Anambra State on Sunday held an inter-denominational thanksgiving service to mark the end of the first four-year term of Gov. Chukwuma Soludo.
The service, held at the International Convention Centre Awka, drew a large crowd of government officials, religious leaders and residents.
The event, themed “Leading with Wisdom and Integrity,” also served as a prelude to Soludo’s second-term inauguration scheduled for March 17.
Religious leaders from the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, as well as the Catholic and Anglican communions, attended the service.
Various choir groups offered songs of praise, while participants reflected on the journey of the “Solution” administration during the governor’s first term.
In his remarks, Soludo, accompanied by his wife, Mrs Nonye Soludo, expressed gratitude to the people of the state for their support and resilience.
He also acknowledged what he described as God’s guidance throughout the administration’s challenges and achievements.
Soludo emphasised the importance of unity, saying his administration would continue to build a better society by focusing on the value individuals contribute rather than their ethnicity or mode of worship.
A sermon delivered by a panel of clerics, including the National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Francis Wale Oke, and the Anglican Bishop of Awka Diocese, Alexander Ibezim, highlighted the need for integrity in leadership.
The clerics also commended the governor’s focus on human capital development and infrastructure while urging him to sustain the commitment to transparent leadership.
Special prayers were offered for peace and continued development in Anambra as well as divine guidance for the governor in the next four years.
The service ended with renewed expectations ahead of Soludo’s inauguration for a second term on March 17.
