Lakanu: A Policeman With a Heart of Gold
Imo State Police Commissioner, Mr. Taiwo Fredrick Lakanu, believes in the efficacy of God Almighty in reducing crimes in the society. As a mark of gratitude to God, he started and completed a new Catholic Police Chaplaincy at the Police Shell Camp Headqua
"Who says that a policeman will not go to heaven, you will go to heaven considering your generosity and human kindness. That is why you are succeeding in crime fighting in Imo State." This was the outburst of the Chaplain of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Police Chaplaincy, Rev. Fr. Dr. Innocent Emeam while appreciating the effort of the Imo State Police Commissioner, Mr. Taiwo Fredrick Lakanu, who started and completed a Catholic Church building at the Police Shell Camp Headquarters, Owerri in record time.
The church foundation which was laid sometimes in the last quarter of 2015 came to many as a surprise considering the 'Nigerian' factor which usually are characterised by bottleneck, bureaucracy, lack of will power and fear of the unknown syndrome. It was not in the mood of some chief executive of organisations not to talk of a security agency to look for other ways to assist the lives of those he/she was sent to overlook. But Lakanu has done the unthinkable, an award-winning taught and above all something that tended towards character moulding, strong belief that God-can-do-it for the Command to excel in her main objective of crime fighting.
Taking a deeper look at the old church building which was a 'batcher' that could hardly contain upto 20 worshippers and juxtapose it to the gigantic edifice that is meant to replace it, one would only give thanks to God for bringing the person of Lakanu to the state at the time he came. To many Imolites, there could not have been a better replacement because what he had done is something that overwhelms everybody. According to the Chaplain, while giving a vote of thanks after the official dedication and inauguration of the church by the Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, His Grace, Most Rev. Dr. Anthony J. V. Obinna, "today will remain my happiest day in my life. I want to thank God for doing this in our time. It is not by might, but by the spirit of God."
In his homily during the inauguration, Archbishop Obinna charged leaders to use their position to serve God and humanity and not to use it as a means to amass wealth and do injustice to the society. The Archbishop reminded Christians and Nigerians in general to take it easy on issues of money, adding
The motivation to build this church came because I am a Christian. This is not the first time I had constructed a church, when I was in Ekiti State; I joined the Policemen there to build a church like this. The essence is that I know when Christ is in your life, everything is possible. And I know that if I have this church here I can always come in here and pray and, of course, the prayers will be answered
that money being the root of evil “we should not allow it to divert our attention to the things of God.”
The Imo State CP who has every reason to glorify God for using him to erect the gigantic brand new Catholic Police Chaplaincy, right inside the Shell Camp Police Headquarters in the state, however attributed his successes to his passion for God as well as his openness to issues. He was full of praises to Imo people for giving him the peaceful atmosphere to not only to fight crime in the state but also found time to think about God, whom he said gave him the inspiration to achieve the feat.
“I thank you Imolites. You people are wonderful. I am grateful to God for making this realisable under me. I also thank my friends who came to donate for the building of this church,” he said.
On what motivated him to start the church building, he said, “the motivation to build this church came because I am a Christian. This is not the first time I had constructed a church, when I was in Ekiti State; I joined the Policemen there to build a church like this.
“The essence is that I know when Christ is in your life, everything is possible. And I know that if I have this church here I can always come in here and pray and, of course, the prayers will be answered. It is also a source of motivation for Policemen to know that the kind of work they do is so difficult that they need Christ in their life.
“I build this church to get closer to God, and I know more Policemen here attend church services. We hold vigil, we pray and God has been answering our prayers. That is why Imo is regarded as one of the safest states in the country. There is nothing to it but prayers. That is the motivating factor. What I did was that I appealed to my friends to assist me and in appreciation whatever they give we donate to the church and that is why we are able to finish it within one year,” he stated.
Extolling the good work of the Police Commissioner in the state, the Chief of Staff, Government House, Chief Uche Nwosu, said that the CP was a blessing to the state, adding that since he was posted to the state crime reduced tremendously as kidnapping and armed robbery were tackled headlong. Nwosu stated that the secret of the successes the CP recorded in the state were traced to his faith in God and urged him to continue in the service to God and humanity.
Another stakeholder who also benefitted from the mercy of God, Barr. Chima Anozie from Orji in Owerri North Local Government Area of the state was full of gratitude for the CP and narrated how he was saved from heart surgery. According to him, I'm so happy, you know the best investment is to invest in God, especially in church. I'm so happy with the CP, the Igbos have the notion that the Yorubas don't invest outside Lagos which is more comfortable and best place for them for investment, but to me the Yorubas are the best investors. Having invested in church that is the best investment because other investments your children can sell it, but church you can't sell it.
"I have paid my dues because God saved my life. I promised God that this money I have to pay for my surgery that if I am healed I will donate the whole money to the church. I travelled to U.S. for the surgery and last year was a year of mercy and the doctor that was treating me was a good Catholic and he told me to go to the "Shrine of Peace", one of the biggest churches in the world at Washington DC, that I should pass through that gate which usually opens every 50 years, so I passed through the gate visited many chapels and within that period I told my in-laws, Leo Njemanze that I have received healing. My system and my body changed, the next day I went to hospital in preparation for the heart operation and the doctor diagnosed me and said I had no problem with my heart. I jumped up and praised God. That was how I was healed and I decided to fulfill the promise I had with God," he declared.
The inauguration of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Police Chaplaincy was attended by the wife of the Governor, Nneoma Nkechi Okorocha, former Secretary to the State Government, Jude Ejiogu, Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Prof. Francis Eze, and a host of other dignitaries.