An Ibadan-based visually impaired prophet, Moses Kasali, of the Hour of Mercy Ministry, Moniya, Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State, has awarded scholarships to two children, Samuel Babayemi (5) and Abidemi Oladitan (15) for their exemplary knowledge of the Bible.
The announcement of the scholarship, which threw the church congregation into a wild jubilation, according to the man of God, reputed for his act of philanthropy was to appreciate God in the life of the children.
Information gathered by our correspondent, Kasali said the award would subsequently be held annually as part of activities to mark the church’s Children’s Day, adding that the scholarship value of N500,000 to each of the two recipients “is to encourage the children in Bible reading. It is not about their ages but about their talents. The children have shown uncanny commitment to the word of God and they deserve encouragement, which we are trying to do. We are very much hopeful that with the encouragement, the children will pay similar attention if not more to their studies in their schools. We are also convinced that with good support wherever this type of children are found, they will become prominent persons in the country.”
He called on people of means in the country as well as clerics, both Islamic and Christian, to assist the indigent but brilliant and talented children around them. “Through this,” he said, “such children will be able to attain their potential in full and make meaningful contributions to the society.”
The prophet, who has single-handedly built and equipped a police station in Ojedeji where his church is located, in addition to providing electricity for the residents of the village, disclosed that the annual award programme would attract a summer holiday with children in any part of the world.
To qualify for the award, the recipient must come first in his school in addition to being the best Sunday School student in the church as well as at the three-day retreat of the church. The second position will get N500,000, according to the prophet.
The prophet appealed to the Federal Government to compel the management of the Dana Airline to quickly pay compensation to all the victims of its plane crash in Lagos last year. He queried why should the airline was allowed to resume operations before compensating the victims?
Kasali expressed worry at the level of publicity being given to the Boko Haram activities, describing it as buoying their criminal act, saying; “The publicity which you are giving the insurgents with your sensational headlines and stories capable of boosting their morale is too much. That is not good enough. You are over-promoting them and they rejoice at that. Unfortunately, they don’t spare you of their negative tendencies
“There have been stories of attack on journalists and kidnappings of some of you. Look at it from another angle, in the past, you media men enjoyed almost absolute freedom but it is no longer so. Don’t you know how much it cost you to get FOI law? Today, nobody fears you. Your rights are being encroached on.
“You are being exploited by your employers and this is part of injustice which I am crying about. There must be justice from our leaders. And the justice must be to all and sundry.”
