Boko Haram: FG, ECWA embark on joint effort to effect Leah release
By Federal Government and Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) have embarked on complementary effort to ensure the release of remaining Dapchi girl, Leah Sharibu, in Boko Haram captivity.
Vice President, ECWA Theological Seminary (ETS) and ECWA College, Igbaja, Ifelodun local government area of Kwara state, Rev John Aina, and Chairman, Governing Board, Dr Samson Opaluwah, disclosed in Igbaja at the 54th graduation ceremony of the institution.
Rev Aina said that “of recent ECWA as a body had a roundtable discussion with the representatives of the federal government and they explained how they have been negotiating with the Boko Haram members.
The Federal Government is not relenting on getting the girl released. We are encouraging, praying for the family and ECWA is impressing it on the Federal Government to ensure her release.”
Dr Opaluwah hailed the girl for holding fast to her faith even in the midst of threat to her life.
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“We give glory to God for the life of Leah Sharibu. We have seen that she has stood for Christ. That is why that little girl could confront the guns of the tormentors and said she would not deny her faith.
“ECWA will not stop praying for her and we are praying also for her captors that like Apostle Paul they would become people that would propagate the gospel because of the sacrifice of this our little girl.
For these captors today, we talk to them to release our little girl. They have no control over that life and today whether they release her or not God is going to release her”.
The governing board chair said the word of God is the antidote societal challenges, adding that ‘politics, governance and all human systems cannot change the world. What will change society is the word of God. When you institutionalise the fear of God in the principles and practice of the running of our society things will be better. We should always go with the word of God. The fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
On this year’s graduation ceremony themed “National unity in the face of internal divisive threats: The role of the church,” he said that “this has been a yearly event on the note that since its inception in 1916 the Seminary has been graduating the needed workforce for God’s Vineyard and government and other corporate offices but one of the things that made this year’s own outstanding is that we graduated 382 graduands, being the highest ever.
“The maiden convocation of ECWA College of Education, Igbaja: One of the objectives and tasks we set out at the wake of our tenures in 2013 was the establishment of arm of the Seminary that will be saddled with the responsibility of producing teachers of high moral and intellect.
As such, we were immediately spurred into action in this regard and in year 2014 a provisional licence by National Commission for Colleges of Education was granted as backed by the approval of Kwara State Ministry of Higher Education.
“Thus, the college commenced operation in January 2015 and today we graduated 16 students. By way of addition, this maiden convocation was supposed to be held last year but we were held back since their certificates were not yet ready.
“Let me also add that we did not just turn them out haphazardly, they are today professionally registered teachers. The ceremony for their registration with Nigerian Teachers Registration Council (NTRC) was held yesterday, November 2, 2018.”
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