Immediate past Executive Secretary, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Assoc. Prof. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma has returned thanks to God for completing his 8 years of stewardship in NICO, saying if it were not the hand of God upon his life, he would not have gotten the grace to finish his assignment in NICO in peace.
Ayakoroma said this on Tuesday, November 28, 2017 while giving a vote of thanks at the end of a special thanksgiving/send-forth service, organized by “NICO Prays”, an in-house Christian fellowship of the Institute to celebrate the end of his tenure as ES of NICO.
His words: “We are here because God has helped me to finish a race and I am here to thank God because my case has been different. I always tell people that if it is left for man, it would not have happened but because it is God’s business, He has allowed me to finish the race”.
Ayakoroma who likened his successful stay in NICO to a race that is not for the swift, fast, nor strong, stressed that it can only be God that can make one to finish such a race and he is not taking it for granted.
While recalling the circumstance that brought him in as ES of NICO in 2009, Ayakoroma said, for him, he came to NICO without knowing what the Institute was all about; but rather than look the other way, he looked unto God and prayed for direction, which enabled him to contribute his best to reposition the Institute, especially in the culture sector as the apex cultural training institute in Nigeria.
“I came to NICO with a mission because when I got the appointment, I didn’t know what NICO was doing. I went to the website to read and there was nothing much to read about and I prayed for God to give me direction and that is why when I came, I came with what I called “the Barclays Force” and today, I am happy to leave NICO better than I met it”, he said.
Earlier in a short exaltation, Pastor Charles Chukwuma of Conquest International Christian Centre who took a bible reading from the book of Number 20:7, 10-12, enumerated three things that can hinder a man from finishing well to include disobedience to God; taking credit that is meant for God; and setting up negative examples that can instigate disloyalty”.
Pastor Chukwuma who said finishing well is something that is very expensive and not something a person can pick on the streets, explained that when Jesus came on the altar and shouted “it is finished”, it was not just a formality or something casual but he looked back at the huddles, challenges and crisis on the journey, yet at the end of the day, He finished well.
To him, finishing well can save a lot of troubles for a man as exemplified in the life of Prof. Ayakoroma who despite all he went through, has come out triumphant by the help of God.
“We are celebrating God’s servant today and you are seeing him as a star but if he removes his shirts for you, you will see scars because he has been through a lot to get to where he is today. We are gathered here today because one man who by the help of God and his own virtues and values, was able to scale the huddles and challenges of human endeavour, yet he succeeded triumphantly”.
He therefore left all present with Psalm 124:1-8, as food for thought, which according to him, remains one scripture that goes a long way to summarize what God has done in the life of his servant, the outgoing ES, NICO.
Caleb Nor
Media Assistant to ES
NICO HQ
Abuja-FCT