The governor of Enugu state, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has bagged the best pilgrimage governor award in sponsorship of pilgrims in the South-east in the recent pilgrimage exercise to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
The executive secretary, Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Rev. Yakubu Pam, who presented the award to him at the Government House, Enugu, recently, described Ugwuanyi as the “best governor in the sponsorship of pilgrims to the Holy Land in the South-east zone.”
According to the NCPC boss, Ugwuanyi is “a person with a friendly personality who extends a hand of friendship to all.”
“You are a friendly person and a religious leader not only to Christians, but to both faiths. The number of pilgrims that came from Enugu overwhelmed all the other states and that shows that not only coordinating politically, you are also leading spiritually. And the best way to encourage you is to come here physically with an award for you as the best governor in the South-east,” he said.
Rev. Pam added, “You remain our number one ambassador in the South-east. This is one of the reasons we came here to encourage you to remain the father to the South-east not only in the aspect of pilgrimage, but in other areas. We have seen that you have done well in the provision of infrastructure in the rural areas; in terms of street lights, intervention on federal roads, among others.”
In his response, Governor Ugwuanyi said, “I thank you for this honour and I dedicate this award to the body of Christ in the state. When the Grace of God came calling and it pleased the High that I became the Chief Servant of this great state, it came as a tonic and an opportunity for greater service to the greater number of people.
“At inception, our administration put Enugu state in the hand of God and His hand has been manifest in all we do. He has delivered us through the most turbulent times and His blessings are still counting.”
He gave the assurance that his administration would continue to encourage the people of the state to keep seeking the face of God.