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Christian Centre Holds Christmas Service In PH …As Akah Makes Case For Less Privileged
A Christian centre based in Port Harcourt,Rivers State, the Lynn Chancel and Towers has joined other Christians across the globe to mark this year’s Christmas celebrations.
Christians across the globe had set outside the 25th day of December every year as a day for the celebrations of the birth of Jesus Christ.
However, some religious Christian denominations from the Orthodox churches have continued to differ from such position.
As at 7am, last Sunday, the church auditorium of the Lynn Chancel and Towers, a hub of Christian padres magisterum was filled to its brim with people from various parts of the city to usher in the Christmas day church service at its corporate headquarters at Woji, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The Lynn Chancel and Towers Choir spiced up the worship with their melodious hymns and choruses to keep every soul alive.
Delivering his sermon at the Christmas church worship, an Anglican Church Priest, Revd Roy Odike, in his sermon titled: “Nativity of Christ”, urged Christians to always be careful while marking the celebration of the birth of Christ.
The man of God, who took his Bible text from the book of John 1:14, averred that Christ came to the world first as a saviour, and would be coming back as a judge.
He advised every believer to use the celebrations to reflect on the sacrifices of Christ, and also take stock of their life activities, with the aim of making changes so that they could make Heaven.
In his remarks, the Executive Chairman of the Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board (RSUBEB), Ven. Fyneface Akah, who is also a priest at the centre, used the opportunity to call on the rich and well-to-do individuals in the society to ensure that they reach out to the less privileged around them, adding that it was the essence of Christian service and will make Christianity meaningful and impactful.
Akah described Christmas celebrations as a world event and memorable to remind people of the birth of Jesus Christ.
He said that it was also a means to lead Christians to renew their relationship with God and mankind, adding that Christ came to the world and saved the humankind.
He encouraged people to be hopeful and always express happiness because Christ came to the world and brought hope, life and forgiveness.
Akahadded that the trajectory of the 2022 Christmas celebrations was uniqueand significant because it coincided with the day of his resurrection, saying that this should bring hope to everyone who believed in Him.
“Christmas is for merry and celebrations. Let us, for love, reach out to the needy, windows, orphans and those vulnerable in society, who have no one to intervene for them so as to make Christianity a means for achieving something to the people”, he stated.
Also speaking, Mrs Joy Akah, advised women to be focusedand virtuous while celebrating, and also show love to all and be steadfast in the things of God.
The highpoint of the celebrations were prayer for the president,the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, the state and the nation as well as distribution of bags of rice and groundnut oil to church members and less privileged.
By: Akujobi Amadi
News
I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
News
RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.