OYO—As Nigerians in Oyo State join the rest of the country in celebrating Christmas today, the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in the state, Oluseyi Makinde,   has enjoined the people of the state to continue to make personal sacrifices for the good of others.

In a statement signed by his personal assistant, Akeem Azeez, Makinde said, “as we commemorate the birth of the Prince of Peace, let us all strive to honour Him more by living our lives as He taught; by making personal sacrifices for the good of others, by showing greater love for others, by being fairer and more honest in our dealings with others, by being ever-willing to forgive those who offend us and by always extending goodwill towards others.”

Makinde described the yearly commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ as a most auspicious time for the citizens as individuals and Nigeria as a nation, to rededicate themselves to the virtues and ideals which the Messiah preached and exemplified during his earthly ministry.

He said: “Let us all therefore resolve this Christmas to make the ideals of peace, harmony, tolerance, love and goodwill to all even more manifest in our interactions with others. It remains my sincere belief that no height of human accomplishment is beyond us as a nation, if we can overcome our differences, such as they are, and forge a binding national consensus to put the progress and well-being of the country above all other considerations.”

“By the grace of God as your trusted servant if elected as governor of the state on the platform of SDP, my administration will do all within its powers and abilities to transform Oyo state and make it one of the best state in Nigeria and ensure better life for the people.

“Everybody will have every opportunity and encouragement to make very significant contributions towards forging the required consensus for sustained peace, unity and progress of Oyo State.

“It is also my pledge to urgently resolve contentious issues which under the present administration promote poverty and hinder our progress as a state.

“With God Almighty as our guide, strength and enabler, my administration will implement its agenda for State Transformation in furtherance of my avowed commitment to improving the living conditions of the people.”