₦airaland Forum

STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU ON THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE 2025 LENTEN SEASON

As the Lenten Season commences, I extend heartfelt wishes to all Christians in Nigeria and worldwide who partake in this sacred time.

Beginning on Ash Wednesday, the 40-day period is a time of fasting, prayer, and repentance, preparing believers for the joyous celebration of Easter.

During Lent, Christians engage in earnest prayer, self-denial, almsgiving, and deep spiritual reflection. It is a solemn reminder of life's transient nature, echoed in the Holy Scriptures: "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground since from it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:19)

This year's Lent, a time of devotion and reflection for Christians, coincides with the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims, a season that similarly emphasises devotion, sacrifice, and acts of kindness. This convergence of religious observances is a testament to the unity in diversity that characterises our nation.

Beyond fasting and prayer, I urge all Nigerians to embrace the love of Jesus Christ by showing compassion and empathy to those around us.

Let us extend a helping hand to those in need, comfort the grieving, visit the sick, and uplift the marginalised. The Scriptures remind us that our love for one another is a true testament of worship.

Let this season deepen our commitment to selflessness and service as we strive to build a nation where empathy and generosity shape our daily interactions.

This period of reflection coincides with encouraging progress in our nation. We ended 2024 positively, as our economy showed strong growth in the last quarter compared to the same period in 2023. Food prices are declining, the exchange rate is stabilising, fuel prices are dropping, and our internal security is strengthening. Our security and law enforcement agencies are making commendable strides. This progress fills us with steadfast hope and optimism for the future.

As we journey through this season with penitence and steadfast devotion to God Almighty, may His kindness bring healing to the sick, prosperity to our people, and peace to our nation.

May we experience God's goodness in a profound way this Lenten season. May He renew our hearts, strengthen our faith, and guide us on righteousness.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR
President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
March 6, 2025

As the Christian community around the world celebrates Ash Wednesday today, marking the beginning of the Lenten Season, a period of fasting, prayers and almsgiving, I wish all Christians in Nigeria a fruitful Lenten season.

This is a season of sober reflection on our journey as a nation in the light of our present challenges and our future opportunities.

It is also a season of personal sacrifices, not just for spiritual upliftment, but for national growth and development.

May we continue to show love to one another irrespective of tribe or religious background according to the Holy teachings.

May we also continue to support one another through these challenging times while praying for God's intervention in our nation.

I wish us all a fruitful Lenten season filled with blessings as we all continue to work towards the new and better nation we all deserve.

A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO

Today, during the Holy Mass at the Government House Chapel, Enugu, we reflected on the significance of Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season, a time of forgiveness, penitence, charity, empathy, and sacrifice.

As Christians, this 40-day journey is a call to spiritual renewal, a moment to forgive, love, and extend kindness to one another. This year’s Lent holds even greater significance as it coincides with Ramadan, another sacred period of fasting and devotion for our Muslim brothers and sisters. It is a profound reminder of our shared values and a call to unity and peace in our country.

Lent is not just about abstinence but also about deepening our faith through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. As Rev. Fr. Anthony Udeh reminded us in his homily, it is a season for purification and reconnecting with God, an opportunity to show love to those around us.

I urge Ndi Enugu and Nigerians at large to embrace these values not just for this season but as a way of life. Let us make sacrifice, moderation, and empathy part of our daily interactions, ensuring that the spirit of Lent continues beyond these 40 days.

At today’s mass, we also prayed for our state and nation, trusting that God will continue to guide us towards peace, progress, and prosperity.

On this Ash Wednesday, we are reminded of the profound symbolism of the ashes we receive - a sacred sign of our mortality, humility, and the constant call to repentance and renewal.

As we embark on this Lenten journey, I call on all Catholic faithful in Imo State, Nigeria, and the world over to embrace the virtues of charity, compassion, forgiveness, humility, and selflessness.

These virtues are not only essential for our spiritual growth but are also crucial for sustaining peaceful cohabitation in our society, thereby fostering an atmosphere where development and progress can thrive.

Let us also raise our hearts in fervent prayer to God, seeking His grace and mercy, so that this Lent becomes a season of true transformation for ourselves, our communities, and the world.

- Hope Uzodimma

The President and First Lady's Message on Ash Wednesday, 2025:

This Ash Wednesday, we join in prayer with the tens of millions of American Catholics and other Christians beginning the holy season of Lent — a time of spiritual anticipation of the passion, death, and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

During the Lenten season, Christians spend 40 days and 40 nights praying, fasting, and giving alms to deepen our faith and strengthen our belief in the Gospel. Today, followers of Christ wear crosses of ash on their foreheads— a sacred reminder of our mortality and our enduring need for Christ's infinite mercy and redeeming love.

As we solemnly contemplate Jesus Christ's suffering and death on the cross this Lent, let us prepare our souls for the coming glory of the Easter miracle.

We offer you our best wishes for a prayerful and enriching Lenten season. May Almighty God bless you, and may He continue to bless the United States of America.

SultanOfPuna:
Normally Catholic na the Grand Father of all these small small pentecostal business centers...

Lent season is a time of reflection
A time of solemn somber lifestyle
Humility, giving to the poor.

These are the things Catholics are taught to practice and live by..
Not to be shouting fire fire and speaking gibberish and say you dey speak in tongues.

naptu2:
Daddy D.O.🇳🇬 @DOlusegun



https://x.com/DOlusegun/status/1897660454442291679?t=N1xKnLr8dX2hwpmBBvNEDw&s=19[/quote]Politics in everything in this country. Ebi pawa