Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has admonished fathers to see themselves as the mirror through which the young ones live peacefully and harmoniously with one another in the fear of God irrespective of their religion.
Governor Uzodimma gave the advice at the Government House Chapel, Owerri in a brief remark on the significance of Fathers Day which was held on Sunday all over the world.
The Governor charged the fathers to seize the opportunity of fathers Sunday to reflect on the role of fathers in peace keeping, religious co-existence and protection of lives and property.
He used the occasion to remind all that the world is using the celebration to pray and unite against the Covid-19 pandemic.
The governor urged fathers to interrogate their consciences and ask themselves if they are living in unity, harmony and peace with their fellow human beings, including with their own families.
He reiterated that as Governor, himself and his team have come to serve Imo people, to make things that were not going on well before to go well now, and to preach reconciliation among political, ethnic and religious groups.
He called for harmonious co-existence/habitation between the Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa and or Fulani, Christians and Moslems.
He said that with a peaceful environment, Government will be able to provide the enabling environment for a social order that will always interrogate our conscious on how we are helping our society to grow and develop.
Governor Uzodimma noted: “Only God is the father. The word father is therefore your conscience. How have you encouraged the young ones to live peacefully with one another? How have you helped them to advance their course in life? The God in us is our conscience. It does not matter whether you are Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostant or even Muslim, once our conscience is clear we can worship together and do the right things. We can live together and help one another. Only then can we claim to be fathers.”
He regretted that today’s fathers have not done much to advance the course of peaceful coexistence with their fellow human beings and urged them to desist from such if actually they see God in themselves and vice versa.
He enjoined the fathers to search their mind and reflect on how they have influenced the young ones to live a good life, especially now that there is killings everywhere.
Governor Uzodimma decried the rate at which many fathers have tried to use religion to subvert the peace and love which God has given to us freely as those He created in His image, noting that fathers who worth that name must be agents of love and peace at all times.
He advised the fathers in Imo state to learn to co-habit with even the non-Christians like the Muslims, many of who, he said, have lived too long with the people, buying lands and building houses here, marrying and being married by our people and seeing themselves as part and parcel of the state.
“We should create a conducive environment for all us to live together. I urge the church, the political class, the traditional rulers and community leaders to preach peace and the gains of peaceful coexistence.
“As a father, I ask all of us, what have we contributed to bring peace to the world? Since we are not in a position to create life we, therefore, must respect what we cannot create,” Governor Uzodimma added.
On his part, he reassured to abide by the oath he has sworn to protect life of the citizens, bearing in mind that it is only God that gives life and nobody has the right to destroy or remove life.
He also reminded all that whatever we are is an opportunity from God and that we should not allow mundane things to make us destroy or take life.
While wishing all fathers in Imo State a happy fathers Sunday, the Governor said that he discovered that “most of our people are Muslims, they are equally married to Christian families, acquired landed properties from Christians hence what we describe as non-indigenes is no longer what we think. Therefore, what we saw and cannot change, we must learn to live with it, because they have no other place to go to.”
The Governor warned against using the Government House Chapel to make political announcements and or play politics, saying that whoever has such intention must do such outside the chapel.
The governor informed that he had taken steps to bridge the disharmony between the different faith organizations that exist in Imo state by creating the Office of the Special Adviser on Religious Matters.
He promised that soon, he will inaugurate a Joint Committee that will deal with how the Christians and Muslims in Imo state can cohabit.
Earlier in a homily, drawn from the Gospel according to Mathew 10:28, the chaplain of Government House Chapel, Rev. Father Ralph Madu enjoined Christians not to be afraid of those who can destroy the body only but cannot destroy the soul and spirit as Christ instructed his disciples. He advised all to live in peace and harmony, and pray for our leaders.
Highlight of the church service was the reading of the Second Lesson drawn from Romans 5:12 by the Governor Uzodimma.
