Methodist Church plans specialist hospital in Ogun – Cleric

The Punch - Nigeria

The Prelate, Methodist Church, Nigeria, Dr. Chukwuemeka Uche, has disclosed the plan of the church to build a specialist hospital in Ogun State.
He said this on Monday when he visited the Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, in his office at Oke Mosan, Abeokuta.
The cleric said as part of the social responsibility of the church, it would invest in building a specialist hospital and agriculture.
He said, “Your Excellency, I want to inform you that the Methodist Church Nigeria wants to establish a specialist hospital in Ogun State and we will need your support in getting land for it.
“We are also going to invest in agriculture. Definitely, these projects will provide employment for our graduates, who are roaming the streets.”
The Prelate noted that armed robbery and kidnapping, among others, were rampart in the country because a lot of youths were unemployed.
He said, “I pity a lot of graduates with Ph.D and master degrees roaming the streets. I want to also appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to fulfill his promise on the provision of jobs.”
Uche also appealed to the governor to return all the schools belonging to church, which the government had taken over, in order to restore their moral values and pedigree.
The cleric also urged the governor to assist in reconstructing and rehabilitating the Methodist Churches that were demolished to pave way for some roads in Abeokuta metropolis, the cleric, however, commended him for massive infrastructure development in the state in his first term.
In his response, Amosun said his government was ready to partner with the church on both health and agriculture, adding that he recognised the invaluable contributions of missionaries in the area of education.
The governor explained that his paternal grandfather was a Methodist while he also attended a mission school, African Church Grammar School, Abeokuta, promising to do everything within his power to support the initiatives.
He said, “The schools that were real schools in those days were mission schools. I will act on your request and assist in rebuilding the churches and mosques that were demolished, but we will not give them money.
“Whatever remains of the land, where a church or a mosque was demolished, I still want the owners to still retain a replica of what was demolished to serve as a memorial. I can then offer lands somewhere else for a bigger version of what the church or mosque used to look like before it was demolished.”