Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi has warned that the state is gradually sliding into anarchy. Amaechi stated this against the backdrop of the abduction last Friday of the Arch Bishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of the Niger Delta North and Dean of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Ignatius Kattey.
Speaking yesterday through his Deputy, Mr. Tele Nkuru during an inter-denominational thanksgiving service, to celebrate the Port Harcourt Centenary at St. Barnabas Anglican Church, Elekahia in Port Harcourt.
Governor Amaechi, who also the chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), lamented the kidnap of the bishop, saying it was a sad pointer to the deteriorating security situation in the state.
He said: “It is very unimaginable that our bishop, whose only asset is in Lord’s vineyard, could be so abducted. The times are very challenging and the only way we can plan for the next 100 years for the state and our children, is through prayers.”
The governor called on the clergy to pray for the government and people of the state.
Earlier, the guest preacher and Bishop of Northern Izon Diocese of the Anglican Communion, Reverend Anga Nyanabo, said the centenary celebration offered an opportunity to assess the past, chart a course for the future and appreciate the contributions of men and women who had been instrumental to the growth of the city.
“We have received numerous blessings from God and it is only right that we thank Him. When people turn back and thank God, the Lord blesses them even more,” he said, adding that “the celebration could not have come at a more appropriate time than now when we have unprecedented development in the city.”
Meanwhile, the Councils of Clergy and Knights of the Diocese of Niger Delta North, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), have demanded the release of the kidnapped Anglican archbishop.
Addressing newsmen at the Saint Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, Port Harcourt yesterday, after a special prayer session to seek for God’s intervention, Venerable Richard Okpara, who is also the chairman, Council of Clergy in Dioceses of Niger Delta North, said all they wanted was the unconditional release of Bishop Kattey.
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