Workers’ Salaries Unpaid: Catholic Priest Lauds Bishop For Rejecting Gov Ayade’s N25m Donation

Fr Kelvin Ugwu, a Nigerian Catholic priest serving in Malawi, has praised the Catholic Bishop of Uyo Diocese, John Ebebe Ayah, for rejecting a twenty-five million naira donation from Cross River State Governor Professor Ben Ayade.

Recall that during a Thanksgiving service at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Ikot Ansa, Calabar, on Sunday, the governor offered to donate N25 million to the church.

However, the bishop, who was dissatisfied with the governor for failing to pay workers’ salaries, requested that the governor add to the amount and settle workers.

He said, “I want to talk. The governor is my brother, we are both from Cross River North. I want to appreciate the governor and tell him to package whatever he has for me, add to it and use it to pay the salaries of the workers”.

In response, Ugwu lamented on his verified Facebook page that the governor was “proudly donating 25 million naira to the church” while workers have been without pay for several months.

He wrote, “The sad part is that some members in the church who were initially clapping for him because of his donation may be among those that have not been paid.

“Thank God for the quick intervention of the Bishop of Uyo diocese, Bishop John Ayah. It is time we start getting our priorities right.

“Even the Bible says in Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”