PROFESSOR STEVE UGBAH FELICITATES WITH CHRISTIANS WORLDWIDE ON THE GLORIOUS OCCASION OF THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ON EASTER SUNDAY 2022
Professor Steve Ugbah
Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Russian Federation (with concurrent Accreditation to the Republic of Belarus)
My family and I join the billions of Christians worldwide to celebrate Easter Sunday. The 2022 Easter Celebration is a time of sober reflection for all of us, individually, and collectively.
As Christians, we are all reminded of the tortuous journey of faith that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, undertook, on our behalf. We are also reminded that His resurrection formed the foundation of Christianity, which we have all faithfully followed, and are celebrating this Easter Sunday.
That Jesus Christ carried the cross, wore a crown of thorns, was beaten mercilessly, and finally nailed to the cross, are causes for sober reflection on the essence of humanity. What is our manifest objective on this earth? What gives us humans the right to claim entitlements and act towards others with impunity? Why do we continue to promote man’s inhumanity to man by treating other human beings as mere objects to be pawned in our senseless quest for control or victory?
As a country, Nigeria, whether we are Christian or non-Christian, our aspirations and challenges are similar. We are constantly striving for the elusive better quality of life for ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities. Is it possible to achieve such as state, given the existential threats to our personal and collective development? The answer is PERHAPS! We can only set ourselves on the path to personal and collective development if we follow Christ’s footpaths of selflessness, humility, and ultimate sacrifice.
Easter Celebration, therefore, represents triumph over death, hopelessness, impunity, fear, selfishness, and lack of empathy for fellow human beings, among other vices. It represents hope that, in spite of the apparent insurmountable challenges to our personal and collective development, with a little dose of selflessness, humility, and sacrifice, we can overcome the existential threats to our individual and collective development, anchored on values of fear of God and respect for humanity. Every life matters!
Therefore, as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us all place the fear of God, family, peace, neighborliness, love, empathy, selflessness, love of country, among several other values, at the forefront of our life endeavors.
May the Peace of the Lord be with all of us as we celebrate Easter 2022!
