Bayelsa Deputy Governor, Mr Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has called on all Nigerians to play active roles in rebuilding the country to enable it attain its rightful position in the comity of nations.
Ewhrudjakpo made the call while speaking as a special guest on Sunday at St Peter’s Deanery, Yenagoa, during the 2020 Diocesan Women Annual Conference of the Niger Delta West Diocese of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion.
In a statement sent to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday by Mr Doubara Atasi, his Senior Special Adviser (Media), the deputy governor said “like the eye which cannot see itself, most Nigerians only see the wrongs others are doing to hurt the country and deliberately fail to acknowledge their own shortcomings.” Describing the rebuilding process as a collective responsibility, the deputy governor urged both followers and leaders in the country to stop apportioning blames and take corrective measures to achieve national healing. According to Ewhrudjakpo, Nigeria has the potentialities for prosperity and greatness, stressing that what is lacking is true patriotism on the part of its citizenry.
While calling on the women to redouble their efforts in building the family, church and society in general, the deputy governor assured them of the present administration’s readiness to work with them to achieve a prosperous Bayelsa state. He also used the opportunity to thank God for the Tuesday, September 29th Appeal Court judgement that upheld the election of Senator Douye Diri and himself as Governor and deputy governor.
His words, “If I don’t say anything about our latest court victory in a gathering like this, then I will be like the nine lepers that were healed and didn’t go back to tell Jesus thank you, and therefore their healing was not whole. “If you look at me and my boss, the Governor, you can see that there is a hand of God around us. Our victory is neither by our might nor by our power but by the Spirit of God. And that is why no matter our frailty, we will not joke with the things of God.
“Concerning your theme, which is ‘Rebuilding the Waste Places’, I want to say most Nigerians behave like the eye. You know, the eye does not see itself but sees every other thing. That is the way we are as human beings. “We see every other person as not doing anything but and fail to see ourselves as not doing anything.
And so, more often than not, we see the issue of building and rebuilding as the responsibility of people who are in leadership positions. “But that is not true. Both followers and leaders have a role to play in rebuilding our families, communities, churches and country.
“If we all stop to behave like the eye by making our own little positive contributions as traders, artisans, students, farmers, politicians, pastors and leaders in general, then we will be able to rebuild our country,” he said. Earlier in her sermon, drawn from Isaiah Chapter 58, the Guest Preacher, Mrs Grace Orama, identified some problems that characterise waste places to include poverty, corruption, unemployment, insecurity and sexual immorality. Orama, who noted that God is looking for those to repair the waste places like in the time of biblical Nehemiah, enjoined Christians to employ fasting, prayer, evangelism and charity as veritable tools for effective rebuilding.
Dignitaries at the service included the Bishop of the Niger Delta West Diocese, Right Rev. Emmanuel Oko-Jaja, his wife, Dr Chinyere Oko-Jaja, and traditional rulers. It also featured special prayers and launching of an eight-million-naira engine boat for evangelism in the predominantly riverine Bayelsa environment.
