Nigeria Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has assured Nigerians that the two major events of the 2023 election and census will be conducted peacefully across the country.
Newsonline reports that Professor Osinbajo assured citizens that there was no need to fear as measures are being put in place by the Federal government and security agencies to ensure hitch-free exercises during the election and census.
Osinbajo said this on Sunday while speaking at the 2022 Service of Nine Lessons and Carol organized by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) held in Abuja on Sunday.
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Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Osinbajo who spoke on the theme “Your theme of this year’s celebration is ‘Fear Not’, said even though it may seem the country is at crossroads all hope should not be lost.
“This is a very important subject for every one of us even as we approach 2023 which has been described as a year that Nigeria seems to be at a crossroads. We are approaching the year 2023. Yes, we are going to have elections and we are going to have a census exercise.
“All these issues come with a lot of questions, but we have an assurance from our Lord and Saviour. He will not let our hearts be troubled. We should believe in Him and believe in God,” Osinbajo said.
Earlier, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, in his sermon titled, ‘Lay Down Your Fears’, said insecurity in every part of the country and lack of trust in the government by citizens were responsible for fear of the citizens.
Okoh, however, called on Nigerians to put out fear, stating that fear could lead to making irreparable mistakes in electing who becomes president come 2023 election.
Okoh said, “As Nigerians prepare for the general elections in 2023, many people are not sure of the outcome. There are fears that some may resort to violence if the elections do not favour them. It is a period that arsonists have already destroyed election materials in certain places with the mindset to truncate the process of the elections in 2023.
“We are in a precarious time because people who are displaced from their homes due to insecurity are not sure of how to participate in the forth-coming elections.
“These situations are really frightening but how should we respond to these situations in which we find ourselves? Fear could lead to irreparable mistakes. Should we live in fear? No, we should not be afraid even in the face of all these challenges.”
