I must thank you specially, Bishop Wale Oke, for having me here to speak on this glorious occasion. Congratulations on the successful hosting of the 38th Annual Holy Ghost Convention of The Sword of the Spirit Ministries. I am also happy about the way you have set things up so that COVID-19 protocols are observed. Well done.
Permit me to lead this message with the scripture at Isaiah 48:17b which says: “I am the LORD your God who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.” The Lord God, teaches us to profit. He is the greatest teacher in the whole universe. And what a school the universe is! Scientists say that it could take 225 trillion years to explore the universe.
We don’t live that long. So, the time we spend here we need to use it to learn all we can. We cannot learn properly if we are not guided. That is why the work you are doing here is very important. With the dedication of the Mission Campus, more people will get educated. People will be taught to profit and led in the way that they should go.
I am always excited when I get invitations to speak at events that have to do with education. If I were told to choose just one of the four pillars on which to build the economic recovery of Oyo State, I will most certainly choose education as the foremost. An educated people cannot be held down. They will continue to push for development and embrace developmental efforts because they know better.
I am also happy about the role the church has played in bringing about education and enlightenment through formal education. Mission schools have had a long history in Oyo State. One of the first mission schools was built here in Oyo State over seventy years ago.
These days, some people think that the work of building schools should be left only to the government. But I will always say that government can only do so much. Development is a collective responsibility. The main function of government is to make and enforce laws that will make the lives of the citizens better.
So, as you fellowship together, let us not forget the importance of playing our role as citizens. Do not rest on your oars. As you have done this one, I pray that you do more. We can have many more of these missions for the education of our people. As partners in progress, we are open to listening to you. So, if there are bottlenecks in your work which you believe government can straighten out, please do not hesitate to reach out to us and we will see what we can do about it.
Once again, I congratulate you on the success of this year’s annual convention and I pray that as you continue to hearken to the teachings of the Lord our God, your peace continues to flow as a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea.
~ Governor Seyi Makinde, August 30, 2020