History will be made on Saturday, December eight as Francis Cardinal Arinze, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments at the Vatican, will lead a pontifical Mass preceding special awards by the Catholic Church to Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State and two leading Anglicans in the state, Chief Obi Adimora, and Barrister Chidi Amamgbo.
The event will take place at the Christ the King Parish, Umuezeawala, Ihiala, according to the Chairman of the Planning Committee, Professor Chuka Chukwube of the University of Lagos, and the Secretary, Architect Martin Nwabineli, who runs a leading indigenous building firm based in Lagos, and will be chaired by Engineer Edwin Enwegbara, a hydrologist and former President of the Nigerian Water Association.
A statement from Planning Committee stated that the three persons are being recognized for working for the good of all in the society regardless of social differences, noting that
the whole nation is proud of how Governor Obiano led Anambra State to give former Vice President Alex Ekwueme a most befitting funeral which lasted for days early this year despite the fact that they belonged to different political parties and
Dr Ekwueme’s first child, Barrister Chidi Ekwueme-Onyemelukwe, was the Deputy Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November Seventeen , 2017, Governorship Election.
The statement noted that the Governor conducted his campaign with dignity, compelling other candidates to toe his line of peaceful conduct thereby making Anambra the first state in Nigeria’s history to conduct such a major election without incidents of violence before and during the elections and even after the result was declared in which Obiano won overwhelmingly in each of the twenty one Local Government Areas of the state.
It pointed out that for the first time in the history of Anambra State, candidates of the major parties accepted a gubernatorial election result and went on to congratulate the winner in writing, while leading members of the opposition parties, including Gubernatorial Candidates in the election who contested against the governor were present at Chief Obiano’s second inauguration on March 18, 2018.
The statement revealed that Adimora, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, heard informally that Cardinal Arinze had no vehicle when he was retiring as Prefect for the Congregation of Divine Worship and Discipline of Sacraments in Rome and quietly bought him a brand new Prado SUV.
despite the fact that Chief Adimora has never been a Catholic and had never had contact with the Cardinal up to the time he donated the vehicle and
is being honored for reflecting ecumenism in truth and spirit .
The statement further explained that Barrister Amamgbo has been assisting Ihiala people and churches without publicity including
constructing a public road and awarding several scholarships as well as assisting the needy generally without knowing the beneficiaries.
It observed that Cardinal Arinze is a highly respected global citizen, but is ever conscious of his Nigerian roots and one of the greatest brands Anambra and Nigeria have ever produced and exported.
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