For Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the last several months have been a galore of celebrations. From the secondary school he attended, to the University which produced him, his professional group and friends, he has been invited to one recognition event after the other.
At each of those events, the VP has always pointed to God and His word to explain his successes. Recently, it was the turn of a Redeemed Christian Church of God and some groups. The Redeemer’s International Leadership Academy (RILA) celebrated its 20th Anniversary, thanksgiving, awards ceremony and a “Grand House’’ reception for its very own, a distinguished alumni, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo. RILA rolled out the red carpet for the VP who is also a Pastor in the RCCG to mark his attainment of a “great height in the nation’’. It was a time of praise to God and one of rejoicing for the brethren. The Vice President expressed his profound gratitude to the board of RILA for the extremely generous award that was given to him. At the event of 15th November, 2015, the Vice President said, “I think that one of the key things God has done for us is that he has allowed us to see this day, the 20 years that RILA has been on and are able to celebrate in this way and enjoy this time together’’. He commended the Rector of the Academy, Pastor Ben Ewuzie, for his commitment and passion for RILA and said that without him, RILA wouldn’t have been in existence. He recalled the bible story where God used Prophet Elijah to heal a barren land with salt, and affirmed that Nigeria will be healed completely adding that “we are the salt of the earth’’. According to him, “God called us to transform our land by being the salt, our community and everything that we touch by being the salt, will be transformed”. Recalling his time as a student in the Academy, the VP noted that one of the things he and his colleagues learn in RILA was that everyone’s position in this world is waiting for them and his prayer is that everyone will step into the place of destined for him/her to make a difference in the society and the world at large. Using the example of the Jews to explain the idea of being the salt of the world, Prof. Osinbajo noted that “There are 15 Million Jews in the entire world of over six billion people but they have won almost 30% of the Nobel prizes.’’ He added that besides that, “they have also won the prize of the best mathematician in the world. In the same vein, they have the best film producers in the world, won 20% of the musical directors awards and won almost 30% of all the best musical awards the world has ever seen.” He said while the Jews operated under the old covenant, the Law of Moses, Christians today are operating under the new covenant. He quoted the scripture that “If the first covenant had been perfect, there will be no need for the new covenant.’’ He then stated that Christians have a better covenant and a newer covenant and therefore, their achievements must pale in comparison to the achievements of the men and women called by the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Charging RILA to go forward to surpass its current achievements, the VP stated that he looks to the future when RILA will be established in every continent in the world. The Chairman, RILA 20th Anniversary Committee, Pastor Femi Obaweya, thanked Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for making out time out of his tight schedule to honour the invitation of the Academy. He said the purpose of the Academy is to train christian leaders who are transformed to drive urban and international mission with a view to achieving spiritual rebirth and social transformation in the ministry and the market place. RILA is the leadership training arm of the Redeemed Christian Church of God since 1995, and has produced many leaders in the country, including the Vice President, his wife, Pastor Dolapo Osinbajo and the Lagos State First Lady, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, who was also honoured at the event.
No comments:
Post a Comment