Akinola, Okoh at dedication of secretariat, charge members to trust in God

The former Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Peter Jasper Akinola has warned church leadership not to take any counsel from those he described as lobbyists and politicians, saying they are unreliable and cannot be trusted for guidance. He also called on the church to rely on only God, Who guides His own.

At the dedication of the Church’s National Secretariat, St. Matthias House in Abuja, Akinola described the beautiful edifice as a place where necessary decisions will be taken to move Anglican Communion forward.

The retired primate, who gave a brief history of the Church and why it was forced to sever ties with the Western world because of the decision to accept teachings that are contrary to God’s word, said: “The Anglican Church does not belong to a single individual and it is not a tribal Church.

The Anglican Church in Nigeria is the Church of Nigeria that embraces every tribe and makes decisions as a body, including the decision to build the new national secretariat in Abuja.”

Urging members, especially Church leaders to put away every form of tribalism and rely on God for guidance in every decision, the cleric observed that Nigerians live in a time of great confusion, stressing that things do not work in the country because people could not decide on what they want to do.

He said: “There is so much confusion that the nation, as well as the Church needs guidance from Someone Who has intimate knowledge of the way and can guide people on what to do. That Someone is none other than Jesus Christ, Who’s the way, the truth and the life.”

He charged the Church to ensure that every decision taken in the building must be based on five things: the Scriptures, on Christ alone; on God’s grace, faith in Jesus Christ, and the glory of God. He said the Church can never go wrong, when it bases its decisions on these five principles.

Earlier in his message, the Primate of Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Dr. Nicholas D. Okoh, thanked the Lord for making the house possible. Quoting a Bible portion, which says, “Unless God builds a house, they labour in vain that build it,” Okoh explained that over the years, the administrative headquarters of the Anglican Church had moved from one location to another, until it finally settled in Abuja.