Dignitaries In Calabar For Olumba Obu’s Silver Jubilee

Monarchs, spiritual leaders and other dignitaries from Nigeria and abroad yesterday arrived  in Calabar, Cross River State, for the Silver Jubilee of the “Divine Coronation” of Olumba Olumba Obu.

The spiritual leader of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star is marking 25 years since his coronation with a weeklong event.

Among the early arrivals for the event was Ganiyu Adams, the Yoruba leader and head of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC).

He was accompanied by the group’s coordinators from Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, and Ebonyi States. Their presence highlighted what the organisers called the “national significance” of the celebration.

The Brotherhood’s World Headquarters in Calabar has become a centre of activity as adherents and guests from several countries gather ahead of the climax of the jubilee.

The town is hosting a mix of spiritual rites, cultural displays and formal ceremonies throughout the week.

A central feature of the celebration is the appointment of 24 elders from around the world.

Obu described the appointments as a “fulfilment of scriptural injunctions.” Those named include American Michael Glynn, Liberian technocrat Archbishop Thomas Momoh Pujeh, Ghanaian cleric George Anamuah, and Cameroonian national Ebanda Stephanie.

The new elders joined their Nigerian counterparts, a group comprising clergymen, professionals, academics and business figures.

They were inaugurated at the movement’s headquarters, where spiritual rites were combined with fanfare.

Before the exercise, the elders travelled to Biakpan in Biase local government area, the birthplace of the spiritual leader.

During the inauguration, the spiritual leader placed crowns on their heads while they chanted worship songs from the “New Testament book of Revelation.”

Patriarch Bassey Imowo, leader of the elders, told his colleagues to “embrace humility and service to humanity,” stressing the spiritual responsibility of their calling.

Addressing the gathering, Olumba Obu said the inauguration marked “a new era of peace and blessings for humanity” and urged nations and leaders to “embrace forgiveness and unity.”