The Most Rev. Peter Akinola, Anglican Archbishop,
Metropolitan and Primate of all Nigeria, proclaimed new officers of the church
today with an advice to propagate God's work only.
Proclaiming eight new archbishops and 69 bishops, in addition to the existing
three archbishops, today at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos, Akinola
warned: "there is no autonomy in being an archbishop".
"Being an archbishop or a bishop is not a chieftaincy title, hence no
archbishop's or bishop's programme can supercede the work of God," he
said.
He told them that in serving Christ, they must leave their families, friends
and work to do God's work, noting: "Peter, James, Andrew and John left
their families behind and followed Jesus Christ".
Akinola pointed out that the cost of following Christ was not as easy as people
thought, and advised the new archbishops and bishops to be faithful to God.
"You can not serve God and mammon," he said.
The top-notch cleric justified the creation of additional provinces, saying:
"if you know the enormity of the responsibility of the primate, you will
understand the need for additional hands".
The additional provinces and archbishops heading them are the ecclesiastical
province of Niger, headed by the Most Rev. Maxwell Anikwenwa; Niger Delta, the
Most Rev. Emmanuel Nglass; Ibadan, the Most Rev. Joseph Akinfenwa.
Others are the ecclesiastical province of Ondo, headed by the Most Rev. Samuel
Abe; Kaduna, the Most Rev. Josiah Idowu-Fearon; Bendel, Most Rev. Albert
Agbaje; Jos, the Most Rev. Emmanuel Mani, and Owerri, the Most Rev. Bennet
Okoro.