Alphonsus Nweze
The Archbishop of Onitsha Metropolitan Archdiocese, Most Rev. Dr. Valerian Okeke, has appealed for the
commitment of Federal Government of Nigeria in the Skill Acquisition Centre he is building for the inmates of Onitsha Correctional Centre by fencing the Centre.
Archbishop Okeke who spoke on Sunday when he celebrated the Christmas with the inmates of the Correctional Centre said the project is almost completed with only the landscaping and fencing remaining.
The Archbishop said the landscaping would cost about N8m but that would not pose any problem because he was sure that the amount would not be difficult to raise as even those present at the Christmas mass can raise the money.
His Grace demanded the Federal Government’s commitment to the project by fencing it to show that they are the landlord.
He said it is the landlord that fences his house not the visitor, no matter how generous, but said the Correctional Centre should make it known if they were not disposed to provide the fence.
It has become customary for the Archbishop to hold mass with the inmates of Onitsha Correctional Centre at least three times a year, during Easter, his birthday and Christmas celebrations.
Earlier in his sermon the Archbishop said God raised the status of man when he allowed his son, Jesus Christ to come down to the earth in human form.
The birth of Jesus, said Archbishop Okeke, dispelled darkness from the world and brought light to mankind.
He said man is the architect of his problem for failing to embrace his creator, noting the compelling need for man to accept the word of the messiah, Jesus Christ, but warned that refusing it amounted to biting the finger that fed one.
The Archbishop cautioned that men should turn from all forms of sins, embrace godliness and God’s blessings would follow them.
Archbishop Okeke as usual splashed the inmates with variety of food items, cooked and raw, ten bags of cooked rice, two cows, (one killed and life one), cakes, biscuits and detergents among others.
The Controller of Corrections, Anambra State, Patrick Chukwuemeka, thanked the Archbishop for all his gestures, saying that they all looked forward to his visit to the centre each time an occasion like this approaches.
He said the Archbishop’s visit encourages them spiritually and materially even as he called on privileged individuals and organizations to emulate the Archbishop to make the inmates better people because they would eventually join the society afterwards.
