Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has urged Nigerians to pray for peace in the country, noting that development can only come to a place where there is peace.
The governor spoke on Sunday in Ondo during the diamond jubilee celebration of the Motailatu Church of God (MCG).
He also praised members of the church over what he described as the support extended to his administration since he became governor of the state.
The event held at the international headquarters of the church, Saint Adekahunsi Cathedral, Oke-Iwosan, Ondo City, was witnessed by several Ondo chiefs, leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) and others.
The chairman was a prominent Ondo leader and educationist, Ade Iluyemi, who was supported by his wife and former state commissioner, Funke Iluyemi.
Aiyedatiwa described the founder of the church, Saint Isaiah Akinadewo (Omo Jesu), as a true man of God, whose impacts in propagating the word in the minds of his children and millions of people since he founded the church in 1964 would remain indelible forever.
Also, a former commissioner in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Benson Enikuomehin, urged Nigerian leaders to be patriotic so that the people will enjoy dividends of democracy.
Aiyedatiwa, represented by his chief press secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, while congratulating members over the 60-year celebration, enjoined them to continue in praying for more peace and harmony to continue to take its full stand in Ondo State and Nigeria as a whole.
The governor equally solicited more support from members of the church for his administration and urged them to embark on prayer to ensure the success of the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo State slated for November.
Aiyedatiwa promised that his administration would continue to do more to better the lots of the people of Ondo State.
He used the occasion to mention several developmental projects and efforts embarked upon since he assumed office in December.
Earlier, in his sermon, chairman of the church’s board of trustees (BoT), Senior Superintendent Gabriel Akinadewo (Omo Jesu II), urged people of the country to continue looking up to God to assist Nigeria.
In the sermon entitled: “It is never too late for God Almighty to help”, the cleric stressed the need for leaders and the led in the country to do the right thing at the appropriate time.
The cleric, who quoted several passages from the Bible, stressed the need for Christians to embark on spiritual warfare and prayers, saying “through this, Nigeria will overcome its present challenges, especially the issue of insecurity in some parts of the country”.
Lamenting what he called incessant kidnapping and other insecurity challenges in the country, he urged the people to continue to pray fervently and equally stressed the need for governments — federal, states and councils — to do the right thing at the right time.
“Government should do the right thing in dealing with bandits who are terrorising the country. We have three (Gs) — God, Government and Gun. God, our creator, has given the Government the power to deal with evil, using the instrumentality of the machinery of state. As long as you are in this territory, the government has the power to deal with enemies of state,” he stated.
Speaking on the diamond jubilee celebration, Akinadewo went down memory lane when his late father, Isaiah Akinadewo, founded the church in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State in 1964 and later moved to Ondo town in 1977 “where he officially established the Church in 1981 at Oke-Iwosan, Ondo City which later became the International Headquarters of the Church”.
He also explained that the church has made tremendous achievements, touching the lives of people in various communities.
The celebration featured anniversary thanksgiving, donations, prayers and songs ministration by the church choristers from various parishes.
