Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum has distributed essential food items to widows and vulnerable members of the Christian community to mark the Christmas celebrations.
Over 6,000 people are to benefit from the gesture, including 1,605 Internally Displaced Persons who will each received a bag of rice, one carton of spaghetti, and one gallon of cooking oil.
Since 2019 when it was inaugurated, the Zulum administration has approved the provision of Christmas support packages to the Christian community across the state each year, including free transport for Christian residents who are not indigenes of the state to travel to their ancestral communities.
The gesture aims to ease the economic burden and ensure that the less privileged can celebrate the Christmas holiday with joy and dignity.
Overseeing the distribution on Monday, Zulum emphasised the importance of peace, unity, and shared prosperity among all citizens of the state, irrespective of religious or ethnic differences.
The governor said: ‘It is my sincere hope that the long-standing relationship between the Muslims and Christians in the Borno State will continue to reign. I pray that Almighty Allah, in his infinite mercy, bless our communities and ensure that there is peaceful coexistence between the two religions.
‘Islamic teachings have clearly stated that Muslims require simple co-existence with non-Muslims, that is, the preaching of the Quran, and I believe the same is obtained in the Bible’.
The Chairman of the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Most Rev. John Bogna Bakeni, who received the governor, expressed profound gratitude for his sustained empathy and support.
‘Let me convey our deep gratitude to Your Excellency. This means a lot to us, the Christian community in Borno State. You have again demonstrated your values and qualities of inclusion; you have given reason and hope to the Christian community to celebrate Christmas’, he said.
