President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has congratulated Nigerian workers on the occasion of the 2014 Workers Day Celebration.
Pastor Oritsejafor, in a statement said even though the present situation in the country may not be one that brings much joy to the mind of the Nigerian workers, he however urged them not to despair but to have faith in their beloved country and continue to work hard for peace, unity and development.
The statement reads, “My message on this occasion is one of hope, unity, understanding and support for our great country, Nigeria. We do not have another country of our own, Nigeria is all we have got and we must rise to defend it.
“Our society is confronted with myriad of problems ranging from social, economic, religious and political issues that require the commitment and prayers of all citizens. The challenges are numerous but not insurmountable, we may face difficulties today but I can assure you that God is on the throne.
“On the occasion of this year’s May Day celebrations, I felicitate with all Nigerian workers, in the public service and private enterprises, we all share in that common dream of building our nation through our various callings.
“In times like we are in today, Christians, Muslims and others must not relent to pray to God for his intervention in our country and also to thank him for his blessings in our country. This is what our nation requires at this moment.
“I appeal to our teeming workers from Sokoto to Lagos, Kano to Calabar, Jos to Enugu and particularly those in the FCT, to put behind the recent bomb explosion in Nyanya that claimed the lives of some Nigerian workers.
“My prayer is for God to continue to console the families of the deceased and to grant speedy recovery to those still in the hospitals. I want all workers across the country to dedicate this year’s celebration to the memory of the dead and for the speedy recovery of the injured.
“CAN, on its part will continue to identify with the Nigerian worker regardless of his or her social, religious or political status and will continue to support them through their unions and associations. This prompted recent donation of a token sum of N500, 000 to the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), for its members recuperating from the Nyanya bomb explosion.
“I once again use this occasion to call on Nigerians to support the security agencies in the fight against insurgency in the country; our security operatives need our cooperation to defeat terror in our land. I appeal again that we should not engage in actions that will dampen the morale of our troops in the battle field.
“I also call on the Federal Government to evaluate the present military operation with a view to defeating the insurgents in record time. We also call o government to be careful in its recruitments into the services to avoid infiltration by the insurgents.
“We will continue to appeal to government, especially the security agencies to work together and share intelligence. In know they are trying, I am not one of those that will condemn security agencies because if they have not been doing anything, it would have been worse than what we are seeing today. But they should be able to share intelligence and be able to find those among them that are sabotaging their efforts. There are people within the security agencies that sympathize with this madness.
“As they discover them, they should be exposed and dismissed from the service. It is very important that such will still happen.
“I once again congratulate all Nigerian workers and urge them to remain security conscious in their homes, communities and places of work and extend their support to government to end the reign of terror in our land”.
