12th January, 2013
The Primate, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, has called on church leaders to offer “selfless service’’ to the poor and people in rural areas.
Okoh gave the advice on Saturday in Asaba during the presentation ceremony of five new archbishops of the Anglican Church of Nigeria.
He reminded the new archbishops that caring for the less privileged and the needy remained a core ministry of the church.
He encouraged the clerics to be of good courage and deliver service to the people and prayed for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to enable them to serve faithfully.
Later, the primate told the congregation at Cathedral Church of St Peter, Asaba, that the election of the new archbishops was necessitated by the existing vacancies and canons of the church.
He explained that the office of the archbishop was an elective position for a first term of five years and that incumbents could stand the chance of being reelected after the first term.
He said the notices of the end of tenure for the Archbishops of Lagos, Kaduna, Jos, Owerri and Ibadan provinces of the church would take effect from Jan 19.
According to the primate, by the canons of the Church of Nigeria (2002), the successor-archbishops must be elected three months ahead.
Archbishops Edmund Akanya of Kaduna Province and Benjamin Kwashi of Jos Province were re-elected and presented as archbishops for a second term.
Bishop Adebayo Akinde of Lagos Mainland Diocese was presented as the new Archbishop of Lagos Province, while Bishop Caleb Maduoma of Ideato Diocese was presented as the Archbishop of Owerri Province.
Also, Bishop Segun Okubadejo of Ibadan North was presented as the new Archbishop of Ibadan Province.
Earlier, in a sermon, the outgoing Bishop of Egbu Diocese, the Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Iheagwam, urged church leaders not to relegate God on assuming a new position. He said that Godly attributes were greatly needed in the modern world, where “poverty, kidnapping, bribery and corruption and other vices have become the order of the day.’’
Governor Peter Obi of Anambra was among the dignitaries who attended the service.