The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria is celebrating 100 years of active proclamation of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ through her pulpits in churches and public campaigns; educational institutions, health and welfare institution, but now we need a second university in the Eastern Nigeria territory to compliment and support Babcock University in Ogun State which was established in 1959.
“We started the Adventist Mission here in Nigeria in 1914 after other Christians denominations have already taken roots and had spread to almost everywhere in the country.
“But today God has helped us through the power of God and the tireless labour of our pioneers (indigenous and foreign) and current workforce to have our presence in almost all people group of Nigeria. One is not meant to praise himself, however, I can say that we have not done badly, Pastor Udoh said.
“God has increased and is still increasing us. For, from only one Church in 1923, today we have 584 organised Churches and 563 Companies.
We had no district till the mid-1920s when the Lord gave four, but today, we have 210 districts; from Pastor Benjamin I. Tikili of Nembe in Bayelsa State as the first convert as well as the only ordained minister in 1924, today, we have 200 ordained ministers.
“God moved us from one Literature Evangelist Albert J. Dickay in 1934, today we have 198 Full-Time and Part-Time Literature Evangelists spreading the Gospel through the printed pages.
“From only one Conference (East Nigeria Conference) in 1978, today, we have 9 local conferences and 5 Administrative Units.
At the beginning we had no hospitals and motherless babies’ home, today we have 2 hospitals and 2 motherless Babies’ home.
The Cleric pointed out that in the midst of the blessings, leadership and growth that God has given us to celebrate, we need to establish a second university in the Eastern region of the Country as doing so will give us another opened door of evangelism to relate the public.
Pastor Udoh, further revealed that the Abia State Governor, Theordore A. Orji, gave the Church the Certificate of Occupancy for the two land which were acquired for Clifford Universirty for free. It is amazing, how God is opening the doors of opportunity to get His job done, he remarked.
The Chairman of the Project Implementation Committee (P.I.C.) and (the Vice Chancellor when the Federal Government gives us the chatter), Professor Chimezie A. Omeonu disclosed that the Special Committee on Private Universities (SCOPU) of the Nigeria Universities Commission (N.U.C.) had come for inspection and has approved 3 schools instead of 2 schools that we requested for and gave counsels on the necessary building that must ready for the chatter to be given.
Furthermore, the Physical Planning Committee Chairman, Architect Emmanuel Dike whom the LORD used to give the Master Plan and the drawings of the building for free, pointed out different spots where certain required building have been sited. “We have remodeled the old buildings and are raising new ones to meet the NUC standard, he said.
Responding to the speeches made by Pastor Udoh and other leaders, Pastor Ted Wilson commended the laymen for their support and dedication to God’s work. He prayed that God will provide all that is needed to gain the chatter.
After the, Dike, a renowned architect took Pastor Ted Wilson and his entourage for a tour round the campus under construction explained.