Governor Hope Uzodinma Speaks to Imo People on the Easter Celebration
“As part of our determined effort to alleviate the hardships our people are forced into because of this virus, by the end of today, every single community in the state, would have taken delivery of foodstuffs such as rice, yam, indomie, tomatoes, groundnut oil e.t.c. It is my sincere hope that these deliveries will help to make the Easter merrier for our people.”
Read the full broadcast:
BROADCAST TO THE PEOPLE OF IMO STATE ON THE OCCASION OF EASTER CELEBRATION BY THE GOVERNOR DIST. SEN. HOPE UZODINMA ON
SATURDAY APRIL 11, 2020.
My good people of Imo State, I salute you from the bottom of my heart on this occasion of Easter celebration. I thank God Almighty for having such warm and understanding people like you, as my own people. Without your commitment, total support and prayers, I cannot succeed in my duties.
It is gratifying that in the few months I have been in office as your governor, you have given your unalloyed support and love to my administration. These gestures are indeed heartwarming and I sincerely appreciate you for that.
Easter is here again, a season Christians worldwide celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is an annual season of inestimable joy because by dying on the cross Christ shed his blood as a seal of Divine assurance of our redemption. And by his resurrection he secured for us life everlasting. So we should rejoice and be glad at Easter.
Yet this year’s celebration has come at a troubling time of global and national emergency because of the threat of COVID 19. It has come at a time when our citizens are compelled to make painful sacrifices to preserve their health and wellbeing and that of their children. I know that most Christians are at a loss what to do with this year’s Easter celebration. Are we to mourn and lament because of our present COVID 19 induced hardships? Or are we to rejoice and be glad that Christ who died to save us from sin has risen to give us the key to eternal life?
But I tell you sincerely that you will do well to savour the joy of Easter for Christ is risen indeed and his resurrection is the assurance we need that after the tribulation come the shouts of joy and Alleluia. Yes, our faith as Christians assures us through Christ that after the rain comes sunshine.
As your governor, I am most conversant with the current tribulations of our people whose lives have been brought to a standstill by the sorry incidence of this global pandemic. The corona virus threatens the world at large and has no doubt made tragic inroads into our dear country.
There are good lessons we can learn from the 1918 Spanish influenza, otherwise known as the Spanish flu. Like coronavirus it hit the whole world suddenly and spread like wild fire. it killed about 50 Million people all over the world. Again like coronavirus there was no cure. The only remedy to the virus was isolation, quarantine, good personal hygiene, use of disinfectants and ban on Public gatherings. Today, over 100 years after, the world is faced with a similar threat from a similar virus. Again without any cure nations and leaders are resorting to the same remedies, Isolation, Good Personal Hygiene, use of Disinfectants, Ban on Public Gatherings e.t.c. This historical experience invites us to take these preventive and control measures against COVID 19 most seriously.
The truth is that the hard and painful decisions we have taken to prevent and contain the incursion of the virus into Imo State were forced on us purely by circumstances beyond our control. Moreover these measures have been applied with good results, by other countries that have suffered the scourge of the corona virus.
I appeal to you once again to cooperate with government’s efforts to prevent the virus from coming into our state and to contain it if unfortunately it makes its way through. I therefore call on all true lovers of Imo State and her people, to shun partisan politics and join hands to protect the lives of our people. As painful as these measures are we must bear them as the necessary sacrifices we must make to stay alive and healthy. NDUBUISI, life is the most important of all things, as our people say. This saying should constantly remind us that no sacrifice is too much to make to preserve life.
Thank God Almighty, there is no report yet of any single case of corona infection in our dear Imo State. This is very good reason to give thanks and praises to the Most High especially as we celebrate the Risen Christ, by whose suffering and death, we have the assurance of everlasting life.
Our joy and celebration of Easter, the foundation of our Christian faith, must not be encumbered by the present hardships. Whatever we know today about limiting the spread of the corona virus is a mighty gift from our Lord. We must keep the faith by maintaining the same standards of hygiene and vigilance that has kept our state corona virus free till now.
Let us continue to wash our hands regularly in running water as I have continuously advised. Avoid crowds, keep a safe distance from other people, sanitize your hands regularly, and refrain from shaking the hands of others.
Moreover, we must never stop, from thanking the Almighty God for his mighty and continuing benevolence to the good people of Imo State. Yes our vigilance and the unrelenting efforts of government has so far helped to keep Coronavirus away from our people but we must give God the glory for the success so far.
As a Christian, I feel pained that I will not be able to celebrate Easter Church Service in a congregation. But I also understand that it is a sacrifice I must make to prevent Covid 19 from having a veritable space to strike in our state. Let us all bear this painful sacrifice together and observe the Easter service either online or through the relevant electronic medium that applies to your denomination or through the Halleluiah Channel just opened by DSTV, in support of the global fight against COVID 19. In doing so, we must be confident that God who hears our prayers in secret will also accept our service through these dedicated channels. We should equally use the opportunity to pray fervently to God for an end to the coronavirus pandemic.
As part of our determined effort to alleviate the hardships our people are forced into because of this virus, by the end of today, every single community in the state, would have taken delivery of foodstuffs such as rice, yam, indomie, tomatoes, groundnut oil e.t.c. It is my sincere hope that these deliveries will help to make the Easter merrier for our people.
Let us emulate Christ and bear our present COVID 19 hardships with the uncommon patience and perseverance with which Christ bore his passion and tribulations before his crucifixation. As we do, and putting all our trust in God, as Christ did, let us be confident that we shall triumph over Coronavirus as Christ triumphed over death.
My beloved people of Imo state do not be afraid. Be firm. Be vigilant. Be safety conscious. Be confident, but above all trust God. We shall overcome COVID 19 to the glory of God.
I wish us all, a happy and very reflective Easter celebration.
Thank you all and God bless
Sen. Hope Uzodimma
Governor, Imo state
Owerri, Saturday April 11, 2020