Low key Palm Sunday celebration in Aso Rock

This year’s Palm Sunday Church Service was celebrated at low key at the Aso Rock Villa Chapel, Abuja. It was not clear whether government officials stayed away following the win of the opposition at the villa or whether they were stressed following the previous day’s polls.

Besides the choir and clerics, those in attendance did not exceed the first three rows of seats on both sides while workers and few security aides and the media occupied the last row behind. Before now, on a day like this, the church which is not really big will be full with members spilling over to the adjourning space upstairs.

But on this day, it was truly a solemn service attended mainly by few of the president’s aides, chairperson of the civil service commission; executive secretary of the National Christian Pilgrims Commission and a couple of personalities from the diplomatic community. The guest minister, Rev. (Dr.) William Okoye, who is the founding general overseer of the All Christians Fellowship Mission, Abuja, said those alleging that President Jonathan did not perform in his four years in office were either being mischievous or economical with the truth as his achievements were glaring for all to see.

He noted that Nigerians have done their beat by voting, adding that the rest was now in God’s hands and going by the performance of President Jonathan, the result will be in his favour. Okoye, who was the chaplain of Aso Rock, Villa Chapel, Abuja, between 1999 and 2007, speaking at the Palm Sunday Church Service at Villa Chapel, with the title ‘Victory Rest with the Lord’, and using the pilot text Proverbs 21:31, alluding to the presidential elections held on Saturday, said there is nothing the Jonathan administration has not done to move the nation forward, noting that those saying contrary are being mischievous or economical with the truth.

In what was obviously a message to lift up the spirit of the congregation probably following the early result of the presidential elections that seem to go the way of the opposition, Okoye said God puts people in authority urging the congregation to give them a chance no matter the outcome.

The guest minister noted that people in their usual sycophantic nature will go to various places claiming they prayed and will want to take the glory as facilitators of victory when the result goes the way of the principal, urging President Jonathan not to make that mistake but attribute the victory (if he eventually wins) to God and not to man.

According to him, “That is where we sin against God”. He said further, “Is God that puts people in authority and we have done all we have to do, we have to look to him (God) and I believe we are going to see new things”.