16 hours ago
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…canvass January 15 as covenant day of praise
Christian leaders in Igbo land at a recent solemn con- vocation in Aba, Abia State revealed to Igbo ethnic nationality that the major problem they are facing today is spiritual and a consequence of their in- gratitude to Almighty God, who preserved them during the bloody 1967 Civil War in Nigeria.
The solemn convocation, organised by an Igbo think tank organisation, Igwebuike Alaigbo, is captioned in Igbo as, Ubochi Nkpokota Nso 2024 (2024 Day of Solemn Convocation).
The theme of the assembly was, Ito Chineke na irio ya n’ihi Alaigbo (to praise God and pray to Him concerning Igbo land), attracted the presence of many top clergies, churches and choir groups in Igbo land.
In his historic and reflective sermon on the occasion, which took place at the prestigious Aba Town Hall, the Pioneer Archbishop of the Enugu Ecclesiastical Province of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Archbishop Amos Madu (retired), told the Igbos that they owe God and that until they pay that debt, they will never have their joy complete.
Archbishop Madu told the crowd in Aba that the problem of the Igbo is not from the East, West, North, and South or even from abroad, but that is with them, as they need to know the truth and apply that truth to make a change by amending their ways with God.
This is as he declared, “The Bible says that we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free. Whenever a man feels sick, the first thing is to go for a laboratory test at the hospital. It’s only when the problem is diagnosed the doctor will prescribe drugs and that man will be well again. “There’s time for everything.
The time for war is gone, we now have a different time for peace. God has shown us what our problem is and we have to say it. “Remember in the Bible God saved Noah and his family from a devastating flood. Noah did not start rejoicing that his enemies were all dead and that the entire earth now belonged to him and his family.
He didn’t start cultivating to eat. “He quickly offered sacrifices to thank and praise God who looked down, blessed him and vowed never to let flood destroy Noah’s world anymore. God blessed the generation of Noah and there was a covenant between God and Noah.
“For the Israelites, after God rescued them, they set up that agreement that they’ll continue to praise God through the Passover celebration to remember how God rescued them from Egypt. “In the case of Hannah who was in pain of childlessness, she cried and God remembered her. She returned her son, Samuel to the House of God to continue to serve God forever.”
Background
In the case of the Igbo Nation, Archbishop Madu said that it is a mark of neglect and the highest level of ingratitude that the Igbos who were very close to extinction until the bloody war that lasted for three years suddenly came to an end on January 15, 1970 have forgotten their history with God.
He said, “On January 15, 1970, God remembered Ndigbo who were dying in a large number during the war. The parents were crying for God to bring the war to an end as they were watching their children die of kwashiorkor.
The children were crying, begging for God’s intervention. The cries were much. “Nobody was thinking of how to build factories, hotels, skyscrapers, etc. We were only begging God to end the war. We ate things that were not initially part of our food. After the cries, on January 15, 1970, God ended the war.
“Take note, let nobody deceive you, it was not the Igbos that ended the war, it was equally not Nigeria that ended the war and it was not any foreign power that ended the war.
“I tell you my children today that it was God Almighty in his infinite mercy that heard our cries and ended the war just to preserve us. I plead with you to realize that God remembered us just as he remembered Hannah, the Israelites and Noah.
Thanksgiving day
“However, our problems started with our ingratitude. Igbos started chasing money and wealth to ensure they replaced what they’d lost. Desire to meet up with physical things that we could not even remember existed as the war was raging made us forget what God did for us on January 15, 1970.”
He said that for the Igbos to stand and be counted again in Nigeria, they must do the needful by setting out a special day of reconciliation and thanksgiving to God to appreciate Him for preserving them from total annihilation during the war. “I tell you today that Igbos owe God.
Hear me, Ndigbo are seriously indebted to God and we must pay that debt or we’ll never get what we want as a people. Yes, individually, our people are getting educated, getting money and making impacts here and there because of the grace of God upon us, but collectively, we are nowhere in Nigeria.
“Go to major cities of the world, you’ll see our wealth everywhere, but look at Nigeria of today, Igbos are not counted as anything. What’s our crime? What did we do to warrant being treated like nothing today despite all our efforts to make Nigeria better?
The answer is that we forgot God and we’re facing the consequences of a people who forgot God. “Note, our solution is not to go and make trouble for anybody to recognize us. We don’t need to fight anybody again. All we need to know is that we’ve never collectively come together as an ethnic nationality to say thank you to God who saved us from genocidal activities that nearly wiped us away.
“We could have gone on extinction if not God. When we ran away, what stopped them from moving their people down here to occupy our land and take us down to theirs as slaves and labourers? It was God Almighty that denied them such an ungodly idea.”
Spiritual solution
He further urged the Igbos to realise that the battle to salvage Igbo land and Igbos in general is spiritual and not physical and therefore, urged them to seek spiritual solutions. “This explains why all physical and intellectual efforts to confront the Igbo problems yielded nothing.
The more we challenge the more we’re oppressed. Therefore, the people who will lead the battle against the Igbo dilemma will be spiritual leaders of integrity. Men and women who are spiritually matured.” He said that since the problem has been diagnosed, as spiritual, what is needed now is a spiritual treatment.
“After diagnosis, treatment must follow. Ndigbo must declare a day of reconciliation with God after over five decades of neglect. After that reconciliation, we’ll now thank God for saving us. That’s all we must do. “God doesn’t need our money. Let’s thank God, He’ll bless our land and we shall have peace.
Politicians will not understand what we are saying because the more you cry about marginalisation from outside Igbo land, the more your politicians will plot how to marginalise you. “We’re nowhere politically today in Nigeria. I urge you this day my children to test God and see.
Any single day in 365 days of a year that we willingly close our businesses, and markets and use it to praise God for saving us, the whole Nigeria will know we’re wise and have woken up.’’
At the end of the sermon, Archbishop of Aba Ecclesiastical Province, Isaac Nwaobia then urged the Igbo nation not to henceforth joke with January 15, as it is spiritually a day that must be dedicated to praise, worship and thanksgiving to God.
“We’re a great people that derailed. So, we’ll use that day to often seek God’s face to gain his love, mercies and the love and friendship of our neighbours. So we can enjoy our years on earth. Our prayers today and henceforth will equally go to our people who are held in captivity. We know God Almighty will save them all.”
Supplications
Sosthenes Eze, current Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province of Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion and Rev. Dr Jeff Opara, Founder of Revival Flame Ministries International took the congregation on a series of prayers and supplications to God, seeking mercy.
A prayer was made that God should touch the entire Igbo Nation to accept and henceforth embrace January 15 as a covenant day of praise, worship and thanksgiving in remembrance of how God delivered and saved Igbos from the Civil War.
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