RCCG pastor builds life-saving handrail for Lagos community trapped in ravine
By Ishaya Ibrahim
Pastor Okeson Oche Onu, Senior Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Jesus House in Ogba, Lagos, celebrated his 50th birthday on Saturday, February 28, by commissioning a life-saving handrail for the struggling Ifelodun community, a low-lying neighborhood trapped below ground level.
For residents of this flood-prone Lagos area, simply leaving home has long meant navigating a perilous 50-step descent into a ravine—a slippery, treacherous path that has claimed lives, especially during rainy seasons.
On his milestone birthday, the pastor unveiled the sturdy handrail, which now ensures safe ascents and descents for daily activities such as accessing roads, markets, and workplaces.
Nze Benedict Anyanwu, Vice Chairman of the community, said many residents, landlords and tenants alike, had perished in falls before the handrail’s construction.
“We have lost a lot of landlords, we have lost a lot of tenants, especially when it rains,” he said. “Because it’s slippery, you will see people falling down inside the gorge.”
Anyanwu noted that the community had long planned to build the handrail but lacked the funds until Pastor Okeson intervened.
The pastor recounted how the project began. Shortly after his transfer to RCCG Jesus House, he visited church members in the community and discovered the hazardous 50-step drop. When he asked how to reach them, he was told he would have to brave the steep descent. A church member volunteered to hold his hand for support until they arrived safely. From that moment, Pastor Okeson vowed to address the danger.
The handrail was completed and commissioned on February 28, alongside the launch of a book he authored, titled 50 Ways of Touching the Immortal, which he described as unlocking the secrets of God’s anointing and miraculous healing. The book was distributed free to church members.
Pastor Onu is the younger brother of Betty Abah, the Executive Director of the Centre for Children’s Health Education, Orientation and Protection (CEE-HOPE).
Abah stated that after God, the greatest influence in their lives was their mother, who passed away four years ago.
She explained that from their mother, they learned honesty, kindness, and transparency. These qualities have rubbed off on Pastor Onu who has been entrusted with leadership responsibilities since his secondary school days.
