Chinyere Anyanwu
The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Worldwide has dedicated Kirikiri Maximum Reference Hospital and a renovated Liberty Chapel for the inmates of Kirikiri Maximum Prison in Lagos.
The church also held a thanksgiving service at the Liberty Chapel in the prison recently. The two properties were dedicated by Pastor Joseph Obayemi, national overseer of RCCG, who represented the general overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.
Speaking at the biannual holy visitation service, Obayemi enjoined the inmates to thank God in all circumstances, remarking that nothing was impossible with Jesus Christ.
Obayemi, who is also a member of the governing council of RCCG, anchored his message on Psalm 95: 1-7.
He told the inmates to be hopeful and steadfast, expressing the conviction that they would regain their freedom some day. Many of the inmates heeded the altar call and he prayed for them.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Pastor Tunwashe Kabiru, the host pastor of Liberty Chapel, noted that the core of a Christian life is obedience to Jesus’ instructions, one of which is in Matthew 25:36, 40.
He remarked that the biannual divine visitation had always been a time of expectations and blessings, adding
that, in appreciation of what God has been using the general overseer and RCCG to do, it was a thing of joy to
itemise what the church has done for them and also use the occasion to present new requests.
For instance, in 2010, RCCG World-wide renovated and equipped the National Open University (NOUN) Special Study Centre and also renovated the Liberty Chapel for the inmates.
It also granted scholarships to students until NOUN recently gave them 100 per cent free education; renovated and equipped a computer centre for them in 2012; increased the breakfast for them on Sundays; and paid medical bill of a certain Ighalo Joel who in the course of exercising on the field fractured his leg.
Others were the lighting of Ijere to Navy Town, Sunday breakfast to Badagry Prison and donation of Redeemed DoveTV, as well as the refurbishment of the Liberty Chapel (2018), among others.
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The pastor also made three requests: the need for the general overseer to help them talk to the Presidency and state governors to have mercy on the inmates and release them from prison, set up a half-way home for them when they are released from prison and the provision of security in and around the prisons.
In his contribution, Mr. Tunde Ladipo, Controller of Prison, Lagos Command, described the dedicated hospital as
the best hospital in any prison in the country.
He said: “You have made our work easy by what you are doing in the prisons such as improving the infrastructure and also feeding inmates in all Lagos prisons.” RCCG, through its charity arm, His Love Foundation, has been a long-time supporter of prisons in Nigeria.
Additional projects executed include donation of ambulances to Kirikiri Maximum Prison and Agodi Prison, Ibadan; refurbishment of the meeting hall at Kirikiri Prison; donation of generator to Kirikiri and Ikoyi prisons; enrolment of prison inmates for GCE O’Levels; donation and equipping of the Kirikiri Prison ICT Centre/Computer Laboratory; provision of over 5,000 packs of food for prison inmates in Lagos every Sunday; provision of foodstuff; visitation to prisons; provision of materials and free legal aid and facilitation of the release of hundreds of inmates.