By Florence Ugbem
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has admonished Christians from all denominations to put aside all differences, and work together, in order to find the way forward that will guarantee their survival and the practice of their faith.
The governor gave the admonition Thursday at the opening ceremony of the 48th/13th Biennial Conference of the Methodist Church Nigeria, held at the Cathedral of Unity, Wuse, Abuja and hosted by the Archdiocese of Benue.
Represented by his deputy, Engr Benson Abounu, he lamented the impaired security situation in the country which he said has put the Christian community at the receiving end of most of the attacks.
He criticized the killing of several priests, burning down of churches and the kidnap and torture of church ministers, including that of the Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr Samuel Chukwuemeka Kalu Uche.
The governor commended the huge contributions of the Methodist Church Nigeria in the area of education, healthcare services, value orientation and empowerment training, and called on Christians to defend themselves if attacked, adding that self defence is a right of every Nigerian. He also promised continuous partnership with the church in bringing social services to the people
Addressing the conference, the Prelate, Dr Kalu Uche called on the bishops and ministers to see the occasion as a retreat to cry before God, and table the problems of the country to Him.
He decried the insecurity and bloodshed in the country, and called on those in leadership positions to act to redress the situation, adding that God will hold them accountable when things go wrong in areas they lead.
The conference with the theme: “prepare for the second coming of Jesus Christ” had in attendance ministers from all over the country with representatives from Gambia, Togo and Kenya.
