…to herald concern with free medical screening in Ibadan
By Adeyinka Adeniran
A cleric, Reverend Victor Adeyemi has called on religious bodies and faith based organisations to support government activities in fighting the scourge of hunger across the country.
Adeyemi who is the Lead Pastor, Global Harvest Church said the religious bodies have roles to play in providing food among other basic needs of people in the society.
He gave the charge while fielding questions during a press conference to herald the seventh edition of the Church’s annual event tagged “Celebrate Jesus,” scheduled to hold on January 17, 2025, at Liberty Stadium, Oke Ado, Ibadan.
Notable gospel artists including: Mercy Chinwo, Tope Alabi, Dare Justified, Buche, Ayabamz, Micheal, Bidemi Olaoba, Victor Adeyemi and his wife, Jumoke who will also release an album on the day, are billed to minister at the event.
The event is to be preceeded with a medical outreach for the residents where diverse health and medical issues will be getting attention.
The cleric maintained that the task of alleviating hunger among other challenges cannot rest solely on government shoulders, adding that all organizations representing God must take action to support those in need.
He said, “Faith based organisations should provide food for the poor and needy. All organizations that embody God’s mission must ensure they care for the poor, the needy, and the downtrodden.
“Faith-based organizations have a vital role in providing food to address the hunger crisis. Jesus exemplified this during His time on Earth. The government cannot tackle this issue alone; faith-based organizations must step up.
“Every human being has fundamental needs, food, shelter, and clothing. It is our collective responsibility to meet these needs.”
He said health screenings to be carried out as part of the concert include: basic testing, general health check up, blood pressure, blood sugar, malaria test, with medications given to the people. He added that referrals by health practitioners and professionals will also be given to cases that are deserving.
Making reference to events that had resulted in stampeded in different parts of the country in recent time, the cleric said the event organisers had good intentions but underestimated the level of needs, especially when it comes to hunger.
He said, the Church decided to leave the aspect of food distribution out of this year festival but adopted a decentralised method where people will be reached with food stuffs in different places at the same time without stress and as a crowd control measure.
He noted that, it is the culture of Global Harvest Church to provide food and supplies to the poor and needy from time to time while also empowering people with vocational skills, foods, clothing, paying school fees, and assisting with housing costs for those in need.
He said, “The government cannot do it alone, faith based community must take part in meeting the needs of the poor and needy in the society.
“We engage in distribution of food and clothing, paying school fees, and assisting with housing costs for those in need.
“We also teach people how to farm and engage in other vocational trainings so as to engage them. We organise free vocational training because we know that the real needs of people are spiritual and physical.”
On safety during the event, Adeyemi assured attendees, “We ensure thorough preparations are in place. We don’t organise events that we cannot manage, as a matter of policy. We have made arrangement with the Police, Civil defence among others and they are cooperating with us.”
He said the “Celebrate Jesus” crusade, which begins at 7:00PM and continues until dawn, will provide free transportation across various parts of Ibadan.
“Medical outreach initiatives will also be part of the event, starting Thursday at 9:00AM with plans to serve at least 1,000 individuals.”
