Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Sunday urged the clergy in the country to be bold and speak truth to political leaders so as to make the nation better.

The governor gave the charge at a special church service to celebrate birthday of the General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministry, Apostle Johnson Suleman, in Auchi, Edo.

He described Suleman as “a man being used by God”, and said that testimonies of his benevolence to Nigeria Correctional Centre, Auchi, through supports and interventions, had shown his love for humanity which Jesus Christ represented.

“I met Suleman for the first time at a crusade in Agbor and from that day I noticed the fact that God has a hand in his life.

“I thank God for what He is using him (Suleman) to do across the world; he is sent on a mission to humanity and to the world.

“I know that the church is not constituted by the building or the crowd but by the body of Christ, and from what I have seen here today, the Pastor is bringing the word of God to reality in many lives.

“I urge you, the Church, to continue to be prayerfully in support of your Senior Pastor, for any man of God that is rising, there must be challenges on the way.

“The Church is you, it's not the building; so I urge you as a Church to stand strong in prayer for him and his family so that the evil ones will not have their way against his leadership,” Okowa said.

He told the people that Suleman had striven so passionately to win souls for Christ, adding that he had a huge followership everywhere.

“So, you must stand in prayer for him so he will win more souls for Christ.”

The governor, who was marveled by the music and other entertainment performances by some youths in the Church, thanked the Pastor for giving youths a platform to excel.

“As we continue to move on, we have to do the things that will attract youths to Christ, and that is exactly what we have seen here today.

“It’s important because if we don’t do that, we begin to lose them and may God not allow us to lose our youths,” he added.

The governor charged the Church to truly continue to pray for the nation to overcome the myriad of challenges confronting it and put it on a way to progress.

On his part, the Deputy Governor of Edo, Comrade Philip Shaibu, congratulated Apostle Suleman on his birth anniversary and urged him not to relent in the fight against poverty and unemployment in Edo and the country through his philanthropic interventions.

Earlier, the celebrant, Suleman, had thanked God for giving him another opportunity to witness another year and pledged to do more to evangelise for Christ.

He admonished all to eschew hatred as it did nobody and nation any good.

•PHOTO: Delta Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa (2nd left); Edo State Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu (left); Apostle Johnson Suleman (2nd right) and his wife, Dr. Lizzy, during the Birthday Thanksgiving of the Apostle at Omega Fire Ministry, Auchi, Edo State, on Sunday, 28/3/21. PHOTO: JIBUNOR SAMUEL

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