The Archbishop of Onitsha and Metropolitan of Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, His Grace, Most Rev. Valerian Maduka Okeke has mark his 71st birthday
with Correctional Inmates.
Angel Network News (ANN) reports that
Archbishop Okeke presented bags of rice, bags of beans, cartons of biscuits, slaughtered life cow, assorted tissue paper, birthday cake, amongst others to the inmates.
In his homily, the Prelate advised christians to always express gratitude to God for the gift of life and other blessings
He noted that thanksgiving is a gratitude for God’s blessings, defining gratitude as a feeling for favour obtained from some other person or getting something from someone.
Archbishop Okeke further said that gratitude not expressed is not real, just as he explained that there are so many ways to express gratitudes to God.
“Praying and praises, doing something good to others, forgiveness, almsgiving, treating others fairly as well as preaching that gratitude attracts God’s blessings.
” Don’t wait until you become the President of the country before you give thanks to God. Accept everything in your life and give thanks to God. Cultivate the habits of thanksgiving, “Archbishop Okeke admonished.
The chaplain of St. Maximilian Kolbe Chaplaincy Onitsha correctional centre, Rev. Fr. Bartholomew Okpalaugo felicitated Archbishop Okeke on his birthday anniversary, commending him for his numerous achievements which he said fetched him huge honour of grand Patron of the entire correctional centres in Nigeria.
Fr. Okpalaugo noted that Archbishop Okeke through his magnanimity attracted conducive environment, provided various facilities, medical treatment and facilitated the recruitment of teachers who are teaching the inmates as well as ensured that the ultramodern skill acquisition center he built for them are functioning.
The clergy announced with delight that the National Open University would soon commence activities inside the correctional centre in other to avail the inmates opportunity to attend tertiary education after primary and secondary school while they are serving in the prison yard.
Also commenting, the Anambra State Controller of Correctional centre, Mr Joseph Osifo rained accolades to the Archbishop Okeke who he said he preferred to be calling Daddy.
Osifo said that Archbishop Okeke is a blessing to Onitsha correctional centre and humanity, saying that his achievements in the prison yard had placed Onitsha correctional centre as the best among other prison facilities in Nigeria.
He warned inmates not to abuse the facilities provided to them by Archbishop Okeke in order not to discourage him, noting that he had approved televisions in the facilities and he is ready to answer the query that would arise.
The Controller explained that for them to manage and transform the inmates, it required spiritual and physical efforts, appealing to Government to decongest cell by ensuring that judiciary speeds up trial of the inmates.
He said that the offence which brought many in the prison is not what would keep them for a long time, soliciting other spirited individuals to assist Archbishop Okeke to tell Government to decongest by freeing some whose offences were minor.
