By Wilson Adekumola
Drugs being donated to the community
The Great Commission Network, TGC; has donated a multi-million-naira borehole and commissioned same to resolve the water crisis in the Abesan Estate in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The borehole was donated on March 18 during a crusade organized by the commission.
The 112-meter feet deep borehole which is expected to convey water to different channels has 10,000 (ten thousand) storage capacity with an alternative solar inverter system to power the pumping machine in order to adequately serve the community.
The facility was constructed by Divcon Engineering Limited, a company that is in partnership with TGC.
The Great Commission Network is an interdenominational ministry which according to its founder is mandated by God to impact lives not only through the Bible but also by physically adding value to life.
The ministry that does not take offerings from congregants was established about seven years ago with its international headquarters at Plot 112, 3rd Avenue, E Close, Gowon Estate, Ipaja, Lagos.
On what informed the project, the President of TGC, Evangelist Andy Ikekhide disclosed that their passion for souls and making a positive impact in the life of people made them discover that there is a shortage of water supply in the Abesan Estate community.
Great commission: Why we provided water
officials at the launch of the borehole
He said, “We noticed that there has been a shortage of water supply in the community. Our passion for souls and adding value to life made us realize that it is important to know the source of water you drink.
“We read in a report recently that about 180 people died as a result of contaminated water. When they traced the cause, they discovered that it was contaminated sachet water that killed them. People buy water without knowing the source and how hygienic it is.
“We have looked at the safety of the people, the comfort of the people, and decided to have this one here. The quality of this water has been tested and declared safe for drinking,” he said.
He said also that some of the domestic water supply is not hygienic because we do not know where they got this water from. “But you are sure of the source of this one and the content. It is safe and drinkable. There are places with toilet facilities but no water in the community. With the borehole, that problem is solved.” he said
Ikekhide revealed further in his address to newsmen that they have also made provision for free medical services for those that have health challenges most especially those with vision problems and eye disorders with the prescription and adaptation of lenses and other optical aids.
“We have seen that we can do something to add value to them that is what gave birth to this water project and free medical care. Like they always say, water has no enemy, water is refreshing and when they get water from here, they will feel refreshed. There is beauty in evangelism and there is evangelism in everything. When they fetch the water they get blessed.
“The other one is medical, there are people that are not able to access good health care. We are making provision for the test to know their health status. We have health care workers that will attend to them, prescribe and provide drugs for them accordingly. That includes specialized areas like eye tests and provision of free eye glasses.”
While emphasising that the goal of the organisation is to preach the gospel and add value to life, he said, “we have seen what is happening in this community and we are able to address that. TGC is an evangelistic ministry, it is not a church. Though, we work with other churches. It is a mandate the Lord has given to us.
There is gospel in everything
This is also good news for the Abesan community
“We preach the word of God and the good news because we believe that any life can be changed by the power of the gospel and we also believe that there is a gospel message in everything. There is a gospel message in water supply; there is a gospel message in medical, in every profession, and in everything in life there is a gospel message and that is what we represent. Our objective is to preach to reach the whole world with the power of the gospel. We believe that the gospel is not just when you open your Bible but how you live and add value to people. “
While noting that the paucity of good medical service is not peculiar to Nigeria he called for the help of individuals and institutions to work together to bridge the gap. “The government alone cannot do that because the pandemic that came about a year ago has overstretched the health budget of many countries including Nigeria. So, this is our own way of collaborating with the government and also working with the local community to let them know that we feel their pains and we are here to give a helping hand and that is what the gospel is all about.”
While appealing to others to join hands to make the society better, the cleric implored the residents of the community to take possession of the borehole and imbibe a maintenance culture.
Ikekhide said, “But one thing we want to encourage them is to take ownership of this project and maintain it. They should ensure that nobody vandalizes it because it took a lot to put this thing in place. We urge other people to partner with us so that we can extend this gesture to other communities. We are not a profit-making organization so what we want is a voluntary donation to help people in various communities.”
Theme of the crusades
dedication of the borehole facility
Discussing the theme of the crusade, dubbed, “Outpouring of the Holy Ghost 2021”, one of the ministers in TGC who is also a pastor in Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Chris Chyere said, “We don’t just use any theme. It is what God wants the name to be we tagged it because everything answers its name.
“So, when God gave a theme, He backed it up that is why we get results. We do not do anything of our own volition unless it is commanded by the Lord. In the Body of Christ, the Holy Spirit is the beginning of everything. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is what begins the continuous manifestation of God here in Alimosho and all over the country. So, once the Holy Spirit is released every other thing takes shape.”
Chyere affirmed further that, “TGC is an evangelical ministry that does not collect offering at crusades but give out in different forms instead. Apart from evangelism, we do other things to uplift the standard of living of people. The souls won through us by the power of the Holy Ghost are attached to other churches for spiritual nurturing.”
Mosan Okunola LCDA: We are grateful
LCDA officials at the launch of the borehole
In his remark, the representative of the Chairman of the Mosan Okunola LCDA, the LG Secretary, Ayo Orimolade, said “We want to say thank you to TGC and we appreciate the borehole that you have built for the community, Mosan Okunola. The council thank you so much and I have no doubt that all the residents of Abesan Estate are showing gratitude as well because they say, “he who brings water brings life” and this is life to our people.
“We are glad to be identified with TGC and we want to pledge our support that we will always appreciate and support you in any project you embark on as far as Mosan Okunola CDA is concerned. Our gratitude is not only on this but also for the previous ones you have done. But like Oliver Twist, we always beg for more.”
In his own words, the coordinator of the crusade who expended time and energy to make the venue, Abesan Mini Stadium hospitable, Barrister Roger Omondia submitted that it is God that takes the glory, “We thank God for the success of the commissioning of this 10,000-liter tank water project in Abesan Estate. It is the Lord’s doing. We have opticians, optometrists, and other medical experts to attend to those who have eye defects and other health challenges. We can say the ability to do what we do and what we are doing right now is given by God. We must return the glory to Him.”
Despite the crowd, the quarterly mega crusade was observed under strict compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols as face masks were freely distributed to all the participants at the event that spanned three days, 18-20 of March 2021.
The vice president of TGC, Pastor (Mrs) Faith Ikekhide, Supervisor for works, Hon. Ladoja, the Chief Whip of the House, Hon. Opeoluwa, Special Adviser on Revenue, Are Mutiu, Hon. Koko, all from the Mosan Okunola LCDA and Apostle Aromi Osayi, Theophilus Sunday, Senwele Jesu just to mention a few, are some of the dignitaries present at the ceremony.
