On September 23, 2023, the Igbo people of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, gathered at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church for a Thanksgiving Service and Prayer Session. The event was organized by Ohanaeze Ndigbo, an Igbo socio-cultural organization, as part of the preparation for the Grand Finale of the Igbo Day celebration, which was scheduled to take place at the Liberation Stadium in Port Harcourt on September 29th.
The service was attended by a large number of Igbo people, including representatives of Ohanaeze Ndigbo led by Professor Thomas Amadi Ellah and Prince Richard Ozobu, the chairman of the Elders Forum. In his opening remarks, Professor Ellah expressed his joy that despite the insecurity challenges and other difficulties facing the Igbo people, they had every reason to be thankful to Chukwu Okike Abiama (Almighty God) for His faithfulness and mercy. He noted that Ndigbo had been preserved and had survived in the seven Igbo-speaking states, including Rivers State and Anioma in Delta State, and that this was a cause for celebration.
The service included special songs and invocations for God’s blessings to Ndigbo. In his sermon, MasterGuide Dr. Madumere Thomas Ezearu called on Ndigbo to continue to pray for God’s special wisdom and protection for their political leaders and God’s children, especially Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State. He said that Governor Fubara enjoys God’s protection and the support of the people, and he urged Nigerians to pray for their leaders.
In another development, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro decried the killings and blodecried the killings and bloodbatdecried the killings and blodecried the killings and bloodbath going on in Imo State and other places. Isiguzoro called on Ndigbo to pray for God’s intervention to restore peace and security across the country, especially in the southeast and Imo State in particular. He expressed his belief that God would answer the prayers of Ndigbo.
The Thanksgiving Service and Prayer Session was a time of reflection and gratitude for the Igbo people of Port Harcourt. They came together to celebrate their culture and heritage, and to pray for God’s continued blessings and protection.