Primate urges leaders to emulate the courage of late Rev Anikwenwa
Tribute
By Bridget Ikyado
Abuja, June 14, 2023 The Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Rev. Henry Ndukuba has urged leaders to emulate the virtue of courage displayed by the former Dean of the Church, late Rev. Maxwell Anikwenwa.
Ndukuba made the call in an interview with newsmen on the sideline of a tribute of songs organised in honour of the late cleric on Wednesday in Abuja.
The primate said the late dean was a voice for the voiceless and stood firm against oppression and subjugation.
“We know him as a strong voice for social gospel; he believed in the transformation of the society, that the world of God have the power not just to change lives, but also communities and the way people live and think.
“As a voice of social gospel, he also loved justice, he does not want to support anything that will bring oppression and subjugation of any group, we know him for that.
“We thank God for what we can learn of him. If we can stand for what we stood for, the practical impact of the gospel on individual, family and the society, I believe our nation will be better.
“We see in him the desire to stand for the right of the oppressed, speaking out boldly against any form of oppression and I think that this boldness is what is lacking amongst us leaders.
“I pray as we celebrate his life and time, God will raise voices for the voiceless,” he said.
Rev. Unchechukwu Anikwenwa, son of the late dean, said that his father was a disciplinarian, focused, and a man with wisdom and vision.
According to him, he is Anglican personified, and believed and cared for the people and society.
“I will do my little best and the church will do theirs to sustain his legacy, thank God I am a priest, I intend to maintain the tradition and the discipline and the doctrine he inculcated.
“There is a plan to immortalise him, we are going to build a statue, which he told us, but we will do that in the one year or his second year remembrance,” he said. (NAN)