Leaders of Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church (C & S), Victory District headquarters, Ikorodu, Lagos have pledged to contiune with the youth empowerment scheme and scholarship award initiated by its late chairman/general leader, Pa Adekunle Awode.
The empowerment, according to the burial committee of Pa Awode, over 120 youth and others have benefitted from the scheme and scholarship award with each receiving N250,000.
Adressing newsmen on the forthcoming burial of the 81-year-old Pa Awode slated for February 1, the burial committee chairman, Special Apostle Sola Opadere, said in his absence, the Church and his family will continue to up hold his legacies which including empowering the youths, women and award of scholarship to indigent students.
His words: ‘’Baba was concen about the youth. He saw the youth as future leaders of tomorrow and was interested in their proper up brining and spiritual growth. He believed that without the youth, the Church and the nation will not grow.
He disclosed that the late Church leader sponsored the education of several youth at different levels and equally empowered others in an attempt to make them useful citizens.
Opadere described the late leader as an asset to the country and the Church which he served for 35 years at Electricity Company of Nigeria (ECN) and later NEPA, adding ‘’people like him should have been fished out and honoured.’’
He said the two week burial programme started January 15 with night of hyms and praises, recalling that Pa Awode was the oldest organist in C & S, on January 22 the National Council of Prophets held vigil in his honour, January 27, service of songs, Christian wake keep at Lagos Government Park at Ebute, Ikorodu and funeral service on February 1 at C & S Victory district while outing service will hold on February 3 at Divine Blessing Cathedral, Alagbado.
Special Apostle Emmanuel Awode, Chief Executive Officer of Chemstar Paints Industrial Nigeria Ltd and first son of the deceased said the Remi Awode Foundation has spent about N22million to empower the youth and indigent persons.
He added: ‘’We have done a lot in his name when he was alive. When we were preparing for his 80th birthday, Pa Awode said no to party to mark the occasion but rather asked me to empower people in the Church with the money for the party and we gave N250, 000 each to 50 people. This year, we will empower 82 people to mark his birthday.’’
On the forthcoming burial, the son said his father was a man of many parts, thus his burial is beyond the children, we the children don’t own him alone. He was the chairman of 21 C & S districts including in USA.’’