By Hannah Ademu
The commandant-general of the Macedonia Ambassadors Chaplain Corps, Sam Keddy Balogun,has urged members of the organization to strive for the everlasting award on the last day.
He gave the advice on Wednesday in Lokoja when the Kogi State chapter of the Corps held its maiden 2020 thanksgiving programme,in gratitude to God for taking its members through the turbulent 2020.
Balogun recalled the turbulence that dotted the year include the COVID-19 pandermic which brought untold hardship to the people as a result of the lockdown that kept people at home for more than five months and the EndSARS protest that almost led to serious crises.
He, therefore, called on the awardees to see their awards as an encouragement and assuring them of several awards awaiting them on the last day.
Speaking further, he urged them to see the award as God himself giving them a name, stressing that good name is better than riches.
The Reporters correspondent reports that the ocasion featured dinner award giving, dance, thanksgiving by companies which comprise the Provost, Tiger, Lion, Eagle and Dragon companies, recognition of awardees among others.
The commandant general,who urged all companies to do well in the coming year and act more according to their names, thanked everyone for coming and also thanked all members of the chaplin corps for their efforts in making the event successful.
The recipients of the award include: Pst. Henry Asarapo, S.P. Adah Williams Acheneje, Prof. Noah Yakubu, Mr. Hussein Isah Angel, Pst. Akinola Julius, Mr. Yusuf Adams, and Hon. Jephthah Peters.
In their response, the awardees expressed joy and gratitude for being chosen, saying that the gesture would spur them to do more for the Corps.
An award of the best company of the year was given to the Tiger company.
In a goodwill message, Prophet A.A Felix, the General Overseer of Solution Bible church thanked everyone for coming and prayed God to engrace the chaplain corps with the grace to carry on, adding that he would also become an active member of the corps in the coming year.
Also speaking, Engr. Mrs Oguche the Programme Director, assured members that next year dinner and award night would be greater, adding that the commitment seen this year had given birth to a better programme come 2021.
In the same vein, Rev.Dr. Malachi Ogakwu gave a charge that “circumstances should not deter us from thanking God” stressing that
1 Thessalonians 5:18 should be a standard for all Christians.
Speaking on the need to work as a team, Chaplain Officer Commanding 1 Division,Francis Balewa, appealed to the officers to embrace the
spirit of team work which he
noted led to the successes recorded so far and advised members to imbibe the spirit of service to God and humanity in all their endeavors.
