- expressed hope for a better Nigeria
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The newly crowded Archbishop of the World Royal City Church (The Tabernacle), Dr. Emmanuel Effa has vowed to amplify his voice in speaking and fighting for the interest of the Body of Christ in Nigeria and beyond.
He stated this at an event in Abuja at the weekend to mark his elevation to the office of Archbishop, witnessed by a large number of bishops and archbishops from different pentecostal churches in Abuja and beyond under the platform of the International Leadership Communion of Ministers (ILCOM).
He explained: “Last year I was elevated to the position of a bishop in Philippines by the Association of Charismatic Philippines Bishops. Today, I am being elevated to the office of an Archbishop. The reason is that I have about 400 bishops under me. And an Archbishop is basically a bishop over bishops.
“So, this elevation ceremony is being powered by the ILCOM College of Bishops here in Abuja, alongside many other colleges of bishops, especially the Grand Alliance of Christian Bishops and Ministers here in Abuja, Nigeria.
“For the Body of Christ, being elevated is getting responsibility to oversee. There’s a lot of recklessness in the Body of Christ, as you all will agree. And we need people whom God has chosen to oversee what should stand as the truth, to uphold the truth of the Gospel, to uphold the truth of the Bible. And so this is going to prosper the Body of Christ, because now they are going to have no supervision. Someone who is sold out to the Gospel, who is going to stand as a supervisor to oversee the work of God, not just in Nigeria, but across the globe.”
He challenged Nigerians to work for the betterment of the country, insisting that the country has done well in the past 65 years of independence. “At 65, we are a very young country, and I think we have made giant strides so far. The United States is almost 300 years old. Britain is a kingdom that is close to 1,000 years old.
“But what I can tell Nigerian leaders is that they should behave as fathers and mothers. When God puts you in a position of leadership, you become a parent to the people you are leading. So, lead them the way you would lead your family. Lead the way you would lead your children. If you know you won’t steal from your children, don’t steal from the nation. If you know you won’t allow your children to fight and destroy themselves, don’t allow the nation to fight and destroy itself.
“Leaders should see themselves as they have been entrusted with the responsibility of parenting the nation. You are not just parenting one part of a nation but the entire country. As the president, you are the father of Nigeria. As a governor, you are the father of your state. Our leaders should see their followers or Nigerians as their children and treat them as like. And if we begin to do so, I believe that God will help us because He sees and reats us as His children.”
Archbishop Effa insisted that building a nation required the collective effort of all Nigerians. “But if we are waiting for leadership to be perfect before our nation will be great, then we’ll be looking forward to a time that may never come.
“When I was in the university some 25 to 30 years ago, we had ASUU strikes for months. Up until today, we still have ASUU strikes. So, if you are waiting for ASUU strikes to end before you become who you want to become, you may never be that thing. Just in your own space, do the best you can and be good to the next person.
“We are a nation of many ethnic groups, multiple religions. And I think that we should do more as regards inter-religious cooperation.
There have been pockets of fighting here and there. We like highlighting the negative. We have 36 states in Nigeria. If two states are in crisis, we have 34 that are not in crisis. As believers, what we encourage people to do is sit back and write down what the Lord has done. But for those 34 that are not in crisis, let’s thank God. And then the two that are in crisis, let’s see how we can bring them to a place where there is agreement. Because if we just focus on, oh, you know, there’s crisis here, there’s crisis here, we may never be able to have a good time as a nation. We should encourage things like sports that bring us together.”
Archbishop John Praise Daniel, the General Overseer of the Dominion Chapel International Churches, and the founder of ILCOM, described Archbishop Effa’s elevation to the office of Archbishop as a big win for the Body of Christ.
“He’s being elevated to the office of an Archbishop because he has many other bishops under him, and many other apostles that are working with him, and so he can give leadership. It’s not just about the title but the responsibility. It’s about commitment, it’s about a kingdom, and it’s about having a voice to speak truth to power.
“This elevation has positioned him for greater exploit and service to the God and man. The office of the Archbishop is an institution that sets up structure and gives direction and order to other Ministers of God. So, this elevation represents Christ. Archbishop Effa is being elevated so he can become a voice, and he can become a representative of Jesus across the nations of the world.”
He congratulated Archbishop Effa and prayed that God would give him an abundance of knowledge and wisdom, in addition to continuous guidance and protection for him and his family.
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