From Everest Ezihe, Owerri
It’s surprisingly, that despite efforts by officers of Imo State Government to dispel the week long rumour of Governor Hope Uzodimma’s stroke attack and subsequent death, recent events intend to suggest that most Nigerians especially Imo citizens are dogmatic in believing the false rumour, but HRH Eze Dr. Oliver Ohanweh says he is in touch with the Governor on daily basis and that the Governor is hale and hearty and cautioned the rumour peddlers to stop forth with or face the traditional and constitutional wrath’s.
Ohanweh said this last Sunday at St. Mary’s Catholic Parish,Isiama Osu Owerre in Isiala Mbano Council area of Imo State while addressing the mammoth crowd that were in attendance during the second canonical visit of His Lordship, The Most Rev. Solomon Amatu, the Catholic Bishop of Okigwe Diocese and administration of the Sacrament of Confirmation to members of the parish by the ordained man of God.
According to the reverred traditional ruler ” I have been inundated with calls and visits on the health status of Governor Hope Uzodimma for the past four days now, even as am coming to this Pentecost church services. I told them am always intouch with the Governor and he is Hale, hearty and lifely, actively doing all his duties. Don’t follow the people talking choo! choo!! One day they will certainly put themselves in trouble.
It’s annoying the way people wishes their fellow citizens death. It’s sacrilegious in Igbo cosmotology to unjustly wish people death or evil. People should honestly stop abusing the Governor. He means well to Imo people and for now he’s God’s” he assured.
Ohanweh who’s the traditional ruler of Ihim Ancient Kingdom and Chairman, Okigwe Elders Forum,( OKEF) lamented bitterly on the cases of kidnapping ravaging the area and pointed accusing fingers to Hausa/ Fulani herdsmen and called for serious checks.
He applauded the Parish Priest, Rev Fr. Augustine Okeke for rapid transformation of the church and enjoined the entire congregation on the need to pray for the Governor and government of Imo state for God’s sustainable wisdom and visionary governance to the populace.
Ohanweh who also commended Governor Uzodimma for his accelerated developmental strides and transformations in the State further expressed satisfaction on the extent of rehabilitation and reconstruction of Owerri to Okigwe expressed road by the Shared Prosperity government of Imo State.
Earlier, in his sermon that dwelled on the essence of Pentecost, Bishop Solomon Amatu who presided over the mass with litany of Reverend Fathers and Sisters described it as the spiritual and historical birth of the church as the holy spirit on that day rested on the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ and they spoke in different tongues to the hearing and understanding of each and every one of them despite their ethnic and language differences.
The Bishop described the biblical speaking in tongues that metamorphoses into people of different languages divinely understood each other as “One of the miracles of the century”.
Bishop Solomon Amatu, the Catholic Bishop of Okigwe with HRH Eze Oliver Ohanweh, Obi Gburugburu Shortly after the Pentecost Church Service at St. Mary’s Parish Isiama Osu Owerre. Pix by Everest Ezihe, Ihim, Isiala Mbano.
Amatu pointed out that the Bible is of the view that any body speaking in tongue without the perfect understanding of the others in their local languages is spiritually faulty and unacceptable before God.
The Catholic Bishop further canvassed the need for brotherly love, tolerance and forgiveness among one another noting that men has a common ancestral heritage from Adam as the first man created by God.
He passionately advised Christian’s on the need to attend confession before a priest at least once a year as biblically instructed, informing that God knows the weaknesses of men and thus He gave the apostles the spiritual power to forgive here on earth through ordination, prayers and pennience.
The Cleric who said he visited the church first in 2017 lauded the Parish Priest Rev. Fr Augustine Okeke and members for infrastructural advancement of the church and solicited for a date for the dedication of the church building.
Amatu further commended HRH Eze Oliver Ohanweh, Obi Gburugburu for his steadfastness in things of God and services to humanity.
The Bishop frowned at the poor performances in the knowledge of Catholic Catheism by over 30 children presented to him for confirmation as part of the programmes for his pastoral visit, he cautioned the Parish Priest for the failure in teaching the children what he considered as a primary pastoring duty.
However, Rev. Fr. Okeke attributed the children failure to lack of functional catheist and commitment due to exigencies of duties, meanwhile the Bishop postponed the confirmation of sacrament of confirmation to September advising all concerned for adequate preparation of all due for participation.
