Nigerian international music star, Divine Ikubor, widely known as Rema, recently made a significant donation of N150 million to the Christ Embassy Church in Benin City, Edo State.
Rema was in his home state for the Edo@33 celebrations, where he participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the 6,000-capacity Edo Dome and performed at a musical concert at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.
His donation to the church, located at Erediauwa Street off Ekenwa Road, was a gesture of gratitude for the support the church provided to his family during a challenging period in his childhood.
Rema recounted his experience of losing his father at the age of eight, an event that left his family feeling lost and abandoned. He highlighted the critical role that the Christ Embassy Church played in helping his family cope during that difficult time.
The church, through the efforts of Pastor Joy and Pastor Thomas, opened a shop for Rema’s mother, which became her means of supporting and feeding the family. This support left a lasting impact on Rema, who felt it was important to give back to the church that had embraced and prayed for him during those trying times.
In his speech during a thanksgiving service at the church, Rema expressed that his donation was not for self-accolades but to give glory to God and show appreciation to the church that had kept him spiritually grounded.
He pledged N40 million towards the church’s infrastructural development, N20 million for the Rhapsody of Realities publication, and N25 million to support the teen church where he grew up. His contributions reflected his deep sense of gratitude and his desire to support the church’s ongoing efforts.
Furthermore, Rema extended his generosity to the widows in attendance at the church service, pledging an additional N20 million to assist them.
His donations underscored his commitment to giving back to the community and supporting those in need, particularly in recognition of the pivotal role the church played in his and his family’s lives during a time of great adversity.
His words:
“When I was eight years old when I lost my dad, we felt very lost and abandoned.
“All that we had were taken from us and we felt alone, and I remember at the time Pastor Joy and Pastor Thomas, the pastors of this church; they opened a shop for my mum, and that was what she managed to take care of and feed us.”
“Firstly, I want to give a pledge of N40 million to the infrastructural development of the church, N20 million to the Rhapsody of Realities publication, and, being a fact that I came from the teen church, I also like to pledge N25 million to the church.
And just to add to that, if there is any widow in church today, I am pledging N20 million to assist all the widows in attendance.”
