The Region Overseer, Deeper Life Bible Church, Bori Region, Dr. Moses Deeson Nsanam, has lamented the lack of emphasis on the raw word of God. Answering the perplexing question of why the proliferation of churches has not translated into godly living or good conduct in the society, Dr. Nsanam drew his references from Nehemiah 6:15 and 2 Kings 22:1-20 and stated that the Word of God is lost in the Church today just as the Book of the Law was lost in Judah for sixty years. He said some preachers now deliberately avoid sound messages either because of their secret sins or because they do not want to offend their members.
Pastor Nsanam who was delivering a message entitled “A Call to Communal Celebration in Godliness”, at the eighth annual thanksgiving service of Bua Kaani in Khana local Government Area, chided youths and children for getting involved in cultism and stressed the need for communal peace and unity. Anchoring his message on the tripodal subheads of calamitous consequences of rebellion, confirmed course to restoration and call to celebration, he, without equivocation, placed the blame for cultism and other anti-social practices among youths at the doorsteps of parents, Christians and governing authorities.
He stressed that even so-called Christians are among people who commit heinous crimes. He said that many members of churches are at the same time, members of secret cults and also the ones embezzling money in government offices. On cultism, he said the crime thrives through the patronage of the high and mighty in society. According to him, cult wars of attrition were being fought for no other reason than for supremacy to determine which group was more powerful and more deserving of use and sponsorship by their patrons.
He stated that parents could not be absolved of blame for the bad behaviour of their children because they were entirely responsible for moulding these children for the period the children were helpless and could not take decisions on their own. He further explained that parents also accepted gifts from their unemployed children without questioning the sources of those gifts, thereby indirectly encouraging them to take to crime.
Barely four years into the reign of Mene Barikpoa Godwin Apere as the Mene Bua-Kaani (The Traditional Ruler of Kaani), he, together with the Council of Chiefs and Elders, the Kaani Christian Council and the Community Development Committee, chose January 2, 2015, for a communal thanksgiving. Since that first episode, the event has become an annual ritual in the community, attracting people from far and wide.
It was quite natural for the people of Bua-Kaani to accept the idea of an annual thanksgiving given that they are predominantly Christians. Record has it that Bua-Kaani accommodates well over seventy churches, thereby topping the list of communities with large numbers of churches in Ogoniland. Moreso, the thanksgiving celebration offers the people the opportunity to collectively rededicate their land to God and to pray for its preservation and growth.
Kaani community has grappled with several crises that emanated from internal and external forces. These crises have threatened the unity, nay, the existence of the community. The people have witnessed countless cult wranglings that kept on changing in dimension as well as chieftaincy tussles with their attendant ills. This communal experience underpins the wide acceptance of the idea of an annual thanksgiving by the people.
As usual, on Sunday, January 2, 2022, indigenes of Kaani and guests from far and near gathered at the Ultra-Modern Townhall, Oor-aa Kaani, for the eighth episode of the annual thanksgiving with the theme, The Call to Celebrate. The duo of Tormayiga Nyiradee and Barinordum Nbarawii led the chorus sessions that created a euphoric atmosphere and caused the people to defy the scorching sun to showcase their ecstasy through dancing.
Mene Apere who obviously could not contain his excitement took to the open space to dance and was soon joined by his wife and others who formed a long queue behind him dancing, singing and offering praises to God in an exhilarating manner. The Royal Highness had reasons to dance during the previous thanksgiving celebrations but he had more reasons to dance this time having escaped an assassination attempt on him a few months before the event. In his speech at the thanksgiving event, Mene Apere was full of praise to God for preserving his life and that of his family. He regretted that the community lost 15 persons and property to internal attacks in 2021.
“Incidentally, that was the year more than 15 persons were murdered right under our nostrils, our women violated on their farms, bicycles and motorcycles stolen at gunpoint from our houses and several of our people maimed. Worse still, the palace of the Mene Bua-Kaani was attacked in what was clearly an assassination attempt on the life of our king and his family”.
He expressed his appreciation to God for keeping the community despite the needless attacks and urged the people of Bua-Kaani to overcome hate with love and refrain from divisive reasoning.
Mene Apere also urged the clergy to preach communal love, peace and unity from their pulpits, charged violent youths to turn a new leaf, pleaded with government to provide more opportunities for gainful employment and prayed for lasting peace and prosperity in Bua Kaani and other communities.
Kaani annual thanksgiving has had different men of God who featured as guest speakers since its inaugural edition and the eighth edition was not any different. The sermon delivered by the guest speaker, Dr. Moses Nsanam, the Region Overseer, Deeper Life Bible Church, Bori Region, has remained a topic of discussion amongst those that were in attendance.
More than the previous years, the Bua-Kaani annual thanksgiving of 2022 attracted high-profile dignitaries who included: the member representing Khana/Gokhana Federal Constituency and Chairman, House Committee on Host Communities in the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Dum Dekor; the Executive Chairman, Khana Local Government Area, Hon.(Dr.) Bariere Thomas; the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, Friday Eboka; and the Commissioner of Police in charge of Port Harcourt International Airport, Salem Amachree.
The rededication of the community was done by the Senior Pastor of Kingdom Worldwide Ministries, Pastor Adolphus Ngbee.
