It was joy galore at the weekend as the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha celebrated the 10th anniversary of Holy Family Youth Village at Amansea, Awka.

The celebration started with concelebrated mass presided by the Archbishop of Onitsha, His Grace, Dr. Valerian Okeke, who is also the proprietor of the Village.

In his homily, the bishop said the Centre was founded as a place for wholesome formation through inculcation of Christian ethics among students resident there.

He reminded students that their primary aim is to acquire education and encouraged them to remain focused in their training so that at graduation, they will be a pride to the school, their parents, themselves and symbols of God’s love and manifestation.

Speaking about the Village, students who live there had different things to say. Miss Jessica Okeke said: “The Village provides the best residential facility for students. What impress me are the daily masses and the spirituality that keep reminding us of the place of God in our formation.”

In his own assessment, Mr. Kevin Chidume said: “The Village is good. Though we were not here during the administration of Mr. Peter Obi, you could see that the Archbishop and the priests remembered him in a special way because it was his Government that constructed the road to the village and showed interest in all the activities of the Village consistent with his belief in education as the basic tool for competition in the world.”

Miss Ada Okoye described the Village as idyllic and expressed surprise that many years since he left office, that the infrastructural development of the village is linked to the efforts of Mr. Peter Obi. She called on Government to continue to remember them as Mr. Peter Obi did.

For Mr. Brendan Chibuzo, a third year Psychology student, “the Village is an ideal residential hostel that is best for any student who is serious and committed to epistemic pursuits devoid of distractions like cultism.”

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