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Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Three years ago, on Sunday, April 23, 2017, all roads led to the St. Paul’s Anglican Church Ohambele, in Ukwa East Local Government Area of Abia State, in commemoration of the 150 years of the advent of Christianity in that part of the world and by extension the whole of Abia State.
Early European missionaries and traders had in 1865 found the rustic and sleepy Ohambele agrarian community suitable to establish the Anglican Church.
Former Senate President, Chief Adolph Wabara, and his younger brother, former CEO of Hallmark Bank, Chief Marc Wabara, hail from there.
For making Ohambele the cradle of Christianity in Abia, the people, led by the Warabas, rolled out the drums in celebration of a worthy attainment. They invited friends, associates and well-wishers to help raise funds to build structures in the church in appreciation of God’s glory. Among those who attended the event then, were the former governor of Abia State and Chief Whip of the Senate, state chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Donatus Nwankpa, former Abia Deputy Governor, Comrade Chris Akomas, Senator Nkechi Nwaogu, APC Abia governorship candidate in 2015, Chief Nyerere Ayim, Chief Sam Nkire (APC BoT member), Mascott Uzor Kalu (former Abia Chief of Staff) and Chief Marshal Wokocha of Modum Associates Limited, among others.
Guests at the event had donated handsomely for the erection of the structures which included office and meeting hall complex. Three years down the line, the projects were completed to the glory of God.
Speaking on March 7, 2020, during the handing over of the projects and award to those who made the projects a reality, Chairman of the church’s 150th anniversary steering committee, Chief Marc Wabara, said the committee decided to embark on some projects to show the goodness of God to the community.
Wabara informed that the committee invited friends and associates of the community who contributed towards the building of the projects which he said today had been completed hence the honour to the donors.
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Wabara, who was also one of the award recipients, said the honour was for everybody who contributed in one way or the order for the building of the complex, noting that it was the first of its kind in that part of the country.
Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Uche Ogah, who was special guest of honour at the event, urged Christians to always get involved in the things of God, saying it was the greatest thing to do, working in the vineyard of God.
Ogah regretted that Christians do not like investing in the things of God, stressing that putting money in the things of God was the greatest investment any person could make.
The minister said that God has the capacity to defend his children, stressing that he never lobbied to be made a minister. He added that as a child of God who believed in sowing of seed, whatever he was today was made possible by the grace of the Almighty God.
“As at 2013, if you came to my house and talked about politics, I will chase you away, but later that year, a bishop prophesied that I will be a Minister of the Federal Republic and today, it has come to pass, that is the work of God”.
In his sermon, Bishop of Ukwa Diocese, Rev. Samuel Eze, said God is the fountain of living water that is after man’s soul and not just to bless him materially.
He commended the committee for finishing the project in good time without any quarrels and prayed God to bless them.
Some of those honoured were Senator (Dr.) Orji Uzor Kalu, Senator Nkechi Nwaogu, Chief Emmanuel Mbaka, Chief Azu Ezeibe and Tunde Ajala. Others were former Senate President Wabara, Dr. Babantah Cyril Babantah and Chief Wellington Akara.
