Magufuli warns of hunger in Good Friday message
Dar es Salaam. President John Magufuli said on Friday, April 10 this year, that the ravaging coronavirus pandemic code-named ‘Covid-19’ is likely to result in food shortages across the country. In the event, the Head of State urged Tanzanians to work hard wherever they are to bring succor to the country in the light of the associated challenges.
Dr Magufuli said this as he joined this fellow Christians for the Good Friday Mass held at the Mlimani Parish Church in his home district of Chato.
He noted that the government he leads has not imposed any lockdown, nor has it closed its borders - bearing in mind the adverse impact that is likely to be caused by such restrictions. The president said all this in a statement issued by the Directorate of Presidential Communications.
Closing the country’s borders, he said, would create untold problems for the eight mostly landlocked countries that depend on Dar es Salaam port and the central transport corridor for their trade and livelihood.
In his message delivered in church, President Magufuli said that through Christ’s crucifixion, God will save humanity from the disasters happening around the world, including the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Until April 10, three Tanzanians had been confirmed dead after contracting the coronavirus, while 32 others had been infected, said the ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children. Five people had recovered from the malady.
“Because of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, the world is likely to be adversely impacted. There is the possibility that we could get food shortages as a result,” he said.
In that regard, he implored Tanzanians the statehouse statement to “continue working hard to produce enough food, as you also take precautions against the disease as advised by healthcare experts.”
Elsewhere in Tanzania, bishops delivered messages of hope on Good Friday. A St Alban’s Anglican Church pastor of the Dar es Salaam Diocese, Baraka Kabudi, said that, in this period of the coronavirus pandemic, people have shown fear of an economic recession. But - he stressed - “the Death of Christ on the Cross reminds us that nothing is impossible for God to overcome.
“The Church has conducted Good Friday Mass Service on April 10, 2020 to commemorate the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Sermonising on the ‘12 Stations’ through which Christ passed when He was sent to be crucified, Pastor Kabudi said “the sufferings of human beings should not make them forget the Love of Jesus.”
“You find yourself you have shouldered many things that entangle your life, fear reigns your intelligence for long to the extent that you fall into sin. Think over as to what thing that can make God fail to deal with?” Queried Pastor Kabudi.
The church’s another pastor, Christian Nchimbi, has said in his sermons that although the hearts of many people are sad, Jesus offers a relief.
“It also upon us to become a relief to others who go through hard times as we need to be courageous enough to help others.
