Wonderland Event Centre, Isi-Court, Aba Road, Umuahia – Abia State, shook with worship, weeping, and thunderous ovation on Friday, August 28, 2026, as The Sanctuary Christian Ministries (SCM) and The SHOGNA Foundation International held the Grand Closing, Awards and Thanksgiving Service to conclude the 15th Annual Global Convention.
The three-week spiritual and humanitarian convergence, themed “Feed My Lambs & Tend My Sheep” – John 21:15-16, began on August 12 with the “Let There Be Light Crusades 2026 – New Isuikwuato, New Abia State”, and climaxed with a week-long outreach that fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and restored dignity to the forgotten in communities across Abia State.
The hall was a living tapestry of Abia and beyond. The event was graced by the presence of His Excellency Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, Executive Governor of Abia State – Father Grandeur of the Occasion. He was joined by H.E. Dr. Uchechukwu Samson Ogah, former Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, who served as Special Guest of Honour. Also in attendance were His Eminence Bishop Sunday Onuoha – Officiating Minister, Pastor Chris Agbai of Ahaba-Imenyi, Isuikwuato LGA, and the respected traditional rulers HRH Eze Dr. Chimezie Ndimele of Ikwuano, Ikwuano LGA and *HRH Eze Nwokeocha Okorafor* of Ahaba-Imeyi, Isuikwuato LGA of Abia State.
Adding weight and colour to the gathering were the Executive Members of Abia Infrastructure Mandate (AIM) led by the Convener, Chief Engr. Dr. Odo Ijere, whose presence signalled a bold alignment between faith, service and infrastructural development. The auditorium also swelled with hope as members of Ikeduru Women Group from Ikeduru, Imo State, various women groups from Isuikwuato LGA, and most movingly, past and present students of the School of the Blind and other physically challenged students took their seats as guests of honour. Their presence turned the convention into more than a ceremony; it became a covenant that no one will be left behind.
The host, Apostle Dr. Ngozika Gladys Johnson-Ogbuneke, Founder & CEO of SCM and SHOGNA Foundation International, was joined on the high table by Hon. Barr. Favour C. Nzeanochie, British-Nigerian Legal Practitioner and Legal Director of SHOGNA Foundation. Lady Nikky Emelike, CEO of Neasden College, London and SHOGNA Foundation Liaison Director, was ably represented. Delegates and partners from the United Kingdom, the Americas, Europe, and across the globe also converged, affirming the international reach of SHOGNA’s mandate of “Service to God, Building up Humanity.”
In her Opening Address, Apostle Dr. Ngozika Johnson-Ogbuneke stood before the multitude with tears in her eyes and fire in her voice. She described the closing as “a sacred altar of gratitude.” She recounted 15 years of relentless service, from supporting students in Isuikwuato in 2009 as a Junior Doctor in the UK, to running the “Back to School Programme” today which provides 50% scholarships and learning materials across Abia’s three senatorial zones. She further disclosed that over 1,120 Holy Bibles have been distributed between 2009 and 2024.
“Look at this hall,” she cried. “The blind can see hope. The lame can walk in dignity. The women of Isuikwuato and Ikeduru have come to say ‘we matter.’ AIM has come to say ‘we will build.’ This is not a convention. This is a movement. We gathered not as spectators, but as witnesses to divine visitation. God showed up, and Abia will never be the same.”
The high point of the occasion was the Keynote Address delivered by H.E. Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR. In a rapsodizing and visionary charge, the Governor, who was ably represented by his Senior Special Adviser on Vulnerability and Poverty Alleviation, Chief Mrs. Ifeoma Thomas, described the convention as a divine alignment between faith and governance. In her words, “Today is more than a closing. It is a commissioning. When we heard ‘Abia: The Next London,’ some doubted. But look around you. The roads are speaking. The schools are speaking. Fiscal discipline is speaking. We are not building for headlines. We are building for history. To SHOGNA Foundation, thank you for reminding us that leadership without compassion is empty, and that development without the human face is vanity. To AIM, to the women of Isuikwuato and Ikeduru, to our brothers and sisters with special needs: this government sees you. We will build with you. Let us rise together. Let Abia become the standard by which other states are measured. Let Abia be the light that nations will come to see. For when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.”
Chief Mrs. Thomas conveyed the Governor’s personal commitment to partnering with faith-based and humanitarian organisations to lift the vulnerable in Abia State. The address drew a standing ovation that lasted minutes, as the physically challenged students led a chorus of worship.
Apostle Johnson-Ogbuneke, in her charge, called on the Abia State Government to enact a “Continuity and Completion Law” to protect developmental projects across political transitions. “Nations are not built by projects alone, but by permanence. Seal this legacy in statute. Make Abia irreversible. Make Abia undeniable,” she said.
She paid glowing tribute to Chief Engr. Dr. Odo Ijere and AIM for choosing to build, to Dr. Uche Ogah and Bishop Sunday Onuoha for choosing “Abia over ambition, and purpose over politics,” to Pastor Chris Agbai for spiritual covering, to the women of Isuikwuato and Ikeduru for their resilience, and to the Royal Fathers for lending the weight of tradition to the mission of service.
The ceremony climaxed with the presentation of SHOGNA Foundation Awards of Diligence to members, volunteers, and associates whose sacrificial service has sustained the Foundation’s work for 15 years. The most emotional moment came as awards were presented to representatives of the School of the Blind and physically challenged students, who received theirs to a hall filled with tears and applause.
The event ended with prayers for Abia State, Nigeria, and all beneficiaries of SHOGNA’s programmes, as one voice rose from Wonderland: “If we all build together, no child will be forgotten, no woman will be silenced, and Abia will rise at a speed that will silence skeptics and startle the nation.”
ABOUT SHOGNA FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL
The SHOGNA Foundation International is the humanitarian arm of The Sanctuary Christian Ministries. With operations in Nigeria, the United Kingdom and beyond, the Foundation focuses on education, healthcare, poverty alleviation, and community empowerment.
For partnership and enquiries:
Account: 2000339820, FCMB.
Tel: 07011811083; 08063894337; 08166671553, +447539018424
Website: www.shognafoundation.org
Email: drgladysjo@icloud.com
FB: The Sanctuary Hand of Grace Ngozi Abia.
Media & Communications Team.
The SCM & SHOGNA Foundation Int’l
