Govt chapel closed temporarily for renovation — Edo SSA on Religious matters
…As state council approves N300m
Reverend Osagie Ehrunmwunse, Senior Special Assistant on Religious Matters to Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has stated that the government chapel is closed temporarily for renovation and not shut down permanently as speculated.
In a statement while reacting to the controversial closure of the chapel by the state government, Ehrunmwunse, who is also the Pastor-in-Charge of Edo State Government House Chapel, located inside the Government House, said the contract for the renovation and remodelling was awarded to Boums Multinational Concepts Limited at a negotiated tender sum of N300 million.
He said the project is being handled by the Edo State Public Building and Maintenance Agency.
Ehrunmwunse, who alleged that the embattled deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, was behind media reports on the closure of the church, he (Shaibu) was in the State Executive Council meeting when the contract for the renovation of the church was approved and awarded.
“We want to bring the attention of the public and other relevant stakeholders to the fact that the Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu was present (as shown in the EXCO Extract) at the 57th EXCO Meeting held on 1st of November 2023, when approval was given for the renovation and remodeling of the Government House Interdenominational Chapel,” he said.
The state government, which had earlier denied the closure of the church, however, later admitted that it was indeed shut down for renovation.
It also said that, in the meantime, church services has been relocated to the Festival Hall in the Government House.
In a viral video, it was alleged that the priest in charge of the chapel, Reverend Father Andrew Obinyan, has been evicted on orders of the state government.
It was alleged that Obinyan, who had been in charge of the chapel for more than eight years, was sacked by the state government for nursing the ambition to contest the September 21, 2024 governorship election in the state.
