Hours after he sent his traditional Christmas message to Nigerians, President Goodluck Jonathan this morning sent out another one – this time to his over a million followers on Facebook. The message dwelt mainly on what his administration has done to ensure that Nigerians have an enjoyable and hitch-free Yuletide. It goes as follows:

“As the world marks the birth of Jesus Christ, let me, on behalf of myself, my family and the Federal Government, extend the good tidings of peace, progress and joy to every home throughout our beloved country Nigeria.

“Christmas is a time of joyous family gatherings and as President, I see every Nigerian as a member of my family and I urge us all to retain the unique sense of brotherly love that this season evokes beyond the Yuletide period.

“While we will surely mark this holiday in our different ways and according to our established traditions, it is my desire that we all celebrate Christmas with some minimum comforts and my team and I have long prepared for this by working to improve our infrastructure especially those that most serve us during this season.

“Knowing that this period is the peak period for cross country travels amongst our people, this administration has fast tracked the repair and reconstruction of artery roads nationwide. We have also ensured that the nightmare our citizens suffered at fuel stations during periods like this is put behind us. For the second year in a row, train services have continued to run from the Lagos Terminus all the way to the hinterlands of the North. This year, we also introduced cargo and haulage train services from the Lagos Port to up country locations.

“With the Enugu airport now handling international flights, more of our people can fly directly to their localities resulting in reduced pressure on our roads.

“Our policies to spur local production of staples such as rice and wheat are bearing fruits as evidenced by the 2013 Global Hunger Index.

“Although I will not depend on statistics until every Nigerian has enough to eat at all times and in every season, the report is salutary and only galvanizes us to further action.

“I have also personally monitored government's fiscal effort which we ensured were tightened for the purpose of avoiding or severely reducing the seasonal inflationary trends on consumer goods around this time of the year with the attendant result that inflation is at single digit rate.

“These steps have been undertaken because of my belief that every good and great thing is possible in our country if we desire to achieve it.

“So, as we all celebrate with friends and family, I say from me to you, Merry Christmas and may the joys of the season extend from our individual homes to those of our neighbors and neighboring communities irrespective of religion and region. GEJ”

•Photo shows President Jonathan.

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