come,’’ he said.
Chindo also advised Nigerians to be more prayerful and seek God’s direction as the 2023 general election approaches.
He added that eligible voters should elect leaders peacefully and elect leaders who have the wherewithal to salvage the nation from the socio-economic challenges bedevilling some parts of Nigeria.
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