Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to serving God and fulfilling promises made to the citizens of the state at the inception of his government.
Mr Otti stated this on Sunday in Umuahia during an interdenominational thanksgiving service, organised by the Abia State Government to commemorate his third anniversary in office.
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“We started by taking the state to God in prayers and rededicated the state immediately after we were sworn in.
“Another vow we made is the one we are about to fulfil,” he said.
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Mr Otti said that thanksgiving and worship remained a personal conviction for him and his family, adding that giving glory to God is necessary for the successes recorded by the administration.
Quoting Joshua 24:15, the governor declared: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
He announced plans to construct an ecumenical centre in Umuahia to be privately funded.
He said that he had already provided the land, which he acquired in 2009, long before he became governor, for the project.
“We vowed that we are going to build an ecumenical centre in Umuahia for God.
“The ecumenical centre is not going to be built with government money. No dime from the state government will go into it,” he said.
The governor also appreciated the President of Living Word Ministries International, Emma Okorie, for his support and prayers over the years.
He recalled that during his 2014 governorship struggle, “some persons in authority allegedly pressured the cleric against associating with me.”
According to him, when Mr Okorie refused, his fence was demolished by the authorities at the time.
“He is one of the people who suffered at the hands of the previous administration.
“But all those who did that have been forgiven and because he has forgiven them, we have also forgiven them,” the governor said.
‘Otti encountered God’
Delivering a sermon, entitled “Where there is no vision the people perish,” Mr Okorie described the governor as a “God-sent” on a mission to deliver the Abia people.
Mr Okorie, who took his scripture reading from Exodus 3:1-10, said that the Israelites spent long years under bondage in Egypt and God sent Moses to deliver them after they cried out to God.
He likened the experience to the case of Abia, which had undergone setbacks in the past 24 years, “as a result of having people without vision in the saddle of leadership and the citizens cried to God for deliverance.”
He said Mr Otti’s emergence as governor of Abia was a sign that God heard the cry of the people of Abia and sent him to deliver them from their misery.
Mr Okorie said, “I believe with all I have seen, Governor Otti encountered God, just like Moses did at the burning bush.
“I believe he did not just take up governance; he encountered God.”
He described the governor as a man with a divine mandate, vision and a servant to the people of Abia, focused on transforming the state.
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In a remark, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia, Michael Ukpong, said, “All God needs from you is your trust and for you to continue doing good.
“Do not allow anything to distract you from the good work you are doing, and the prayers of the people will continue to be with you,” he said.
Mr Ukpong said his message was not only directed at the governor but also at his collaborators, appointees and civil servants.
He reminded public officials that they would ultimately give account before God, concerning the offices entrusted to them.
“Let us make concerted efforts to ensure that the good work witnessed in Abia under this administration will be sustained,” the cleric said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the thanksgiving service featured praise and worship sessions, testimonies and prayers for the state, the governor and his family.
NAN also reports that the governor performed the groundbreaking for the construction of the Ecumenical Centre in Umuahia.
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