Former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has called on Nigerian politicians to refrain from parading their spirituality on the streets and see it as a matter of the heart.
Kalu made the call during a birthday thanksgiving mass in his Aso Villa Chapel in honour of the Senator representing Imo East Senatorial District, Christiana Ayanwu, on Monday in Abuja.
Kalu, who was responding to remarks by Ayanwu that she was shocked with the Mass organized in her honour because she had always known Kalu as a radical and would not have time to worship God, bemoaned the way and manner Nigerian politicians parade their spirituality on the streets rather than making it more sincere and personal.
The former Abia State Governor said: “I told my Bishop, Lucius Ugorji, that I was going to provide leadership to my people.
“And that I did.
“For eight years as a governor, I had a priest, Revd. Fr. Mike Okonkwo, who used to come and pray for me in my bedroom every morning and thereafter we would move to the chapel for Mass.
“There is nothing more than having God by your side.
“I believe that religion is a matter of the heart and not on the street as Nigerian politicians do in parading their spirituality so that people can see.
“When (late General Sani) Abacha said all of us must leave this place, I went to Prof. Jubril Aminu and he said I should not worry, that I should not mind him.
“Others even ran away.
“My neighbour, General Godwin Abbe, came to me and said what do we do now?
“And I told him to go and beg the General.
“But today, everything is over.
“People say I am a radical.
“I am not a radical.
“It is just that I always like to tell the truth no matter the situation.”
Kalu encouraged Anyanwu to continue on the part of social justice.
In her earlier remarks, Anyanwu thrilled the congregation to a moment of laughter when she said she was surprised when Kalu said he was going to have a Mass in her honour at his residence.
Hear the Publisher of the defunct The Sunday Magazine: “When Kalu invited me on our way from Liberia to come and worship in his house on my birthday, not that I actually wanted to honour the invitation but to come and observe what is on ground.
“I wasn’t sure of what I was going to see but I didn’t know that as radical as he is, he still finds time in the background to worship God.”
Anyanwu said the birthday celebration was the best she has ever had, even as he expressed gratitude to Kalu for putting together the birthday celebration.
Delivering the sermon earlier, the Parish Priest of Holy Cross Catholic Church, Gwarimpa, Abuja, Revd Fr. Chris Bologo, expressed gratitude to God for the life of Anyanwu and the exploits she has made both in the field of journalism and politics.
Bologo asked Anyanwu to see all that have happened to her as acts of God, saying God always uses situations to direct his children to where their destiny is.
He said: “You were in the Peoples Democratic Party and now, you are in the All Progressive Grand Alliance.
“If you had remained in the PDP, by now people wouldn’t have known the stuff you are made of.
“You left the PDP and contested in the APGA and you won.
“People now know more of your worth and the stuff you are made of.
“If you want to go for third term, may be you wouldn’t be able to get it in the PDP but in the APGA now, you can get it.
“So, see all that have happened to you as acts of God because sometimes, God allows us to experience hardship in order to lead us to our destiny.”
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