ADVERTISEMENT
The Sun Nigeria
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
  • The Sun Foundation
No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
  • The Sun Foundation
No Result
View All Result
The Sun Nigeria
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT
Home Columns

Onitsha priests and Crowther Memorial School

21st November 2018
in Columns
0
Onitsha priests and Crowther Memorial School
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Crowther Memorial was not one of the schools forcibly taken over by the Ukpabi Asika government in 1970s; it had been publicly owned even in the 1950s.

Chinelo Amobi

Truth is the first casualty in every war or crisis. We all have seen this fact manifest in the funny propaganda against the Anambra State government over the ownership of not just Crowther Memorial Primary School in Onitsha but also the land on which it is built. Some Anglican bishops as far as the South-West of Nigeria have been informed that the Willie Obiano administration in Anambra State has been acquiring Anglican primary schools by force. This is of course, a fantastic lie.

READ ALSO: Anambra: Obiano, Anglican church feud deepens

What is in dispute really is the status of one of the two primary schools located in the same premises in Onitsha. Crowther Memorial Primary School was built in the 1950s and became government owned ever since. It was known as Native Authority School before it was renamed Onitsha Urban Council Elementary School, and there were five of them in Onitsha before the military coup of 1966.

Put succinctly, Crowther Memorial was not one of the schools forcibly taken over by the Ukpabi Asika government in 1970s; it had been publicly owned even in the 1950s. For some people to tell barefaced and dangerous lies in order to demonise the state authorities is a particularly low road to take. This is all the more so when they do so wearing cassocks. In the immortal words of the Bible. “you shall know the truth, for only the truth shall set you free” (John 8: 32). Therefore, concerned Christians apologise to the Nigerian public, especially the people of Anambra State, for the conduct of some activist Anglican priests. Bishop Owen Nwokolo should not appear as a nice guy when greater seriousness is required; he has to display firmer control of his priests, so that he can retain his personal integrity

I was born an Anglican in the Diocese on the Niger Diocese. My family played a critical role in the spread of this protestant faith in Ogidi and environs. The Iyi Enu Hospital in Ogidi, owned by the Anglican Church and the first hospital in Igboland, was made possible by my family and others. Chief Emeka

Anyaoku, the erstwhile Commonwealth secretary general, and Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, are among distinguished Nigerians born in this great hospital.

However, an increasing number of some of us from this diocese do not bear allegiance to the church any more. Bishop Nwokolo and others need not go far to find out why the Anglican membership of the Onitsha diocese has been hemorrhaging. For example, let them reflect honestly on the ethical conduct of its own priests in public in recent days.

On Friday, November 2, 2018, some priests blocked the entrance to Government House, Awka, for hours, pouring the worst of malediction against the Government and people of Anambra State. The Anglican Communion in Nigeria, a disciplined church known for the philosophy of live and let live, has never been associated with the kind of curses, invective, fire and brimstone which these men were openly raining on Ndi Anambra even on television.

People are free to protest in the open in every democratic society. They can carry placards with all manner of inscriptions. It is their democratic right. What is not tolerable is blocking public access to roads, all the more so one leading to the office of the state governor. What then is the difference between the protesters and followers of Alhaji Ibrahim Zakzaky of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria who are accused of habitually blocking public roads to the chagrin of both the authorities and law-abiding citizens?

When these activists saw that opinion was heavily against them, they claimed they stormed Government House for a dialogue with the governor on the status of Crowther Memorial Primary School, which shares the same premises as Omu Nwaegboka Primary School in Onitsha. It is difficult to say if anyone believes the explanation. They came with placards with incendiary inscriptions, some calling the governor who is a leading Christian “a Boko Haram” (sic). This is how low some men in cassock have gone. The men came with so many seats with which they blocked the entrance to Government House. They also came with food and drinks and water, showing they came for a showdown.

The protest planners deliberately misled even senior priests by telling them that the governor knew they were coming. They knew the truth only when Venerable Amaechi Okwuosa, a senior cleric in the Anglican Diocese of Nnewi and Managing Director of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority, let the cat out of the bag. In fact, the bishop has never sought audience with the governor on the question of the ownership of Crowther School. If he had sought, he would have been granted audience automatically.

It is self-evident that those who planned the protest wanted a showdown with the state authorities by mobilising a number of men to Government House, Awka, to act in the most militant manner. They anticipated a scuttle with security officers, so that it would be sensationally claimed in the media that government agents were beating up religious leaders. They came with a battery of their journalists all the way from Onitsha, so that they could do sensational reporting.

It is unbelievable some clergymen could be so given to controversy rather than the truth. They present a report by a panel set up by the Peter Obi administration on the return of schools to their original owners which, they claim, recommended on page 43 the handover of the school to the Anglican Church because it was built by Church Missionary Society in 1956 but handed over to the government in 1957. What they fail to disclose is that the Peter Obi did not accept, let alone implement, the report because it was considered controversial. The chairman of the panel, Mr Justice Godwin Ononiba, did not sign it. The version which the church members are brandishing as their bible was written and signed only by a group of Anglicans led by Mr Justice Anigbogu, a retired judge. It is immoral to create the impression that this document was signed by all parties on the panel.

Why they fiercely insist on certain tactics to make their case beats the imagination. The Anambra State Commissioner of Police, a northern Muslim, has on various occasions advised certain Christian religious leaders against making certain claims because it will reduce their esteem in the eyes of their followers. The National Vice Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Joseph Otubu, a distinguished virology professor, noted recently: “It is very sad that ‘some men of God’ have no fear of God and no iota of righteousness in them. Only an ungodly and thoroughly perverted human being would seek to justify crimes”. These are weighty words.

