One of the questions that greeted the Akwa Ibom State government’s decision to build a worship centre in Uyo, the capital city, was whether it was the responsibility of the state to be directly involved in the religious life of the people. Put differently, should the state government invest in building a worship centre for the people when it has other contending projects like building schools, health facilities, the construction of roads as well as the creation of sustainable employment opportunities for the youths?
The questions became more pertinent given that Akwa Ibom State is known to have the highest number of worship centres or churches per square kilometre in the country. For instance, it is possible to find many churches located within the same street and some buildings are also seen to be housing many churches with different names. In other words, was the building of the international worship centre that gulped millions of naira a misplaced priority by the Akwa Ibom State government?
For government sympathisers, if the state government could invest in hotels and golf resorts in the state, which has no bearing on the lives of the ordinary people, building a worship centre was no different. They point to Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, which was built by the state government during the Obong Attah administration and Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Ikot Ekpene, initiated by the administration of Godswill Akpabio and completed by Udom Emmanuel, all former governors. Both hospitality facilities were initiated and completely solely by the state government.
Both facilities have played host to high profile conferences including the recent retreat by senators, which took place at the Four Points by Sheraton and the annual conference of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation held at the Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort in Nwaniba, near Uyo. Also both outfits have since been handed over to private hoteliers for management and whether they are making profit or running at a loss is a subject of another discussion.
They have also held onto the claim that government religious programmes including the yearly thanksgiving needed to be held at a spacious environment that could accommodate many people, and that they, the people, deserve a befitting worship centre that would bring all worshippers irrespective of their dominations together under one big roof.
So, it was a big celebration when the worship centre opened its doors to worshippers during the thanksgiving service held on Tuesday January 2, 2024, which was declared a public holiday by the state government. It was the first event to be conducted at the worship centre and it attracted religious leaders, politicians, business moguls,youths and women groups as well as professional bodies.
Among the dignitaries were Udom Emmanuel, former governor, governor Umo Eno as well members of the National Assembly, Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum (gas), among others.
Speaking, Udom Emmanuel, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, tipped Governor Umo Eno to surpass his records in office, saying that he will support him all the way to achieve the feat.
Emmanuel said that one of the secrets of his successful reign as governor was the support he got from Christian fathers in the state and has expressed happiness that they are extending the same to his successor.
Earlier at a New Year State Service to usher in 2024, Emmanuel said , “I do not have any doubt or fear, I still stand on what I said from day one that you will do 200 times better than me in all ramifications and God will give you the enablement and capacity to make that happen.”
Allaying fears on the ability of his successor, Emmanuel stated that, “When God sends you, he gives transportation money. He equips, he gives you the capacity, and he gives you everything to keep it up and running.”
Thanking Akwa Ibom people for their support to Governor Eno, he maintained that the unity in the state must be upheld.
“Let me thank the youth, women, elders, and all those who believed in us. I believe that as the preacher today said, we need one mind, and we must be strengthened together. The governor alone can not do it.
“May God unite all of us together, strengthen us as a people to know that Akwa Ibom is beyond one man,” the former governor said further.
He thanked the incumbent governor for inviting him to the celebration.
Relishing on the vision behind the worship center, Emmanuel said he was moved by the fact that despite being named after God, the state had no befitting place of worship.
“Probably today, we would have been under the sun, but we now have a place that we can all gather, an altar where we can gather to worship God.
“I remember in one of my commissioning ceremonies, I made a statement that the birds have their nest in the air but we christians do not have a place to worship but today, we give God all the glory.
“Thank you, our governor, for making this day a success.
“I want to use this opportunity to sincerely thank the fathers of faith. Once there is a king succeeding, watch the back, and you will see a priest.
“I really want to thank them. These are the priests that really backed me and are backing you up also.
“I can guarantee you that all of us will give you the support you need.
“Once again, I stand here to give God all the glory for energizing and the sustenance of our beloved governor and our leader, that God has graciously given to us at a time like this. The same God that raised him up will sustain him no matter what happens. God does not send someone on an errand and forsake him”, Udom added.
In his remarks at the event, Governor Eno expressed delight over the huge number of attendees and the venue of the event, which he described as, not just a worship centre but a tourist attraction, particularly expressing gratitude for having the immediate past governor and initiator of the worship centre project at the event.
The governor assured that he would ensure the maintenance of the facility as a valuable asset of the state and to maintain the spiritual component of the worship centre as an altar of the state, by daily prayers in the centre throughout the year.
He announced the appointment of Ime George, Uyo Field Superintendent of the Apostolic Church, as coordinator of the prayer roaster, Hilkiah Eliatha as secretary, as well as a technical crew to maintain the facility.
The event had in attendance clergymen across various denominations, government officials in the state and from the Federal Government, including; Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Ita Enang, Commissioner of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) from Akwa Ibom State, among others, as well as sociocultural groups and people from all walks of life, who jointly offered praises, worship and prayers for the state, country and leaders at various levels of governance.
Though the centre has been inaugurated and its doors open for worshipers from different Christian faiths, the question of whether the state government can invest in the construction of a worship centre will continue to elicit different answers across the state.
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