Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel, has explained why he attended the ill-fated Reigners Bible Church.
Emmanuel said, though some had also questioned his rationale for going to the church, but he had no regret because his presence in the church was divinely arranged.
IDAILY POST reports that the church’s iron rafters caved in during the consecration service of the Founder of the church, Apostle Akan Weeks, as a bishop last week, trapping scores of persons to death.
Speaking during the Akwa Ibom Christmas Carol in Uyo on Saturday, he noted that if he had not been there personally to supervise the rescue efforts and mobilise medical experts and rescue workers, the casualties would have been much.
According to Emmanuel, he was not elected governor to share only in his people’s joys, but also to share in their pains.
“Many have sympathised with me over the collapse of the church building. Many have questioned me for going to the church. But I am happy that I was there. The footsteps of the righteous are ordered by God and He took me there to save lives.
“I believe that if I was not there personally to supervise the rescue efforts and mobilise the best possible network of medical experts and rescue workers, the casualties would have been a lot more. I was not elected to share your joys only; I was elected to also share in your agonies.
“I am here to laugh with you and cry with you. We are all in the same boat. I share that grievous pain with everyone on that Black Saturday inside that church. My heart would bleed forever as I recollect the harrowing scene,” he said.
He said, “Ever since God created the sun and put it there, we have never had a blackout. The sun has never run out of gas. The collapse of the building was man’s error and that is why we have set up a high-powered panel of inquiry to determine what went wrong.”
