Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday laid the
foundation for the proposed special school for needy children in Benue
state.
The school project is championed by the Bishop of Makurdi Diocese as a
pet project to celebrate his silver jubilee anniversary of his
ordination.
Speaking during the event, Obasanjo, who said he was happy to be a
partakaker in the significant and symbolic event commended Bishop
Anagbe for the project.
He praised him for catering for special people whom he noted needed
special attention but were always neglected.
The former President prayed that God would reward the Bishop and all
faithfuls for their efforts in assisting the young people with special
needs to lead normal lives.
Obasanjo also lauded the collaboration between the church and
government in social development of the state saying “I heard the
Governor say the church work hand in hand with the government. That is
how it should be and it is very commendable.”
Obasanjo emphasized that Nigerian leaders must ensure spirituality and
morality were carried along with governance for the nation to be where
it should be.
He therefore urged the Bishop to count on his support for the needed
facility development for the children in the school with a promise
that he would pass by from time to time to see the level of
development of the school.
READ ALSO: Obasanjo Arrives Benue To Lay Foundation For Catholic Church Special School
Welcoming the former President to the Food Basket state, Governor
Samuel Ortorm described Obasanjo as the father of all farmers in
Nigeria.
He informed that the Catholic church had been very supportive of state
government working as partners in the development of the state.
He noted that because of the ground breaking event, the catholic
church had already constructed a road into the community and pledged
to continue to partner with the church for quality service delivery in
the state.
Earlier, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe appreciated God for the symbolic event.
He said “these set of humans are created by God. They have life and
body like us and need to be attended to. We are doing this because we
don’t want to leave anybody out. So we need to give them sense of
meaning and belonging.”
He re-echoed that the society was too materialistic that it forgets
those who are not useful to it immediately, adding “but they have
life in them and that life must be upheld.
“For us in the church, from the cradle to the grave, life is valuable
and meaninful and we will do our best to uphold it.”
The Bishop said the Benue people and the church in particular were
also involved in agricultural ativities as only the Agro -Allied
industry would ensure sustenable development just as he thanked the
former president for for the honour of performing the groundbreaking.
