Support UNINIGER, Commend Bishop Owen Nwokolo
By Emeka Odogwu
Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, has urged church leaders to reclaim their role as a moral compass in the society.
Speaking to over 170 Bishops of the Anglican Communion at their annual retreat in Onitsha Tuesday which also marks the formal opening of the University On The Niger (UNINIGER), Governor Soludo painted a vivid picture of the moral decay afflicting Nigerian society, especially the youth, driven by a relentless pursuit of wealth without hard work and the insidious rise of idolatry which has become a worrisome trend in Anambra State.
He pricked the collective conscience of church leaders against the “get-rich-quick” mentality that has taken root among the youth, a mindset he argued is fueling insecurity and making kidnapping a lucrative enterprise in Nigeria.
The ideology of acquiring wealth by any means necessary, the governor warned, has become a cancer eating away at the fabric of our society.
This pursuit of wealth, often without regard for its source, has led to a moral crisis, with young people increasingly turning away from the church and its teachings, and heading to the bush to join cults and kidnappers for power and money.
The Anambra Governor accused the church of complicity in this moral decline,pointing out that many religious institutions have failed to question the origins of the wealth donated by their congregants, thus tacitly endorsing unethical means of acquiring riches. When the church turns a blind eye to the source of donations, Governor Soludo asserted that it loses its moral authority and becomes part of the problem.
He urged church leaders to restore the right values and serve as models of integrity and righteousness. It is considered opinion that the church must lead by example by promoting values that prioritise character over wealth and service over self-interest. He therefore called for a return to the core tenets of faith that emphasized humility, honesty, and service and hard work over unbridled materialism and hedonism.
He also challenged Christian leaders to undertake more evangelism for winning back lost souls to transformative Christianity.
Governor Soludo reminded the church of its sacred duty to protect the spiritual and moral well-being of the nation, adding that the future of Nigeria depends on our collective ability to nurture a generation that values integrity over wealth and faith over fortune
This is coming as the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in the last general elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his counterpart in the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, among other politicians in the country, have poolled various sums of money to fast track the infrastructural development of the University on the Niger (UNINIGER), Umunya.
Senators and five state governors also joined in raising funds to backup the permanent site of the university.
They had in conjunction with other stakeholders across South-East determined to pool N1billion towards the completion of some on-going projects at the permanent site of the university in Umunya.
Taking turns to speak at the unveiling of the university permanent site, they announced various amounts of money to assist the completion of the institution.
Alhaji Atiku and the five state governors were represented by the former Minister of Aviation and former Corps Marshal, FRSC, Chief Osita Chidioka, while Senator Dr Tony Nwoye, Senator Victor Umeh, Dr Tim Menakaya and others on their own identified with the institution with various sums.
The university which was single-handedly established by the Diocese on the Niger, Anglican Communion in Anambra State, was formally declared open amid ecstatic jubilations among Anambrarians.
The Primate, Church of Nigeria, the Most Rev Dr Henry Ndukuba who officially declared the university open for full academic activities described it as meaningful venture.
He had in the 25 minutes sermon during a church service held in the institution’s main auditorium to mark the event, commended the Diocesan, the Rt Rev Dr Owen, his wife, Dr Nonyelum Nwokolo, his ministers and the entire parishioners of the diocese for successfully establishing the institution.
The primate regretted that the bane of the modern education was the failure of some basic moral principles of the present age which he said were jealousy held by earlier academic institutions.
He was worried that rather than focus on relevant values, the modern educational institutions and their students instead fixed their eyes on things of little or no value.
The Most Rev Dr Ndukuba therefore lauded Bishop Nwokolo and the entire Diocese on the Niger for improving on what he called “the legacies of the White Missionaries” which he explained were driven by things of quality value.
He challenged the authorities, staff and students of the university to endeavour to work cooperatively to achieve the main objectives and values for which the institution was established.
In his two page address he read at the occasion, the Vice Chancellor of the university, the Very Rev. Prof. Chinedu Nebo, assured that the school was committed to producing graduates “that are morally responsible, nationally relevant and globally competitive”.
According to him, the philosophical pillars of the institution are hinged on excellence, knowledge, character, leadership and entrepreneurship, perhaps the reason, he said that within less than one year of the university, it had experienced exponential growth.
“We find ourselves in a position where some of those who started five years before us are just dreaming to attain”, Prof Nebo said.
He remarked, “We believe that no one ever attains excellence using minimum standards. For that reason, our curriculum go beyond the nationally stipulated minimum guidelines to incorporate dimensions that would help our graduates to be successful in their lifelong pursuits”.
Also, the Chancellor of the university, the Rt Rev Dr Nwokolo, had in his three-page welcome address restated the desire of the diocese to give the public quality education.
He however explained that more were still needed for the diocese to get to the quality of education she dreamt about.
Structurally, the bishop said that the diocese had done noble but that the journey was still far ahead.
He said, “From all indications, though many projects have been completed, many more need to be done to give our children and the society the type of quality education we envisage”.
Bishop Nwokolo appreciated numerous groups and individuals who he said had identified with the university in various ways and appealed for more financial assistance in order to put the institution on a sound footing.
Earlier, the primate had on arrival commissioned various completed building blocks constructed by groups, churches and individuals and a road network built by Senator Dr Tony Nwoye.
The formal opening ceremony of the university attracted the cream of who-is-who in Anambra State and beyond among who were, the Labour Party Presidential Candidate in the last general elections, Mr Peter Obi, former Minister of Aviation and former Corps Marshal, FRSC, Chief Osita Chidioka, Senator Victor Umeh, Prince Arthur Eze (represented by Archbishop Dr Alex Ibezim), Sir G. U. Okeke, former Minister for Health, Dr Tim Menakaya, Oyi Local Government Chairman, Chief Emma Nweke and a host of other dignitaries.
More than 20 bishops and over 400 Diocese on the Niger priests and parishioners attended the opening ceremony.