Akwa Ibom governor Udom Emmanuel has called on the political class and stakeholders to conduct themselves during this period of transition with utmost decency and circumspection. 

Mr Emmanuel said this in his Christmas message broadcast to Akwa Ibom people on Sunday in Uyo to mark the 2022 Christmas season.

“Leadership demands of us a certain display of wisdom and tact. Leaders should not burn down the homes they had built, should not ignite violence through the words of their mouth.

“Leaders don’t engage in peddling falsehood and misinformation, nor do they deploy violence as a means of getting elected into political offices.

“Leaders do not attack and insult the very institution and the symbol they aspire to represent. Leaders should and must understand that the cords of our unity of brotherhood and of our common patrimony remain enduring and rock-solid, and that political foes you know today may be your allies tomorrow,” Mr Emmanuel said.

Mr Emmanuel also urged Nigerians to remain hopeful as the world celebrates the season of inspiration and hope during the period of Christmas.

He said that the birth and teaching of Christ have given generations of believers faith and direction and brought to the world love and kindness.

“This humble beginning of the greatest mission of salvation, love, and healing makes every Christmas a season of hope for those who are down; a season of inspiration for those who are confused and a season of love for those who feel rejected.

“If his birth gave us hope, his life and luminous teachings have given generations of believers faith and direction and bathed the world with the comforting knowledge of God’s unconditional love, tender-mercies, amazing grace and loving kindness.

“Today, we join the world in giving thanks for the Birth of His only Son, the Centre point of human history,” Mr Emmanuel said.

The governor thanked resourceful people in the state, who made governance easier for him since he took the mantle of leadership in 2015.

He said that the state has remained one of the most peaceful states in the country, attributing the peace experienced to the glory of God Almighty and the security agencies operating in the state.

He urged the people to continue to maintain the peace and make the state safe as this has attracted investors and visitors.

The governor, who reminded Akwa Ibom people that this is his last Christmas message to them, appealed to the people to extend the loyalty and support given to him to the next governor, who will emerge on May 29, 2023.

Mr Emmanuel said in spite of the challenges of battling with two recessions, falling oil prices and COVID-19 pandemic, the state under his watch has performed creditably well.

“To the glory of the Almighty God, we still remain one of the safest States in the nation, where residents live in peace and harmony; where our people can travel from Uyo to Ikot Ekpene, from Ikot Ekpene to Ibeno, from Ibeno to Ini at any given hour.

“Fellow Akwaibomites, you will recall that we came with a Christian heart and mind to lead you  with love and tolerance, with humility and abiding faith in our capacity to rise to the faith of our greatness.

“We came to change the tone and tenor of our engagements and to show that power and all the paraphernalia that come with it, belong to God and not man. We came, not to blow our trumpet, but to let the works of our hands speak for us.

“Today, I can raise my hands and say to the Almighty God, ‘thank you for what you have done for us.’ Today, in aviation industry, Akwa Ibom State leads the nation with Ibom Air,” he said.

The governor urged the people to protect the achievements, leverage on them and  continue the building blocks rather than destroy them. 

(NAN)