Okoh Tasks Church Leaders On Less Privileged

The Primate, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, has called on church leaders to offer “selfless service’’ to the poor and people in rural areas.

Okoh gave the advice in Asaba during the presentation ceremony of five new archbishops of the Anglican Church of Nigeria.

He reminded the new archbishops that caring for the less privileged and the needy remained a core ministry of the church.

The primate told the congregation at Cathedral Church of St Peter, Asaba, that the election of the new archbishops was necessitated by the existing vacancies and canons of the church.

According to the primate, by the canons of the Church of Nigeria (2002), the successor-archbishops must be elected three months ahead.

Archbishops Edmund Akanya of Kaduna Province and Benjamin Kwashi of Jos Province were re-elected and presented as archbishops for a second term.

Bishop Adebayo Akinde of Lagos Mainland Diocese was presented as the new Archbishop of Lagos Province, while Bishop Caleb Maduoma of Ideato Diocese was presented as the Archbishop of Owerri Province.

Also, Bishop Segun Okubadejo of Ibadan North was presented as the new Archbishop of Ibadan Province.

Earlier, in a sermon, the outgoing Bishop of Egbu Diocese, the Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Iheagwam, urged church leaders not to relegate God on assuming a new position.

He said that Godly attributes were greatly needed in the modern world, where “poverty, kidnapping, bribery and corruption and other vices have become the order of the day.’’

He prayed God to grant “the chosen the grace and ability to resist the vices, reflect goodness and honesty in their service to God and humanity’’.

He urged the archbishops to trust in God to succeed, saying “people will falsely accuse you and do all sorts of things to spite you.’’