From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Lugbe, Abuja, has renovated a block of four classrooms at the Government Secondary School, Lugbe, Abuja, as a part of its annual community service project to its host community.
The church also engaged in different community services including weeding of walkway lawns, excavation of debris from the gutters etc, at Wuse Zone 5, Mpape and several other locations across the FCT, to make an impact in the host community.
Bility Okpamen, the Bishop of Second Lugbe Ward of the Church, told Daily Sun, that the community service known as the All Africa Service Project is an annual intervention done by the Church, simultaneously, across Nigeria and West Africa.
He explained: “Annually, the church selects a particular weekend in August to engage in this act of kindness to our various communities. The project is always decided by a team of officials of the church who often do critical analysis and examination of options available to arrive at a project that will have a greater impact on the community and its members.
“Last year, 2023, we donated some office equipment comprising of a desktop computer, digital printer, scanner and other office tools to Divisional Police Station, Lugbe, Abuja.
“The Church also supported the procurement and installation of an overhead storage water tank to enable the station and residential apartments within the compound to have clean and safe water for use.
“During the presentation of donated items, the leadership of the church also mobilized its members to clean up the entire compound, cut overgrown grasses, and do other cleaning services as part of the annual community service under the platform of the All African Service Project.
“This year, 2024, we decided to look the way of the educational sector. We renovated a block of four classrooms at Government Secondary School, Lugbe, Abuja. We observed that the study condition of the school was in a deplorable state.
“We did a complete renovation of the block of classrooms. We repainted the block, removed the old roofing sheet and replaced it with a better one, in addition to several other maintenance works, to make a conducive study classroom for the children.
“There was something remarkable in this year’s event at Lugbe. We invited our Muslim brothers to witness the handover of the project to the school. We see them as allies and good friends. Also, it’s a way of spreading the gospel of God amongst our neighbours. Besides, it’s one God that we worship.”
“The reason for the All Africa Service Project is for us to know our communities better, relate with the people therein and render selfless services to our communities. During the period, we do all sorts of pro-bono jobs. We have cleaned markets in the past, renovated schools, donated food and non-food items, and several other interventions. The interventions differ every year based on the needs of the communities.
“We have about 30 wards (branches) in Abuja that are organized into three stakes. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ as the name of our Church implies. Jesus taught us how to be selfless and be peacemakers in our communities, hence the annual community service that often provides us the opportunity to positively impact our communities.
“Our members are always happy and anticipate the annual community service, and expectedly, the rewards come from God Whom we are serving diligently and committedly. Service is key and there are blessings that come from it,” he said
President Alaribe Obinna, Stake President, Abuja Nigeria Lugbe Stake, in his remarks, appreciated the participation and support that came from the church members that led to the success of the community service.
He said: “We follow Counsel from the Prophet on measures and steps to take regarding this annual All African project. The services we offer during the period are free of charge and were designed to support our various communities.
“Aside from this, we do human capital development programmes to enable our young adults to be useful to themselves because they need skills to guarantee their financial freedom.”
Meanwhile, an official of the school who pleaded anonymity, appreciated the church for such a huge intervention, promising that they would carefully protect the facilities and ensure its maximum use for the education of the students.
