By Onyekwere Nwobodo
Ordinarily, appointment of new members is a routine, standard administrative action in the life of a government.
It could entail filling existing vacancies or bringing more specialist hands in, based on the critical need assessment evaluation, in the course of project delivery.
Governments do this all the time, at all levels, and in all jurisdictions, so the recent appointment of additional members by Governor Peter Mbah, into governance roles, couldn’t possibly be any different!
Disgruntled mischief merchants, for lack of verifiable shortcomings in Mbah’s impeccable governance model, have attempted to make a meal out of an action that ordinarily deserves to be applauded.
Pray, which government in history, recruited every danm personnel it would ever require, ONCE, at inception?
No government is beyond interrogation, yes, but if, for instance, someone is appointed anew from an otherwise underrepresented area, was it better to have allowed the perceived injustice persist, or take practical steps to cure the apparent oversight?
Is there a prescribed number of allowable political appointees in a democracy?
It has become so obvious that,rather than for any altruistic reasons, the noise by the motley gang of opposition,(present only in the social media any way), to the well intended exercise is, instead,driven by a sense of grievous communal loss!
Governor Mbah, apart from continually delivering on his governance mandate, has, with this master stroke, struck a surprise, devastating blow, to his opponents, by effectively diminishing, virtually extinguishing the shrinking population from which their grieving rank had recruited!
Otherwise, how is it their worry that some people who had opposed the emergence of the Governor in 2023, were now appointed into government?
They would’ve preferred the Governor to continue to dwell in their unhelpful, hateful old fashioned political philosophy which views political disagreement as mortal enemity, rather than appreciate and acknowledge the goodness and statesmanship in Governor Mbah’s action.
If anyone had opposed Mbah as gubernatorial candidate in 2023, the man himself reckons, and quite rightly so, it wasn’t anything personal, and if in his judgement and magnanimity as governor, he makes that former opponent an offer to join hands with him to move Enugu State forward, and the fellow accepts, shouldn’t we applaud?
Governor Mbah is an intellectual giant, no doubt, but he does not fear or loath to cohabit with equally knowledgeable persons, even if they were originally of different political persuasion! That is rising above self, ego or pettiness!
His interest,as I have come to understand, is what you bring to the table, and how that makes the governance group and Enugu State, better ; nothing more, nothing less!
Many a politician recruit and surround themselves with ‘yes-men’ who grovel at their feet, massage their bloated ego,even if they offer nothing more to drive the administration agenda.
Mbah is so confident without being arrogant, so self-assured, and forever highly receptive to, and respectful of empirically sound, professional viewpoint.
The opposition criticism of his recent appointments is ‘much ado about nothing..’ ; they go to no issue really and change nothing!
The new team members are highly welcome, and must not forget that adding value is the main consideration, and Ndi Enugu must not lose, on any account !
As long as the need arises, and/or vacancies exist, any forward looking administration like Mbah’s, would always continually reinvent, recalibrate, rejig the machinery of governance with injection of quality personnel in needful areas, for optimum performance.
And crucially, the more, the merrier…
Mr Nwobodo is Special Adviser, Media, to Enugu State Governor.
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Christian marriage is not like other forms of marriage
By Ifechukwu Ibeme
The danger of confusing covenant with contract
There is today a widespread tendency to confuse Christian marriage with traditional, civil, or Islamic marriage, treating them as though they operate by the same principles and may therefore be understood, entered, sustained, or dissolved in the same way.
Scripture, however, distinguishes between marriage as God’s universal ordinance for humanity (Genesis 2:24), whose understanding and practice have been variously adapted, modified, and often corrupted by human cultures since the Fall, and marriage “in the Lord”—the covenantal expression of marriage specifically restored, fulfilled, and authoritatively interpreted by Christ, entered into by believers under His lordship (1 Corinthians 7:39; Ephesians 5:22–33).
Much of the confusion in contemporary marriage teaching and counseling arises from mixing these distinct covenantal frameworks.
Christian marriage, as taught by Christ and His Apostles, is NOT merely a cultural marriage ceremony with Christian prayers added. It is marriage consciously entered and lived under the New Covenant, according to Christ’s authority and pattern.
It is therefore not merely a legal contract or a social arrangement. It is a holy covenant—a lifelong union of one man and one woman before God, designed to proclaim the mystery of Christ’s faithful love for His Church (Ephesians 5:31–32).
For this reason, many problems arising within a Christian marriage cannot be faithfully resolved simply by appealing to cultural traditions, civil legislation, or religious customs. Likewise, principles governing Christian marriage should not automatically be imposed upon marriages that were not entered as Christian covenants.
When people attempt to apply contractual or betrothal categories—such as bride-price, family authority as the final arbiter, or interest-based continuation—to a covenant union established under Christ, they often arrive at conclusions that are inconsistent with the teaching of Scripture.
The Distinctive Marks of Christian Marriage
- One-Flesh Union – God joins husband and wife into one flesh, establishing a bond that supersedes prior family loyalties (Genesis 2:24; Mark 10:6–9).
- Covenantal Permanence – What God has joined together, human beings are not authorized to separate. The covenant is intended to endure until death (Mark 10:9; Romans 7:1–3; 1 Corinthians 7:39).
- Exclusive Monogamy – Christian marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman, faithfully devoted to each other.
- Divine Lordship – Although recognized publicly through the Church and civil society where appropriate, the marriage derives its authority from God and is governed by His Word.
- Christ-Centred Purpose – The ultimate aim is not merely personal fulfilment or social acceptance, but the glory of Christ and the visible demonstration of His covenant love for His Church (Ephesians 5:22–33).
This distinction is of great importance. The Church must resist the common practice of attempting to solve problems within Christian marriages by importing assumptions, expectations, or solutions belonging to traditional, Islamic, customary, or purely civil systems of marriage.
Christian marriage must be understood, nurtured, protected, and, where necessary, restored according to the teaching of Christ and His Apostles.
The Church must therefore recover the mind of Christ concerning marriage. Christian marriage is not merely one cultural form among many; it is marriage restored to God’s creational intention, governed by Christ’s lordship, and empowered by His covenant grace. Only when Christian marriages are understood within this biblical framework can they faithfully display the mystery of Christ and His Church.
May Christian homes today begin again to faithfully reflect the glorious union of Christ and His Church.
Venerable Ibeme is based in Maiduguri, Borno State
