Gov Akpabio Preaches Greatness, Makes Case For Leaders

Akwa Ibom Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio says the foundation and source of every true greatness is God, urging Nigerians to always remember Him as they climb the ladder of success.

Akpabio, who gave this charge Sunday at a special thanksgiving marking the elevation of Honourable Justice John Inyang Okoro to Supreme Court of Nigeria at The Apostolic Church, Akpan Essien Lane in Uyo, noted, “You have done the right thing by coming back to Him and to say thank you Lord. Because you have remembered him, God will continue to have you in mind.

The Governor, who observed "This is lesson for your children and your grand-children that they must always remember God. My dear children of Akwa Ibom State learn something from this event today that the foundation of greatness is God”, thanked God for the elevation of another Akwa Ibom son as Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria many years after the late Justice Udo Udoma.

According to him, “From the day of his appointment, my mouth was very tight but inside my heart, I will continue to say thank you God. It goes that without God, you will not be standing here today. I want to congratulate you not just for the appointment but for the fact that you remember the foundation and the foundation is this altar. Even without knowing about the history that you are the only one still in judicial service among your peers, it is God who wanted to show that you are a special child and that He is with you and he will continue to be with you.”

Akpabio prayed that the will of God be done in the life of the Justice and his family, and said “May God be with you. In your going out and coming in, may God be with you. In your judgment in the Supreme Court, may God be with you. Do not be too busy to find time for God, try every morning to say God be with me”.

Justice Okoro while thanking God for his elevation had commended President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Akpabio for facilitating the process of his appointment as the Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

According to him, “it has not been easy for me to grow from the Magistracy to the High Court, the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court. In 1986, we were five lawyers who were appointed magistrates in Cross Rivers State, five of us were sworn in by the Chief Judge of Cross Rivers State, the late Justice Edem Koofreh.

“Out of that five, I am the only one standing like this. Two died violently, the other died after a protracted illness and the other one was retired prematurely. Three are dead, one was retired and I am the only on standing out of that five. It is the Lord! So what do I do? Nothing, it is the mercy of God. That is why I come here to thank God because I could have been one of them,” he said.

Source: Henshaw Nyong