January 27, 2022

Delta Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, on Thursday, charged Nigerians to live right with God and be prepared to render account of their lives when the righteous judge called; admonishing that sometimes it is not about how long you lived but the impact you made while you lived.

Okowa made the charge at the funeral of the late Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ughelli North Chapter, Mr Lawrence Agbatutu, at Agbarho in Ughelli North Local Government Area.

Agbatutu died Nov 22, 2021 at 62, at an Abuja hospital.

Okowa described the deceased as a man of integrity who contributed immensely to the growth of PDP in Ughelli North and Delta State.

He urged the family to be united and ensure that they sustain the legacies of truth and integrity which their late father epitomised.

“On behalf of my family, the government and people of Delta, I condole yet again with the immediate family of our departed friend and brother, Hon. Lawrence Agbatutu.

“I know that I had the privilege of talking to him a few days before he passed and I thank all our friends and brothers who have continued to support the family since he passed on.

“I thank our Bishop who gave us a very wonderful sermon. When we are in such a solemn place as this, it’s actually about our lives; the words that we hear are for the living and not the dead and I thank you for this message.

“My own perspective to life is that God is the righteous judge and we must give account of the life that we live to our God when the time comes

“The late Lawrence Agbatutu was an embodiment of everything that was good and I thank God for the life he lived.

“Sometimes it is not about how long you lived but the impact you made while you lived.

“I believe that the children and wife are proud of him and for us in the PDP, we are very proud of him because he was indeed a man of integrity.

“He was a highly and dependable chairman who was never afraid to speak truth to power and we will continue to miss him.

“It is my prayer that God will open doors for everyone of you that he has left behind and may God’s grace be sufficient to take you to the heights that your father wished for you all,” Okowa stated.

In a sermon titled “The one call that no man can resist”, General Overseer of Lord Jesus Church, Agbarho, Bishop Monday Okotie, said the best time to prepare for eternity was while one was alive and not in death.

Okotie said no man had the right to determine where and when to die, and emphasised that God could call anybody home at anytime hence the need to surrender to Jesus now before it would be too late.

He described late Agbatutu as a man that used his life for the service of God and humanity and urged his family to uphold his legacies as a way to immortalize him.

“Until you hand over your life to Jesus, he cannot take over from you. Our brother has lived his life and it is left for him to answer to God how he lived his life while on earth.

“Occasions like this is an opportunity for those of us still alive to re-examine our lives hand it over to God so that when the hour comes, we can stand before God to give account of our lives,” the cleric stated.

The funeral was attended by several dignitaries including the Deputy Governor, Mr Kingsley Otuaro, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori and Chairman of PDP in Delta, Chief Kingsley Esiso.