Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel has called on Churches in the State to partner with his administration to stem the rate of cult related activities among youths.
The Governor made the appeal when the leadership of the Redeemed Christian Church of God led by Pastor Idris Enoch paid him a Courtesy Call on Sunday at the Government House in Uyo.
Governor Udom, while decrying the increase in moral decadence among the youths in the State, said such activities in Secondary Schools could be curtailed with the help of the Church leadership through preaching of God’s word and imparting Godly morals and values to youths.
He further noted that most crime related activities in the state are connected to cult activities which has ravaged the secondary schools, frowned at persons recruiting youths into the fruitless venture.
” I need the Church to help me on this war against cultism, if we don’t do something now, if we don’t arise to it now, it’s going to cause a problem. You can’t believe that this week an SS3 student used knife and stabbed an SS2 student because they are in rival cult groups in a secondary school, and how did he go to school with a knife used it to stab another student?”
“Unfortunately for us, we are running free and compulsory education, so these ones perpetuating nefarious activities don’t mine sewing a uniform as if they are joining secondary schools, actually they are on evangelism initiating other students.
“If you check every single problem and social vices I am having here stems out of cultism, if you arrest armed robbers one hundred percent of them are of different cult groups, get any of them they are attached to different cult groups.
“I often say if the indoctrination you are giving to these young men ends in violence, killings, in crime, in shedding of blood so you have to think that what you are doing is not right.”
Governor Emmanuel, however, appreciated the partnership between the leadership of the Church and government, and welcomed Pastor Idris Enoch of Redeemed Christian Church of God ( RCCG) in charge of Region 14, to the State.
In his remarks, Pastor Enoch, thanked the Governor for the warm reception given his team and also commended his administration for the relative peace and security being enjoyed in the State.
“Since we came, we have studied situation on ground and our record shows that since you became the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, there has been relative peace and security.
“I want to thank God for your life, if there is anything a nation need is security of lives and property. This atmosphere explains some of the landmark development you are seeing on ground today in the state. We have also observed that very unusual and uncommonly, your administration has fully brought God into governance which has helped in security”, he noted
