All Saints Methodist Cathedral Umuawa Alaocha Appeals for Abia Govt’s Assistance as Church Roof Collapses

The Methodist Church Nigeria, All Saints Cathedral Umuawa Alaocha, Umuahia East Diocese in Umuahia North Local Government Area, has sent a Save-our-Soul (SOS) to the Abia State Government and public spirited individuals following a heavy wind that caused the collapse of the roof of the church.

Our reporter who visited the church gathered that the heavy rain on Tuesday evening, March 18, 2025, left the entire community in ruins as it destroyed property worth millions of Naira.

It was observed electric poles, economic trees, buildings and so many other things were badly affected by the wind that accompanied the heavy downpour on that fateful day.

Conducting newsmen round the 800 seater capacity cathedral, the Bishop of the Umuahia East of Methodist Church, Rt Rev Dr Best Okike said the incident happened without notice adding that the youths of the church were holding their weekly meeting at the time.

“I was in my house yesterday in the evening when the windy storm started and I was called by my chaplain that the roof of the cathedral has started to collapse and before I could get here, the whole thing had been done within a space of five minutes, the tornado, I should call it had destroyed everything. The speed of the wind is terrible and people were inside here, holding a meeting, they managed to struggle out,” Bishop Okike said.

Rt Rev. Okike who said the church was commissioned in 2022, appealed to the Governor of Abia State Dr Alex Otti and other well-meaning individuals to assist the church as the burden of rebuilding it cannot be left on the shoulders of members alone.

“I am making an appeal to the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti. We know him as a Godly person and philanthropist the man that has the mind of the masses. This is a place of worship so we are calling on him and other philanthropists in Nigeria and our stakeholders in the Christian faith to come to the aid of this Diocese.

“We spent a lot of money to put up this so many years ago and with the economic hardship on many members it would be very hard for us to do anything apart from this assistance we’re expecting from our members that are well to do. If we leave this for the people that are here we may not be able to actualize it.”

However, the sudden collapse of the roof of the cathedral, built in about three years ago, left a lot of questions on the integrity of the building materials used.

The Bishop, who refused to be drawn of the standard of the materials, pointed out that he was barely six months into his service at the area, insisting that he is more concerned about the rebuilding of the church rather than probing the the contractor.

Narrating an eye witness account, Very Rev Bright Madu, Cathedral Administrator, who said he was with the youths during their meeting when the incident took place, explained that they started noticing as ceiling started the falling off before the sudden collapse of the iron roof.

“Yesterday as I was coming back from work it started raining. When I got to Umuahia, the rain seemed to be very much so I managed and drove back home because I had a meeting in the church.

“As the meeting was ongoing, suddenly, the celling started falling off so we became afraid. And before you know it, that heavy wind, the roof collapsed immediately. But God been so kind, we ran away from it. Though one of us sustained an injury but there was no death casualty.”

While thanking God that He no death casualty was recorded, Very Rev Dr Madu appeal for assistance from every well meaning Nigerian to enable the church reroof their worship center, an amount he estimated at over fifty million Naira.

On her, a member of the church, Lady Ezinwanyi Ndubuisi thanked God that not life was lost in the incident but appealed for assistance of government and individuals with human kindness to come to the aid of the church.

Also speaking on the incident in his community, Eze Nzenwanta Mbakwe, traditional ruler of Umuosu Okauga-Nkwoegwu Autonomous Community in Umuahia North regretted that the wind pulled down many electric poles, leaving live wires dangling dangerously on the roads.

Eze Mbakwe called on the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) to not only disconnect the lights, but also work towards raising the live wires to save the people from possible casualty.

The traditional ruler commended Governor Alex Otti for his good works in the State and appealed to the State Government and other individuals to assist the church in his community to reroof their worship center.