By Jude Atupulazi
The Vice Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in the last elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has urged churches in Nigeria to remember Nigeria in their prayers, especially now that the country, like all other countries of the world, is being ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic.
Obi spoke through the Chairman of his coronavirus Palliatives Committee, and Former Chief of Staff and Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning in Anambra State, Professor Chinyere Stella Okunna, during the continued sharing of his palliative items to various churches in Nigeria.
Okunna told the benefitting churches that the intention of Mr. Peter Obi was for the items to reach the least privileged among the congregation.
The Vice Chairman of the Committee, Chief Joe-Martins Uzodike, explained that the palliatives were divided into 5 components, namely: reaching the poorest through the Church; provision of hospital items to select hospitals, out of which 31 hospitals had benefitted across the country; reaching the poorest in all the towns in Anambra through the PDP party structure.
He said those hospitals that received material items would also benefit from monetary intervention very soon, just as he said the final component would be the post-COVID-19 initiatives.
The benefitting churches were united in the pledge of prayers for His Obi and the country, which, they said, they had been doing even before the request.
The churches that benefitted in the palliatives were: Seed of David, Redeemed Christian Church, Awka; Christ Holy Church International, Awka; Rhema Chapel, Umunya; St. Andrews’s Methodist Church, Onitsha; Messianic Faith Assembly Int’l, Nnewi.
The Association of People living with Sickle Cell Disorder also benefitted from Obi’s COVID-19 intervention.
Representing the sentiments of the benefiting Churches, the head of the Salvation Army, Envoy Levi Muonagor, said that when the churches in the state recalled Obi’s performance and his disposition to do good, nothing he did by way of expressing the love he had for God and his children surprised anyone. He described him as a rare Nigerian and God’s precious gift to humanity, and assured that the donated items would reach those Obi had in mind – the poorest in society.
Other members of the coronavirus Palliative Committee were Dr. Patrick Obi; Dr. Chike Collins Ohamobi and Mr. Valentine Obienyem.
