Church Gives Helping Hands to Rural Dwellers

Ahead of the general elections, a consortium of bikers recently stormed Lagos communities, educating electorates on the importance of the Permanent Voters Card (PVC) collection, while kicking against vote- buying.

Addressing pressmen recently in Lagos, the initiator, Chief Executive Officer, Bkleff Entertainment, Mr. Akorede Balogun noted that the group has been shouldering PVC collection and moral campaign against vote-buying to make the forthcoming election a credible one.

“The power of PVC ride is one of the best way to communicate with people getting their attention and as a biker people get attracted to the super bike so we took that on ourselves to use bike as an avenue telling people to get their PVC. Collecting it is not enough, using it not enough but they have to use it wisely.

“I see election as an exam which electorates are to sit for. How do we expect them to do well when they are not educated? We took it upon ourselves to educate them. So we decided to take election education to the streets of Lagos” he said.

Speaking on challenges, Balogun mentioned finance as the major challenge and harnessing resources to carry out the exercise .

“The major challenge is financing. And another one is that I find it difficult to run this thing alone. I have been meeting bikers, I have harnessing resources for them and they feel they should get their percentage, which is not coming forth” he said.

While appealing to electorates to not only collect their PVC but also vote wisely, Balogun urged politicians to also educate their supporters on free and fair election, rather than ballot- raiding and violence.

“My message is that I want everybody to educate ourselves on doing the right thing and if everyone can cultivate this habit, it will go far. When this initiative came I didn’t see for making money but I feel it should be for CSR , this is not a political organisation.

“I’m a solo biker and I don’t belong to any club but on this I had to meet the clubs for their support. Politicians are to see to the misconduct of their supporters by telling them to vote and not fight.

“And to the electorates, we have been used to vote buying but I will urge them to take a very good decision rather than to sell their votes,” Balogun said.

Appealing for support to promote PVC collection campaign, he said “the bikers are calling on private organisations to support this initiative, already Association of Professional Online Publishers and Journalists are partnering us, but we need more support.

“In most places we have been to, the response has been massive. Many are coming to us to get educated and they are registering. We want INEC to also support this initiative”.

Cedars House of Grace, recently extended a helping hand to the people of Ilasan Community in Lekki, Lagos, when it took medical experts from various fields to the community for free medical test and treatment.

According to the Senior Pastor of the church, Niyi Eboda, the outreach was flagged off during the opening of its new branch at The Grand Atrium Ilasan, Lekki Lagos on February 3 this year.

“Part of what we were called to do in the body of Christ is to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world beyond the walls of the church. If you look at the ministry of Christ, it’s all about doing good and healing all from the afflictions of the devil,” he said.

Eboda further expressed that the primary assignment as the body of Christ is to reflect God’s word beyond the walls of the church. “We have medical consultants here who happen to be our members in Ibadan”.

They attended to over 200 beneficiaries with drugs like antibiotics, antimalarial, antihepathetis, worm expeller and syrup given to them, 200 glasses were shared among persons aged 40 and above who had difficulties reading.

Eboda, who noted that health issues is a common issue for everyone, described it as crucial, adding that if wealth is lost nothing is lost, but if health is lost, there is loss.

He said: “We reach out to the community and to those who can’t afford this quality of healthcare. Also, there are those who can afford it. They just don’t take time out to know their health statuses. So, we have come to give.”

His team pulled together medical consultants like pharmacists, Ophthalmologists, gynaecologists and more. “They are all members of our church. We have seen over a hundred. But we hope to see about 400 today”.

This free healthcare is part of what the gospel is about. Eboda said, adding that they are not called to be preachers of the word but to be witnesses. “We want men to glorify God in Heaven when they see our good works”.

Meanwhile, with branches in Ibadan, Abuja, South Africa, Ghana and more, the pastor said the need to establish the Cedars House of Grace became paramount.

“Our maiden service will hold on February 3 this year here in Lekki. It will be a banquet. We invite all to come especially those who are on transit and new in the neighborhood. This outreach to people is our joy and delight.”

Dentist and Head of Medical Team, Dr. Funmi Adeyemi, who disclosed that several beneficiaries tested HIV positive added: “We have seen different cases here today, dental problems, extractions have been done here; gum diseases; malaria, which is endemic in our environment; hypertension; diabetes; series of HIV positive we have tested here.”

Because Ilasan is a rural urban area where you have the highearned and the low-earned cohabiting, Adeyemi concluded that it gives people a façade that everyone is medically sound when it’s on the contrary.

“We have attended to over 200 persons already and a lot more are still queuing and trooping in. This shows a big picture of