… Urge Inmates to Keep Hope Alive
By Mmaduabuchi Onwumelu
The Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha Archdiocese, His Grace Most Rev. Valerian Okeke, and the Presidential Candidate of Labour Party in the last General Elections, Mr Peter Obi, have asked inmates of Onitsha Correctional Centre to keep hope alive and not to despair over their present condition as God will restore them.
In his Homily at the Mass held at the Correctional Centre to celebrate this year’s Christmas, the Archbishop said Jesus came to elevate and restore mankind.
‘He came to elevate us because Jesus came to take the shape of man. Man was elevated to the status of God. We share in the light of God, His grace, and love for those in darkness,’ he said.
Archbishop Okeke who is the Grand Commander of Nigerian Correctional Centres, a title given to him because of his commitment to improving the welfare of inmates, described Jesus as the light of the world and that each time light appeared, darkness disappeared.
He said Jesus came to make us the sons of God which darkness could not suppress, saying that those who engaged in kidnapping, killing and other forms of vices in society were agents of darkness.
The Archbishop said since the Birth of Jesus Christ in fulfillment of the prophecies of men of God of old, Christianity had continued to spread in leaps and bounds.
‘For the first 200 years the Apostles were persecuted and killed but the gospel continued to spread. It has become the largest family and government, spreading to every nook and crannies,’ the Archbishop said.
He prayed that this season, God would restore his people with blessings, dignity, love in their families and generational blessings, if they abided in him in love, praying that people would confess God’s blessings upon the inmates.
Obi, in his speech, said everybody was an inmate in one way or the other, but expressed displeasure that most of the inmates were mainly of productive age of the country, who, he said, should be gainfully employed to create wealth.
He called on Nigerians to pray for God to change the heart of leaders of the country so that they could frontally address the socio-economic and political problems of the country.
Obi commended the Archbishop for his commitment to the welfare of the inmates, which, he noted, made him to visit the Correctional Centre thrice every year.
The Archbishop later announced that one cow was killed, while another live cow was donated to the inmates to be killed later. Ten bags of rice were cooked.
Other items included a cake, toilet soaps, tooth pastes, brushes, and tissue papers for each of the inmates.
Obi donated bags of rice, malt drink and cash that would go round all the inmates. Equally, Prof Obiora Okonkwo donated some bags of rice and tubers of yams to the inmates.
