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Why we tarred Bayo Adeyemo street in Ogba, by Onasanwo

By Chris Irekamba
14 January 2018   |   2:47 am
As part of its corporate social responsibility to the community, the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Living Spring, Ogba, Lagos, recently tarred Bayo Adeyemo Street in Ogba with interlocking stones. The commissioning brought together such top church members as Provincial Pastor, (PICP LP12), Yemi Lebi; Assistant Pastor in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility, Tope Abe;…

Onasanwo

As part of its corporate social responsibility to the community, the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Living Spring, Ogba, Lagos, recently tarred Bayo Adeyemo Street in Ogba with interlocking stones.

The commissioning brought together such top church members as Provincial Pastor, (PICP LP12), Yemi Lebi; Assistant Pastor in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility, Tope Abe; RCCG Living Spring Pastor, Femi Onasanwo, other members and Landlords Association members/residents, as well as the Vice Chairman of Ojodu Local Council Development Area, Rev. Dr. Bunmi Oluyadi.

In this interview, the pastor in charge of the church, Femi Onasanwo told CHRIS IREKAMBA why they embarked on such project.

What informed this gesture?
I WAS posted to RCCG Living Spring, Ogba in 2016. When I came here, we saw a church with huge potential for growth, but the road was so terrible to the extent that people we invited to some of our programmes could not honour our invitation, while those that came would not look forward to coming back because of the state of the road. And the church’s vision is that we must double in attendance.

So, I thought for this to happen, this road must be tarred. There were suggestions that we should talk to the local or state governments, but we felt that the way we can give back to society or community is to do the road. But then, money became an issue, but we were determined to do the road. I began to talk to my ministers, members and friends. I told them it could be done and they shared the vision with me.

We also realised that inside the church compound was bare. In other words, it also needed attention just like the street in question. We also met an auditorium with plastic chairs, but before the end of 2016, we were able to do the compound with interlocking stones, as well as changed the chairs in the auditorium. Next stage was how to tar the street, and make it motorable for our members and visitors coming to worship God.

First, we started with the construction of the gutters because without putting them in place our effort would be wasted. After finishing that, we started talking to some of our friends concerning the street. We told them we wanted to do the road as part of our CSR and because we wanted something durable. That was how we arrived at interlocking stones. So, we did the street with interlocking stones that cost us more than N6m.

Did you do the construction in collaboration with the other church down the street?
We informed the church, but because of the urgency, we commenced work without getting any contribution from anybody. So, it was singlehandedly undertaken by RCCG Living Springs.

But why wasn’t the street tarred to the end?
When the other church is ready, they can take it up from where we stopped.

Would you assist them when they are ready?
Definitely, we are together and anytime they are ready we will support them.

What is your message to people in the area?
The Bible says that the Jesus we serve went about doing good and I believe this is one of the goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ. They should join us to enjoy the love of Christ and they need to embrace Jesus like never before. That is my message to the people in the area. They should maintain the road and keep it clean and should avoid littering the gutter. The other day, we had to clean the gutters, because it was so dirty and that is not healthy for them also.

What is your vision for the church?
My vision cannot be different from the vision and mission of the church. So, I am believing God that many souls will be saved in this area, and many will come to know our Lord Jesus Christ. Number two is that we must double the number of members within one year and I’m believing God for that. Not only that, we have a lot to also accomplish here. I know the Lord Jesus Christ will help us to get to where we want.

What is your advise to Buhari-led government?
I want to thank God for the government we have presently. Things are changing gradually, so we should not lose hope. Change has started, but they must not relent. When we talk about change, what people do not know is that it is a collective responsibility of every Nigerian. The citizens are expected to do their part, while government is also expected to do its own part.

That is what makes it go round. While government is trying to do its part, it should be focused and ensure total commitment, especially in the area of corruption. The fight against corruption should not be one-sided. Whether you belong to APC or PDP, once you are found guilty, the person should serve the punishment.

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