The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most. Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, has urged Nigerians to express gratitude to God for the year 2024 in spite of challenges.
The cleric also urged governments, individuals and groups to apply lessons from 2024 to make 2025 better, urging them to have hope.
He gave the charge on Tuesday in a message to welcome 2025.
The message was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
The message was signed by the Director of Public Communications of the archdiocese, Rev. Fr. Anthony Godonu.
Martins said that there were many reasons Nigeria should thank God for 2024, noting that economic and other challenges affected many Nigerians but they survived.
“We cannot afford to close the door of hope and trust in God.
“We cannot but demand that government at all levels should do better in 2025 to stem the high rate of poverty in the country and improve the quality of lives of the citizens,
“A move toward qualitative, rather than palliative empowerment of Nigerians through creating opportunities for skills acquisitions, provision of gainful employment and soft loan opportunities for small and medium scale industries to thrive, has become necessary because of the potential long-lasting positive impacts on the nation’s economy.
” While regretting that a lot of Nigerians are finding it difficult to cope with meeting basic needs, the onerous task of improving on the quality of lives of Nigerians through deliberate empowerment policies should also be the concern of the organised private sector.
That is why a better enabling environment for businesses to thrive must be continually explored by government so that Nigerians will be better served,” he said.
Martins thanked God for keeping Nigeria in unity, saying that 2025 would be another opportunity for all Nigerians to reflect on the country’s journey so far and determine how to make it better.
“As we enter the new year, we must take time, as individuals and as a people, to reflect sincerely and honestly on our successes and failures in the past year so that we can work out ways of making 2025 a more fruitful year for all and sundry.
“Judging from the recent tragic events that marred the good intentions of some individuals and groups to provide palliatives for vulnerable Nigerians, we need to rethink our strategies for helping the poor and the most vulnerable among us.
” I believe it is time that government at all levels, the private sector, non-governmental organisations and other relevant agencies should begin to explore more ingenious ways of empowering less privileged Nigerians through skill upgrades and greater opportunities to be gainfully employed, so that they provide for their families with dignity. (NAN)
