GKS President Decries Rising Rate of Suicide in Nigeria, Africa

The President of God’s Kingdom Society, (GKS), the Church of the Living God Brother Godwin Ifeacho, has expressed regret at the growing reports of suicides in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, stating that despite the hard economic conditions, people should not give in to suicidal tendencies but should continually look to their Creator for guidance and sustenance.

 In an address he delivered on Sunday (October 30, 2016) at the Freedom Day Divine Service at the Church headquarters in Salem City, Warri, Delta State, the GKS President noted that “cases of suicides which were hardly heard of in Africa in the past are now being reported more frequently” noting that with such problems as unpaid salaries, loss of jobs, inability to pay back loans and foot their bills, “suicide rates have risen as some people prefer to take their own lives than suffer the bitter shame of their outraged feelings”.

In the address entitled, “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heaven laden” the GKS leader warned that human life is sacred, and that no one had the right to take his life, pointing out that one reason for the rising rates of suicides was that the love for one another and “the social support system of everyone being his neighbour’s keeper, which was an integral part of the social economy of Africans, has faded away” while “individualism of the modern day has taken over”.

He lamented that majority of Africa’s estimated 800 million people “are disillusioned and desperate, as the continent, has become a metaphor for disease, poverty, unemployment, corruption mismanagement, and bad governance”. He added that “compared to other regions, more African countries are either involved in raging conflicts or are experiencing post-conflict tensions, forcing hundreds, if not thousands, of its youths into daily dangerous journeys abroad in desperate attempts to escape hardships in their home countries”. 

Brother Ifeacho urged those who are buffeted by various troubles not to take to drugs, secret societies, and miracle workers lest they be exposed to “deceptions of a most impudent and virulent kind, in that they end up being drained of their resources in addition to being dragged further into the pit”. 

Rather, they should turn to Jesus Christ for direction and sustenance in that he came “for the benefit of all those who are humble in heart and want the righteousness and salvation of God”.

Apart from the address of the president, another highlight of the service was the proof from Bible chronology that Christ was born in October, which was done by Brother Oferi Ewharekuko, the Assistant Station Minister, GKS Rivers State Branches. The Freedom Day Divine Services which are spread throughout all the Sundays in October of every year, were also held  last Sunday at Kano, Makurdi, Uromi, Abonnema, Ilorin, Nempi, Nara, Amala, and Monrovia, Liberia. Choral and cultural groups from various ethnic groups in the Church performed during the occasion.