By Festus Ahon
The Christian holy writ, the Bible, in many of its books, speaks against false prophets and their purported prophecies. It warns Christendom against the wiles of such prophets.
But it would appear that, despite the warnings of the holy book, the number of false prophets and the incidence of their evil ways appears to be on the increase across the global Christian community, especially in the Third World where fake prophets, capitalizing on the generic lack of discernment among their followers, have been enjoying an expanded coast of congregants.
This development has become an issue of great concern in many societies in our contemporary world.
Latching onto this concern on Wednesday, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori frowned at the development and urged the Church to gird its loins against the evil.
Oborevwori, who expressed deep concern over the trend on Wednesday, disclosed his displeasure in his remarks at the Standing Committee meeting of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion).
The event held at Anglican Cathedral Church of the Ascension, Boji-Boji-Owa in Ika North-East Local Government Area of Delta State.
He did not publicly lay a personal predicate of his concern at the trend, but he recalled that shortly after he was declared winner of last year’s governorship election in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, a prophet falsely prophesied that he would not stay beyond three months in office as Governor.
The video of the purported prophecy went viral on the worldwide web, but, as events later proved, the prophecy came out to be false.
Speaking at the occasion held under the theme, ‘Who is on the Lord’s Side; Contending with Apostasy in our Generation’, Oborevwori said the theme was appropriate and timely, adding that Church leaders must avoid false teachings and prophecies.
He particularly applauded the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion for its ageless activism in advocating for good governance and its consistent prayers for the nation as well as its fervent support for the less-privileged in the country.
At the occasion, the Archbishop Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria, Most Rev Henry Ndukuba, commended Oborevwori for his support for the Church and his outstanding accomplishments, just a few months after being inaugurated into office.
The Primate also spoke on the state of the nation, particularly insecurity, corruption and the prostrate state of the economy.
He urged the Federal Government to decisively tackle them in order to restore faith and hope in the citizenry.
The cleric particularly urged President Bola Tinubu to tackle the worrisome incidence of insecurity in the country, especially in Plateau State.
Earlier on Tuesday, Oborevwori said Nigeria was facing serious challenges and urged the Church, which he described as the conscience of the nation, to fervently pray for its enduring peace, security and overall development.
The governor spoke when he received on a courtesy visit the Standing Committee of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, led by Ndukuba at Government House, Asaba.
He thanked the delegation for the visit and commended the Anglican Church for praying for him during the electioneering campaign. Ndukuba, responding, lauded Oborevwori for his development initiatives.
Also on Tuesday, the Governor pledged the sustainable development and transformation of Delta via his MORE Agenda.
He spoke when he received the State Advisory and Peace Building Council led by a former Information Minister, Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, during a congratulatory visit at Government House, Asaba.
Expressing delight at the visit, Oborevwori commended them for their support and prayers, assuring that his administration would work to revamp infrastructure in the state.
According to him, the Council was peopled by men and women of proven integrity.
He urged them to offer suggestions that would enrich and align the policy direction of his government.
The Governor said the visit would not only spur him to do more for the state through his development blueprint, but also to tap from their fountain of knowledge.
Oborevwori added that, with the honest positive inputs of every stakeholder, it was possible to build an enviable new Delta, and pledged to carry everybody along in the scheme of things.
The Governor stressed that the evident voluntary spontaneous expression of joy by people from all parts of the state, following the affirmation of his election victory by the Supreme Court, was a clear indication that he was loved by Deltans, and assured that he would remain an efficient humble servant leader.
Earlier, Oyovbaire said the visit was to enable the Council members congratulate Oborevwori on his election and court victories.
According to him, the judgment of the Supreme Court had conferred legitimacy on the election of Oborevwori as Governor.
The former Minister added that the judgment rekindled the faith of the citizenry in the judiciary as the final arbiter on such matters.
Equally on Tuesday, the Governor flagged off construction work on eight duplexes at the Commissioners’ Quarters, Asaba.
At the occasion, Oborevwori said the project was to address the shortfall in residential accommodation for Commissioners who had grown numerically over the years, following the creation of specialised ministries.
He described the project as yet another milestone in the life of his government to provide meaningful development, which is the first pillar of his MORE Agenda.
According to Oborevwori, the quarters, which houses 17 duplexes and five bungalows, was built and commissioned by former Governor James Ibori in 2002.
He said that since the quarters could not simultaneously accommodate all the Commissioners, more units had to be built to accommodate all and give everyone a sense of community which the quarters provides.
Also during the week, Oborevwori gave approval for the construction of Orhorhor Road and Mr Benjamin Aboneje Oseragbaje Road (formerly Hard Rock Road), both in Sapele, with a promise to ensure their early completion.
The Governor gave the nod for the construction when he visited Mr. Benjamin Oseragbaje, and the Publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, Mr Amuka-Pemu, in Sapele on Sunday.
Obviously elated, he said he had desired to visit much earlier but had been held back by distractions arising from the many election-related cases against him, which had now been laid to rest by the Supreme Court.
In his remarks, Mr Amuka -Pemu commended Oborevwori for his remarkable achievements in so short a period of being in office and urged him to continue in that spirit of good works.
In a related development, the Governor, on Monday, approved the reconstruction of Ogbetuo Avenue in Effurun. He gave the approval during a visit to the nonagenarian elder statesman and former Chairman of Delta Elders’ and Leaders’ Forum, Chief Godwin Ogbetuo, at his Effurun residence.
During the visit, Oborevwori said; “I came here for consultation during the elections and he prayed for me and after the Supreme Court judgment, he congratulated me on our victory and I feel it is also good for me to see him.
“During that period of our campaign visit, I saw this road; even though I did not tell him of my decision to reconstruct the road, you saw that when I came out, I went straight to look at the road. They are going to scope it, and, in a few months from now, it will be properly reconstructed.”
Chief Festus Ahon is the Chief Press Secretary to the Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori