By Onochie Anibeze &  Festus Ahon

The atmosphere in the church turned emotional when Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan was invited for his testimony and thanksgiving speech.

The wife accompanied him. He spoke briefly, dramatically invited a musician whose song summarised his story, saying the service would not end if he was to recount all that God has done for him.

It was his 60th birthday and many had gathered at the First Baptist Church in Warri to join him in the thanksgiving service on Wednesday, October 22.

Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor had commended the Delta State Governor for always glorifying God with thanksgiving and had asked everyone to always do same and help the poor. You may have issues with Oritsejafor but one thing you cannot take away from him is his delivery when preaching. He amazed everybody in the church with the word of God. He preached on the rewards of thanksgiving, admonishing all to always help the poor and warned the wicked to stop evil acts or face doom. But he also entertained people.

He interjects humour in his preaching and did so in Warri.

While preaching, the wife approached him to whisper something and he went “thanks so much, it’s so good to have a wife. I’m sorry for you if you do not have a wife.” Laughter followed.

From Left; Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Deaconess Roli Uduaghan, Toritseju Uduaghan, Mrs. Orode Okpu and Mr. Ryan Okpu

But the laughter was louder and more hilarious when he said that he did not intend to spend a long time preaching “so that the governor will have time to attend to the guests early and have enough time for the REAL BIRTHDAY with his wife.

“I have been raised from nothing to something and I get stronger and wiser as I age,” Uduaghan said in his testimony.

One of the pleasant surprises presented to him was organised by his Director of Protocol, Godwin Abigor. And it was the invitation of the star gospel musician, Frank Edwards, without the knowledge of the Governor. Frank’s gospel music is so melodious and rich in lyrics that it could thaw one’s frozen heart and transport one to a state of communion with God.

It sends the worshipper to a higher plane. Uduaghan loves Frank Edward’s music and sings it often. Abigor recognised this and thought it would be great to invite the musician to play on his Principal’s birthday. It made Uduaghan’s day and equally thrilled those who attended the thanksgiving service.

Frank was called to perform after the opening prayer and it was a pleasant surprise to Uduaghan to watch his favourite artiste perform and play a track he hums regularly. Frank got everybody dancing and singing Mma Mma to God.

The song is all about thanking God for His blessings. It’s a moving song. Uduaghan got on his feet, the wife joined him, and the entire church could not help dancing along.

“I’m not Ibo but the song is so sweet that I know all the words and how to sing it,” a woman beside this reporter said with excitement. It put everybody into a suitable spirit of worship for the day.

Even royal fathers, in their regalia, were caught dancing, and Oritsejafor remarked on the striking colours and the delightful dance steps of all including the royal fathers. Towards the end, Uduaghan was invited for his testimony and thanksgiving speech. He made a few remarks and invited Frank to perform again, saying that his song captured his mind and would appropriately tell his story.

Frank did not disappoint him. Emotions overwhelmed all. He delighted with Mma Mma, a song with lyrics in English and Igbo. It was a moving melody. It rose to a high-pitched tenor, with electrifying chorus, and fell again in tempo compelling more dancing. There was another level of excitement when Daddy Showkey and Sammie Okposo joined the stage to perform. Abigor worked behind the scene but he made everybody happy.

He actually blazed the trail in the Uduaghan at 60 story, when he narrated how he met the governor many years ago during the governor’s days in his private clinic in Warri. Abigor told an interesting story of how Roli,

Uduaghan’s wife, had a shot in party politics before the husband. Abigor portrayed Uduaghan as a God-fearing man with a prayer-warrior wife, a consummate leader who goes out of his way to touch lives; a brilliant and intelligent politician whose listening virtue has helped to better understand the feelings of people.

Abigor described Uduaghan as a family man and revealed that “as a governor, he still attends the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) meeting and visits the children on days marked out for visits. It was then no surprise that the topic for the lecture to mark his 60th birthday was not on politics but on a subject in humanity – Anger and Its Management.

Professor Benjamin Okaba and Catholic Bishop, Mathew Kukah, did a pretty good job in their lectures in Asaba to begin the celebration on the eve of the birthday. They spoke at length on what causes anger, the expression of it and management. They captured the individual, domestic, and political angles to the causes of anger; the various ways people express it (some of which could be violent), and the management of it which could be political.

Although emphasis was on the individual and family, there were political angles to the topic. It was a topic Abigor said portrayed the thinking of Uduaghan in the area of humanities.

The galaxy of eminent personalities from the length and breadth of the country that graced the lecture to mark Uduaghan’s 60th birthday spoke volumes about his personality. And the theme for the lecture was apt for a man who has worked tirelessly to make peaceful co-existence and dialogue a veritable tool for conflict resolution the hallmark of his seven years and five months sojourn as the state governor.

From the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III, to Bishop Hassan Matthew Kukah, Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Professor Benjamin Okaba and Chief Olu Falae who spoke during the lecture, the need to live exemplary lives and continue to dialogue so as to seek solutions to the nation’s problems was emphasised.

In his remarks at the lecture, Governor Uduaghan called for dialogue on the issues that propagate anger in the society. He pointed out that the more issues are discussed, “the more we are able to manage them and the anger they generate.”

He reiterated the need for leaders in all spheres of life to live exemplary lives that should be worthy of emulation by their followers and other Nigerians, saying “when leaders show good example to their followers, their followers will follow suit. This is the challenge we have as leaders. What are you telling your followers? What examples are you showing to them?” he asked.

Calling on leaders to do more to enhance the living conditions of their followers, he admonished the followers to be patient and support their leaders for the good of the nation.

In his address, the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III noted that leadership was a trust from God, adding that it was all about service to the people.

While stressing that all leaders would account for their actions to God Almighty and to the people who elected them to serve, he enjoined Nigerians to continue to dialogue on issues that affect the nation and seek reconciliation.”A forum like this brings us together to talk to one another as Nigerians on issues that affect us all, it brings us as Christians, Muslims, northerners and southerners to talk about some home truth about our nation, Nigeria,” he said.

The Sultan added: “Why wouldn’t people be angry when they feel things are not going the right way in the country? Why do we still have insecurity in the country? People are hiding from the truth and giving it all sorts of colouration. I wish to remind you that insecurity affects us all, whether Christians or Muslims, northerner or southerner, we have to dialogue with ourselves and seek solution to this problem in order to have peace.”

He commended Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan for organising the lecture, given its importance and relevance to Nigeria’s reality today and called for continuous communication with one another so as to seek solution to our problems.

Bishop Kukah canvassed the need for children to be taught anger management in school and how to tolerate one another and dialogue with themselves so as to engender love and unity.

Chief Olu Falae, former presidential contestant and one of the discussants at the lecture, said that anger can be positively managed to bring about progress in the society.

The lecture was attended by members of the National and State Houses of Assembly, traditional rulers, clergies, top government officials, and other eminent Deltans.