Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo; presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi; Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, and former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, on Friday paid tribute to the late Prelate of the Methodist Church, Nigeria, Sunday Mbang, who was laid to rest in his home town in Eket on Friday.
Speaking during the funeral service held at the Methodist Church Nigeria, Cathedral Eket, Akwa Ibom State, Obasanjo lauded the late Prelate for his frankness in speaking his mind to power.
He credited the ecumenical centre built during his tenure at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to the late Prelate and CAN President, whose “purposefulness and consistency compelled him to lead a fundraising for the construction of the national Christian Worship Centre and the only cathedral with a revolving altar.”
Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Eno, in his remarks, described the late prelate as an embodiment of Christian virtues, icon of national unity, love, morality, and tolerance.
He said the deceased was a man of deep faith, who saw the ennobling ideals in other faiths, lived the aspiration of Nigeria, and showed himself a great patriot who considered character and principles of those who came in contact with him, over the limiting impulses of geography.
“We are gathered here to bid farewell to a shepherded who stayed close to his flock even at a point of personal harm, a quintessential son and an ecclesiastical ambassador of our dear State, the late Prelate Emeritus of the Methodist Church, Nigeria, the first Chairman of the World Methodists Council of African ancestry, an advocate of religious or inter-faith collaborations and tolerance, a proponent of good governance, who was not afraid to speak truth to power, the late Prelate Emeritus of the Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr. Sunday Mbang, CON.
“Today, Nigeria is a better place because he collaborated and worked with other religious leaders so the rainbow of colors on our national religious firmament would illuminate and beautify our diversity,” Eno remarked.
