By Adams Oyiboke
BENIN CITY- Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has urged Christian Pilgrims to the Holy Land of Israel and Rome to be of good behaviour and avoid anything that would put the State and the nation to shame.
Governor Oshiomhole gave the admonition yesterday at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Benin City where he bid farewell to the State contingents to the Holy Land.
Represented by the Commissioner, Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs. Blessing Maigida, Oshiomhole said, ”you should regard your journey to the Holy Land as sacred; Therefore, you must have a humble character and be full of reverence in your approach to a Holy God in the Holy Land.
“You are not going to Israel and Rome to learn, but to experience God and come back a changed person”, the governor said.
He warned that, Government would not tolerate abscondment as it puts our Nation and
State in bad light and also affects our relationship with host countries”.
Governor Oshiomhole however congratulated the 2014 Pilgrims for their commitment and hard work which, according to him had brought them to this stage, maintaining that some persons dropped out for lack of finance and other reasons.
In his address, the Secretary, Edo State Christian Pilgrim Welfare Board, Sir, Patrick Ihayere said: “I present to you, men and women chosen by God who will be away for Eleven Holy days from 9th December to 20th December, 2014 to Holy Pilgrimage in Rome and Israel to seek God’s face for divine solutions to the myriads of challenges facing us as families, State, government and the nation”.
Ihayere said: “Your Excellency, we have a contingent of 83, consisting of 33 females and 50 males screened and cleared by the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Council.
He assured the state government that the Board would do everything possible to organize a successful outing while promising that the pilgrims would be good ambassadors of Nigeria and Edo State in particular.
