By FELICIA ERIMMA, Abuja –
As Christian faithful in Nigeria join the rest of the world in celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Minister of State, Mines & Steel Development, Dr. Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah, has prayed for God’s intervention in ending the Coronavirus pandemic, which has continued to ravage countries across the globe.
In a goodwill message he sent out on Saturday, Dr. Ogah also felicitated with and the people of Abia state and Nigerians in general, asking them to remain resolute and prayerful as they celebrate the Easter.
He prayed for God use His powers to help Nigeria overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, which has so far infected over one million persons and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives across the globe.
In Nigeria, the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 rose to over 300, with close to 10 deaths, as at Saturday night.
In the message on Saturday, the Minister reminded Abians and Nigerians in general that Easter was “a time of thanksgiving to God for not sparing His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins,” just as the period also afforded Christian faithful an opportunity to “reflect on the benefits of the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.”
“The Bible chronicles that, among other things, the death of Christ on the cross redeemed mankind from sin: tale of unmatched love of God for us and gateway to eternal life. At Easter, therefore, our common victory song is triumph of eternal life over death,” the Minister said.
Dr. Ogah enjoined all Christian faithful continue to sing victory songs “because Christ has conquered for us which makes us beneficiaries of His Love, Mercy and Grace.”
He observed that the global crisis caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic might have attenuated our songs of gladness, disrupted and dislocated humanity, exacerbated inconveniences and hardship and engendered a moment of fear and despair as well.
Notwithstanding, the Minister encouraged all Nigerians to be “resolute in faith, ceaseless in courage and boundless in love for God and humanity,” assuring that the challenges of this present time “cannot prevail over the gains of the resurrection of Christ and of His love for us.”
Dr. Ogah said he was “evermore convinced that, according to Romans 8: 35, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.”