Obaseki extols moral virtue of late Vivian Ogu, extends support to centre named after her

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has hailed the exemplary moral virtue upheld by late Vivian Ogu, a 14-year-old girl, who was killed ten years ago by assailants who attempted to rape her.

Addressing a delegation from the Catholic Archdiocese of Benin on a visit to the Government House in Benin City, Obaseki said his administration would not give up on its drive to restore good morals in the state. 

Late Vivian Ogu, was recently accorded an honour of recognition by Pope Francis on account of her heroic death, as she preferred being killed to being sexually assaulted.

Obaseki noted: “We are on a mission to rebuild our society and the foundation for rebuilding the society starts from its ethics and morality. It is not enough to talk about how society should be like. We want to see people who have walked the talk.” 

He noted that late Vivian Ogu stood and died for what she believed, adding that he preferred his administration to be judged on account of its actions.

The governor promised to assist the Catholic Archdiocese of Benin with funding the essential structures at the Vivian Ogu Centre in Benin City which would serve as a site for the National Mission Congress, holding in Edo in October this year.

Earlier, leader of the delegation, Rev. Fr.  Stephen Dumbiri, and Chairman, Organising Committee for the National Mission Congress, said Vivian Ogu who was born and raised in Benin, is among 25 persons chosen by Pope Francis to be celebrated as heroes of the Christian faith.

He said the heroic faith of Vivian Ogu would be celebrated during the National Mission Congress and the Extraordinary Mission month of October holding in Edo State, adding that delegates for the event would visit the Vivian Ogu Centre.

Fr. Dumbiri said the honour of recognition accorded to late Vivian by the Vatican became possible through the support of the Edo State Government to the Catholic Archdiocese of Benin in the immortalisation of Vivian Ogu after her death in 2009.

He said the Catholic Archdiocese considers the international recognition of value of Vivian Ogu as a call to strengthen the collaboration with the Edo State Government in upholding the moral standard of youths in the state, noting, “The collaboration to immortalise her will go a long way to negate the negative impression that seems to have been created about the youths of Edo as a result of cases of human trafficking and prostitution from the state.”

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