…harps on significance of Easter
Amid growing fears of hunger crisis on the back of rising food prices in the country and other parts of the world, the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has called on the church to partner with his administration to provide free meals to citizens who could be badly hit.
Obaseki made the proposition during the birthday celebration of Mrs. Patience Eniye Abbe, wife of Major General Godwin Abbe (Retd.), who marked her 70thbirthday at the United Baptist Church in Benin City, on Easter Sunday.
The Governor, who described Easter as a very significant event in the lives of Christians, said: “If somebody had not died for us to atone for our sins, we would not be here as Christians.”
He maintained: “Today is the most important date in our Christian calendar, and it is quite significant that we are here today not only to thank God Almighty, but we have an opportunity to come and celebrate one of our own, and one of our very best in our community.”
He said the Abbe family is one of his greatest supporters and expressed his gratitude to the family for always calling to check on him and advise him on key governance issues.
“These people for me have become my point of reference; they have been in government and understand the challenges of governing people. They show you empathy, consideration and they advise me. No month goes by that they do not call me to advise me, check on me and find out what is going on in Edo State Government House. General Abbe is one of my strongest supporters, but a greater supporter in his house is his wife, Mrs. Patience Eniye Abbe, a pillar of the church and society, she has a good heart, loves education and I have never seen her angry,” the Governor said.
He however noted that a partnership with the church to provide free meals to people who may not be able to feed themselves in the near future would help to cushion the global challenge.
According to Obaseki, “We have a crisis and it is a food crisis. In the next few months a lot of people will be starving, and one idea I have for the church is that we should begin to have food pantries in churches.
“We are witnessing challenges that we have never seen in our lives, people are not able to eat because of the astronomical rise in food prices.
“Let us cook and bring food to the church and make food available for people who can’t eat, let them have at least one meal a day. So let us start from this church, all of us will gather and contribute to the project.”
On his legacies, he said the 30-year development plan is one of the legacies he will leave behind, adding “Edo is very rich and what we need is consistent leadership and we need to seek God’s face to be where we are supposed to be.”
He also said that his administration has prioritized education because “tomorrow’s world is about who has knowledge and not about who has resources.”
He assured that he would continue to serve all Edo people and residents as his emergence as Governor was ordained by God to serve them at this time, and not himself, or a few persons with narrow interest.
“I am Governor at this time and it is his purpose that I have come to serve and not any man’s purpose. Most times when I am acting, I cannot even tell you why I am doing some of the things I am doing. Sometimes I am directed by forces beyond my own contemplation. Growing up as a Christian we are taught that our lives are not our own but about serving others,” Obaseki said.
He pledged that he would continue to work hard and seek God’s face on enduring legacies.
“We have an opportunity to look out for our children, and for me, the purpose is how to plan for the tomorrow that must come and we have started.
“I want to thank my brother and the church for being my backbone because they understand how bad and difficult things have become, because when people have nowhere to go, when people are faced with challenges, they seek God and go to the men of God for help. That is why I am always around men of God,” he further said.
