Africa-Press – Tanzania. PRAISES keep pouring in for President John Magufuli as people of all walks of life can’t stop raving about his outstanding and exemplary leadership.
The latest accolades came from the Philadelphia Gospel Assembly Church.
Through its central committee and executive council yesterday awarded the Tanzanian President for his strong leadership, saying under his regime, Tanzania has become an exemplary nation in Africa and the world at large.
The award was received by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, who represented President Magufuli at a prayer service for the consecration of Archbishop, Dr Yohana Masinga at the church headquarters, located in Area C Wajenzi in Dodoma City.
Addressing the congregation, the Premier lauded Dr Magufuli as a God-fearing leader, who always insists prayers before doing anything.
“We are blessed with the President who believes in God. He never starts anything without praying to God,” the Prime Minister noted “We have all witnessed that Tanzania has become an exemplary nation in fighting against corruption, embezzlement of public funds and improved social services – all these successes are accompanied by the fear of the Lord,” he added.
He recalled that even when the whole world was plagued by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Head of State put the nation in the hands of God and everything continued as usual in the country.
“We never imposed any lockdown in Tanzania, but we continued with our activities, knowing clearly that God is our only refuge and strength,” he said.
“Personally, I will always thank religious leaders for standing with the government during Covid-19 and in all other moments. You comforted Tanzanians and prayed together. This has always been a great thing, which promotes unity, cooperation and love among citizens,” he said.
The Premier said the fifthphase government recognised and valued the contribution of religious leaders and institutions in general in the provision of various social services such as education, health, water and supporting people with special needs.
He applauded the Philadelphia Gospel Assembly Church for its plans to build schools, health centres and a vocation training college, saying all such efforts aimed at supporting the government to bring about positive changes to the people.
He said the consecration of Dr Masinga was evidence of a good job that he had done in the service of God and it was a sign of great trust from the church congregation.
“As a leader of this church, we believe and trust that you are going to serve the church and ensure there is unity and cooperation among the congregation and Tanzanians in general,” he noted.
Archbishop Masinga becomes the Head of Philadelphia churches in Africa, Asia and America. The Premier said being the head of such churches needed wisdom and God’s guidance to lead his people.
“For years, we have been seeing missionaries from abroad coming to Tanzania, but this church started in Tanzania and you have been able to take it to other countries. We are all praying to God to give you wisdom to continue leading this church,” he said.
Moreover, the Premier urged Tanzanians to focus on agriculture as many regions were currently getting rain.
“I would like to use this opportunity to ask all Tanzanians to start farming. Many areas are getting rain. Therefore, it is the right time we started preparing our farms,” he said.
He also directed town planning authorities to set aside special areas for prayers so that people could meet for worshipping God without problems.
Bishop Masinga said the decision to award the President was reached as a result of his outstanding performance in leading the nation.
“President Magufuli is courageous, wise and strong in decision-making,” he said.
In August, this year, Tanzania Assemblies of God (TAG) awarded President Magufuli for his strong leadership during the Covid-19 outbreak.
TAG Archbishop, Dr Barnabas Mtokambali, said the decision to award the President was reached during the TAG national convention in Dodoma.
He declared that the church acknowledged the important role played by the Head of State in instilling faith among Tanzanians that God was the answer to trying moments, while other countries opted for lockdowns.
Unlike neighbouring countries and beyond, President Magufuli did not impose lockdown measures to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.
Moreover, in June, this year, religious leaders who met in Dodoma applauded President Magufuli for his distinguished leadership and guidance.
Evangelical Assemblies of God Tanzania (EAGT) Bishop Evance Chande described President Magufuli as a strong, decisive leader, who had helped in the implementation and management of various development projects.
“Due to the achievements attained in several sectors in the country, we couldn’t keep quiet. Hence, we decided to come out and congratulate him on his great work over the past five years…each of us here has carefully followed his June 16 speech,” said Bishop Chande.