On behalf of concerned Christians in and around Onitsha, I apologise to the Nigerian public, especially the people of Anambra State, for the inelegant conduct of the priests who created an embarrassing spectacle at Government House in Awka.

God bless Anambra State, our beloved and the Light of the Nation.

READ ALSO: Anglican Primate, 20,000 youths storm Anambra for AYF conference

_________________________________

Amobi is a pastor, author, princess and founder of Miriam Stephen Amobi Stroke Foundation

Tags: anambra stateanglican bishopsanglican churchanglican diocese of nnewianglican primary schoolsChristianscrowther memorial primary schoolGovernor Willie Obianoobiano administration
David

David

Sun News Online team

Related Posts

What type of son are you raising?
Funke Egbemode

What type of son are you raising?

4th February 2023
What type of son are you raising?
Columns

What type of son are you raising?

4th February 2023
Winning with the Nigerian spirit
Columns

Woman who took a big risk on me: Dr. Doyin Abiola

4th February 2023
Next Post
EMBER MONTHS

Ember months: Group embarks on safety campaign

REPENTANT BOKO HARAM

Group tasks N’ East states on repentant Boko Haram members

Is President Buhari’s travel ban on Nigerians constitutional? (4)

Is President Buhari’s travel ban on Nigerians constitutional? (4)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Highlights

Yoruba youth leader urges Atiku to support calls on CBN to extend cash swap

Elections: Ebonyi indigenes condemn attack on APGA guber candidate

APC reschedules Gubernatorial primaries for February 10 in Taraba

Kenyan wins 8th Gold-Label Access Bank Lagos City Marathon

Building collapse: FCT minister orders arrest of FHA officials, developer

I-G orders full enforcement against naira note hawking

Trending

Amotekun rescues 9 Lagos-bound passengers kidnapped in Ondo
Politics

Kaduna: Gunmen kill 2, as LP Reps candidate escapes assassination

4th February 2023
0

From Noah Ebije, Kaduna Tragedy struck on Friday night, as unknown gunmen invaded Gure village in Lere...

2023: 2 ‘Obidient’ groups hold solidarity march for Obi, Ikpeazu in Abia

2023: 2 ‘Obidient’ groups hold solidarity march for Obi, Ikpeazu in Abia

4th February 2023
ataga news

Gunmen bomb Police station in Abagana, kill 4

4th February 2023
2023: Northern Christian, Muslim APC Leaders settle for Atiku

Yoruba youth leader urges Atiku to support calls on CBN to extend cash swap

4th February 2023
Road to 2023: APGA Candidate, Odoh assures on creating shared prosperity in Ebonyi

Elections: Ebonyi indigenes condemn attack on APGA guber candidate

4th February 2023
ADVERTISEMENT

Follow us on social media:

Latest News

  • Kaduna: Gunmen kill 2, as LP Reps candidate escapes assassination
  • 2023: 2 ‘Obidient’ groups hold solidarity march for Obi, Ikpeazu in Abia
  • Gunmen bomb Police station in Abagana, kill 4
  • Yoruba youth leader urges Atiku to support calls on CBN to extend cash swap
  • Elections: Ebonyi indigenes condemn attack on APGA guber candidate
  • APC reschedules Gubernatorial primaries for February 10 in Taraba
  • Kenyan wins 8th Gold-Label Access Bank Lagos City Marathon
  • Building collapse: FCT minister orders arrest of FHA officials, developer
  • I-G orders full enforcement against naira note hawking
  • NHRC organises town hall for guber candidates in Plateau
  • Gov. Akeredolu swears in new chief judge, 4 high court judges
  • Naira redesign: Customers urge CBN to sanction banks not paying N20,000 over the counter
  • What type of son are you raising?
  • I’ll ensure Nigeria is restructured in 6 months – Atiku
  • River Kaduna dredging project mitigated flooding – Official
  • We are not taking NIMET’s warning with levity, Osun, Odno Ekiti govts.
  • Women who shared their men
  • I’m raising a generation of models-Suleman Alimat
  • 20 years of rewarding excellence: How The Sun Awards shut down Lagos
  • (no title)

Categories

  • Abuja Metro
  • Anambra Watch
  • Arts
  • Broken Tongues
  • Business
  • Business Week
  • Cartoons
  • Citizen Joe
  • Columns
  • Cover
  • Culture
  • Duro Onabule
  • Editorial
  • Education Review
  • Effect
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Events
  • Features
  • Femi Adesina
  • Food & Drinks
  • Frank Talk
  • Funke Egbemode
  • Gallery
  • Global Square by Kenneth Okonkwo
  • Health
  • Insights
  • Kalu Leadership Series
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Letters
  • Lifeline
  • Lifestyle
  • Literary Review
  • Marketing Matters
  • Muiz Banire
  • National
  • News
  • Offside Musings
  • Opinion
  • oriental news
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • PressClips
  • Public Sphere
  • Ralph Egbu
  • Shola Oshunkeye
  • Sideview
  • South-west Magazine
  • Sponsored Post
  • Sporting Sun
  • Sports
  • Sun Girl
  • Tea Time
  • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
  • The Sun Awards Live
  • The Sun TV
  • Thoughts & Talks
  • Time Out
  • Today's cover
  • Tola Adeniyi
  • Travel
  • Travel & Tourism
  • Trending
  • TSWeekend
  • Turf Game
  • Uncategorized
  • Updates
  • Views from Abroad
  • Voices
  • World
  • World News
  • About Us
  • Paper Ad Rate
  • Online Ad Rate
  • Change of Name
  • The Team
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
  • The Sun Foundation

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.