By Nwafor Okafor
An Anambra State lawyer, Mr Donald Amamgbo, has build and donated a state-of-art cathedral to the Church of Nigeria(Anglican Communion), Diocese of Ihiala, Anambra State.
During the dedication of the building on Saturday, Amamgbo said, service to God and humanity inspired him to do so.
He said church as a tool to drive positive change and peaceful coexistence among the community, should be well equipped to effectively play the role.
He explained that there was no political undertone except that he wanted the people to worship God in a befitting atmosphere.
He said, “The only thing I can say is that when God puts a conviction in your heart, no matter how big or small, listen to it and do it. This initiative does not have any political undertone, it is not the first project I will do for my community and it does not have to be politically motivated.
“I set out to build a church that is historical, something that you will see in the next 50 years from now and it will still be in vogue. All the facilities are standard. People asked me, why build this kind of structure here and I replied them…why not? Why build structures in major cities and come home and be like second class citizens. Are we second class citizens?
“I don’t care any denomination you belong to what I care about is for you to be the best human being you can be. The church in Nigeria, as a tool for driving positive change, is trying, but it could do better, the church has always been a voice of change but these days, it has focussed on a lot of distractions. To me, their core mission is to change lives and change the society positively and to preach what they believe in fearlessly.
“My advise to the community members is to see this as a tool for peaceful coexistence and societal integration. It has been gifted to them and they have the obligation to look after it.”
The Bishop of the Niger Diocese, Bishop Owen Nwokolo, while dedicating the church, tagged, ‘Chapel of revival’, commended Amamgbo, saying what he did was worthy of emulation.
“For building this structure, he has shown that he loves God and wants God to be worshipped in His holiness and in a befitting atmosphere. The church has a role to play in ensuring the peaceful coexistence among the community and it must be done by preaching message of peace, hope and love,” the cleric added.
Dignitaries at the event included the Commissioner for Information, Mr C-Don Adinuba, the PDP governorship aspirant at the last Anambra governorship election, Mr Valentine Ozigbo, among others.
