Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has said that Nigerians have every reason to thank God after 64 years of Independence from colonial masters, insisting that the country’s brightest days lie ahead.
The Governor who said that Nigeria’s story is not defeat but hope in the Supreme God, therefore solicited collective prayers for the country and her leaders from the citizenry for a Nation of our dream.
Addressing the congregation at the end of the Independence Day Anniversary Church Service at Maria Assumpta Cathedral Owerri on Sunday, the Governor thanked God for giving Nigerians another opportunity to celebrate their Independence in the face of relative peace and unity.
He noted that it is a sign that, “Nigeria is a Nation whose God is Lord.’’
The governor said that despite all the perceived challenges from different parts of the country, ‘’Nigeria has not been confronted with full-blown war.’’
He recalled, for instance, the recent flooding that devastated our brothers and sisters in some parts of the Country as a great challenge to the country but noted that “with God all things are possible.”
The Governor said Nigerians have three good reasons to praise God today: one, after 64 years of Independence, God has allowed us to make progress; secondly, there is the gift of life for Nigerians to stay together as brothers and sisters; and Nigeria has experienced relative peace that prevails in our land despite all challenges.
The Governor then urged Nigerians to thank God in all circumstances and move away from “lamentation to celebration and from dismay to hope.”
He seized the opportunity to express the people’s deep appreciation of the work the Church is doing for the Nation. He implored the Church leaders to continue to pray for Nigeria and Imo State.
“The past and present leadership may have fallen short of expectations of the people, yet there is hope and light at the end of the tunnel,” he posited and called for prayers for the Nation to remain peaceful and united.
His words: “With unity and faith, the country will get to its destination.”
Governor Uzodimma, however, urged the citizens to interrogate their consciences and attitudes when it comes to the destruction of Government property, killing of security agents and frustrating government policies, noting that “patriotism and nationhood abhor all that.”
At the Archbishop’s request through his representative regarding gratuities, the Governor promised to continue with the payment. Still, he implored the Bishop and his lieutenants to pray that those involved in despicable and fraudulent behaviour that hurt the seamless verification exercise on gratuities should refrain from such behaviour.
In his message, His Grace Most Revd. Dr. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, the Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, acknowledged that God is with Nigerians and has kept us together as a nation despite all challenges.
He said, “It is not a surprise that Nigeria has remained one,” noting that “the journey is not easy, but with God, tomorrow will be better.”
While wishing Nigerians a Happy Independence Celebration, the Archbishop, whose message was read by the Very Rev. Fr. Gerald Njoku, the Director of Church and Society, commended the Governor and Government of Imo State for “maintaining peace, fighting insecurity and embarking on infrastructural development as well as engaging the Eastern Waste Management that has created jobs and established recycling plants.”
He also thanked the Governor for adding 3,000 more workers whose salaries were suspended at the beginning of the administration into the payroll and for the timely payment of their salaries.
He requested that the Governor continue paying gratuities to the pensioners who have yet to receive them.
The Archbishop also appealed for the speedy completion of the ongoing flyover at the Assumpta roundabout.
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