By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
A Catholic Priest, Very Reverend Father Ogah Oche Emmanuel has called on all sons and daughters of Edumoga land in Benue State to subject themselves to both economic and cultural orientation to rebuild the community.
The charismatic clergyman who is the parish Priest in charge of St Peter Claver Catholic Church, Olanyega, in Okpokwu Local government Area of the State
made the call in his keynote address at the ongoing centenary celebration of Edumoga chiefdom and annual cultural Festival.
Father Ogah who also doubles as the National Chaplain of St. Mathew Edumoga Catholic Community, noted that the call for reorientation has become necessary as “inability to wake up to this call would amount to a generational problem, and the posterity would judge us and would never forgive us”.
He posited that the current generation of Edumoga has all it takes to give it a new face lift by rebuilding and refocusing it as part of efforts to lead her to the desired destination.
He stated that time has come to properly redefine the region’s Philosophy notably
traditional institution and chiefdom and their place in our nation, adding that” our cultural heritage is gradually becoming obsolete and many of them are going into
extinction if care is not taken.”
Speaking rhetorically, Rev Father Ogah asked “What do we have to preserve for future, let us try to know what is good in our culture and revive them instead of tagging everything as fetish”.
On the region’s Religious life, he said time has come to go back to true worship of Yahweh(God) and shun all forms of hypocrisy, Sorcery, Diabolism and things that would destroy our faith”
On burial rites, he chastised the people to promote the living instead of always making arrangements to encourage the culture of death.
“When you can’t help someone when He/she is alive only to be preparing for their burial Ceremonies”, he said.
He said there was need to come together as one people, one mind and one nation and put aside all that divide the land, stressing that it was also time to declare vote of no confidence or war against issue of insecurity in our land, under development, and other vital issues that are affecting us. READ ALSO:
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He said the centenary celebration and cultural Festival has served as a call for unity and integration, call to re-evaluate our journey so far as a nation, and chat a way forward.
He also noted that the celebration is very important because it is a call to return back to God and seek his face and stop hunting one another or destroying one another, adding that posterity would “not forgive us if we fail as a people”.
