Yardenit, situated on the banks of the Jordan River, at the Southern tip of the Sea of Galilee in the State of Israel (Hebrew: Medinat Yisra’el; Arabic: Dawlat Isrãil), is a site to behold. It has hundreds of plaques written in different languages of the world, containing the account of the baptism of our Lord Jesus by John the Baptist in River Jordan (Mark 1: 9-11). Thus, today, many tribes and tongues have these verses of the Bible translated into their languages and put up on the wall by the Jordan River as a memorial unto the Lord. My own conviction goes a step further. I sincerely believe that Ogori (my humble birth place) has a special place in God’s heart, and that the promise in Isaiah 56:5 refers to Ogori also when God said: ”Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and daughters.”
While the three (3) verses are translated into various languages as mentioned above, there is nothing that has been done in Ọkọ (Ogori) language. In short, it is conspicuously missing and not too pleasing to a number of us. Three (3) towns/communities in the old Northern Nigeria were the first group to have Christianity planted on their soil. The first is the Holy Trinity Church and School, Lokoja in 1865; the second is in the Zaria Area in 1901 and was resettled in Wusasa in 1929; and the third is St Peter’s Church and School, Ogori in OgoriMagongo Local Government of Nigeria in 1913.
Given the historical antecedents of OgoriMagongo and being the 3rd community in Northern Nigeria to have Christianity planted on its soil in 1913 with nothing to show the world for it, the Jegede family/clan took up the challenge as a major project to justify Ogori being in the first group of Christian communities in the North, and to raise the visibility of Christianity in OgoriMagongo, in the old Ondo Diocese, in Kogi state, and indeed in the old Northern Nigeria. Above all, we got a special divinely blessed conviction to undertake the project to honour the existence and special place that God has in our hearts and in our family/clan. This project keeps us holding tenaciously unto God in a laser-focused manner to assert our conviction that He is the only way to salvation.
After ten (10) years of rigorous and tremendous planning, with the assistance of some people and selected linguistic experts in Ọkọ orthography, we have been able to complete the painstaking translation of the three verses in Ọkọ, designing, writing on the plaque, and putting it up. This gives Ogori the special place in belonging to the comity of Christian communities that have translated Mark 1:9-11 and hung it on a plaque in Yardenit, River Jordan.
I am pleased to say that our effort has successfully yielded the desired result. Therefore, the placement of a plaque in Ọkọ (Ogori Language) alongside those of other nations on a wall in the Holy Land is raising a memorial to the Lord on behalf of our blessed community. It is a call to all of us leaders, but especially our spiritual leaders in Ogori, and within our Local Government Area to turn us to God in prayer, like never before, for the healing of our land (2 Chronicles 7:14).
We are also excited that the plaque will be dedicated and unveiled as part of the programme of the Kogi State Christian Pilgrims’ Commission Holy Land Pilgrimage to Jordan and Israel in February 2025. They will participate in the dedication and unveiling of the plaque in Yardenit by the River Jordan on a date and time to be specified between the 6th and 10th of February 2025. We give all the praises and adoration to God Almighty.
How can you be involved and participate as an integral part of the project?
There are at least FOUR (4) ways as follows:
1. Join the group physically in Israel in the epoch-making event. Schedule and fund your travels and accommodation to the Holy Land;
2. Sponsor individuals to travel to Israel to join the joyous celebration on behalf of Ogori and Magongo, and indeed the Kogi State Christian community (to the best of our knowledge, no other community in Kogi has undertaken this project);
3. Sponsor any activities that have been identified as part of the dedication and unveiling of the project; and
4. Join via a video conference, to be projected life and publicly from Israel during the dedication and unveiling service, through a link at a venue in Ogori. The venue at which people will gather is at the National Open University of Nigeria Community Study Centre Hall where the link will be installed. Three (3) days to the dedication and unveiling ceremony, the details of the link will be amply circulated at home and abroad for all who wish to join. Of course, for those not in Ogori, you can join from anywhere in the world you may be at that material time.
If your good self, families, friends, congregations, associates and colleagues are interested in being involved in the dedication and unveiling of the project as outlined above, please feel free to contact Rt. Rev’d Praises Omole-Ekun (+234 708 080 8888), Rt. Rev’d Festus Davies (+234 803 451 0378) or Rev Fr Philip Otori (+234 806 406 0342).
I have always aimed to advance the progress of Ogori, OgoriMagongo Local Government Area, and her people. As Ogurefa of Ogori, (translated as Atun ilu șe – Yoruba; s/he who seeks positive transformation for the community), I am more committed to this. We bless the Lord for this opportunity to bring this project to fruition. He alone must take the glory.
Further details will be available in due course. We are all proudly Ogorians!
Thank you very much and God bless.
Olugbemiro Jegede
Emeritus Professor, National Open University of Nigeria
Ogurefa of Ogori
1 January, 2025