stupendous religious heritage of the state. The great Bishop Samuel
Ajayi Crowther began his missionary journey in what was to become the
Eastern Nigerian Region in Onitsha. It was from Anambra State that the
Anglican and Catholic faiths spread to other parts of not just the
Southeast but also the entire Eastern Nigeria. Such early Anglican
clerics of Igbo origin as the Reverend John Christopher Taylor and the
Reverend Alfonso Chukwuma Onyeabo began their distinguished careers in
Onitsha. Anambra State gave the Catholic Church its first West African
to be beatified or raised to the alters, Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene
Tansi, and also gave it the first Nigerian to work as a very senior and
globally respected official of the Vatican, Francis Cardinal Arinze.
2. Our people’s intense spirituality has been immensely beneficial to
the state in particular and the nation in general, including in the
conduct of business. The Anambra State government has understandably
been supportive of spiritual activities in markets which include regular
prayer sessions.
3. In the last few months, however, the regular collective and
compulsory prayers have been a source of controversy because of the
frequency and duration. Until recently, markets were compulsorily closed
every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from morning till afternoon to enable
traders to pray for success. A good number of traders have been
complaining that the closures were too frequent, all the more so since
many of them attend morning devotion daily, say such prayers as The
Angelus at midday and Divine Mercy at 3 pm, also daily. They have also
been complaining that the constant market closures were depriving them
of the opportunity to buy and sell, forcing customers from Imo, Abia,
the two Congos, Cameroon, Chad, Niger Republic, Central African
Republic, Kano, Enugu, Sokoto, Ebonyi, Kogi and elsewhere to go to
markets in neighbouring states like Delta. What is more, the traders
accuse a certain religious preacher of being the brain behind the
incessant closures for purely private gain. They are of the view that he
has created a culture of fear and has been spreading superstition and
rancor in the markets by brainwashing traders into believing that he is
responsible for every business breakthrough while ascribing every
failure to the spiritual wickedness and manipulation of family members
and fellow traders. In the process, according to the traders, the
preacher has been making a fortune at their expense.
4. Whatever may be the degree of frustration which the traders feel
about the incessant market closures and their possible manipulation by a
self-serving preacher, the Anambra State government advises all those in
the markets in the state to remain spiritual because their spirituality
benefits the state, like in its significant contribution to Anambra’s
emergence as the safest and most peaceful and united state in the whole
country. What may not be acceptable is the frequency of the collective
and compulsory prayer session. To close down markets three times every
week for several hours on each occasion in order to force every trader
to pray at the same time will rob the state of its competitive edge in
business. It will drive businesses to other places.
5. It is appropriate to hold a global and compulsory prayer session
monthly. Each market will decide on the day and time to shut down and
hold its own prayers to thank God for His protection, guidance and
blessings. Meanwhile, individuals and groups will continue with their
daily prayers like Morning Devotion, The Angelus and Divine Mercy.
6. The Good Lord has always been protective of our state, and has always
showered us with countless blessings. All we owe Him is constant show of
gratitude and faithfulness through prayers which have to be balanced
with pragmatism. Indeed, His banner over us is love (Song of Solomon
2:4).
7. God bless Anambra State, the Light of the Nation.
Signed
C. Don Adinuba
Commissioner for Information & Public Enlightenment.