By Sunday Anthony, Uyo
Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo, convener of the Christ Compassion to the Rural World (CCRW) Crusade, will offer 600 free surgeries and distribute food items during the forthcoming crusade in Uyo.
Ashimolowo disclosed this on Tuesday in Uyo while addressing journalists ahead of the crusade scheduled for 23rd to 28th November, 2026 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
He said the two-day medical outreach will include surgeries for eye, hernia and fibroid cases, while relief materials such as rice, beans and garri will be distributed to participants.
According to him, the decision to extend the medical outreach to two days was informed by lessons from previous crusades in Ikorodu, Ibadan and Port Harcourt.
“In Ikorodu, we had only one day for medicals and 30,000 to 40,000 people turned up. We could not attend to more than 30 per cent.
“That taught us to move our medical days to two days,” he said.
On security, he said 250 policemen and soldiers will be deployed with barricades to prevent stampede.
“We are going to bring in 250 police. We also bring soldiers. To the glory of God, we have never lost a life as a result of stampede,” he said.
Beyond the medical and relief efforts, Ashimolowo said the crusade is targeted at winning 25,000 souls for Christ and reaching all 31 local government areas of Akwa Ibom State.
“The vision of this crusade is to see whatever number of people that stadium can seat. In fact, we are going to add additional 10,000 seats beyond the capacity,” he said.
He said all converts would be directed to local churches for follow-up, adding that the crusade is meant to complement, not compete with, existing churches.
“We are not here to do what the state churches have not been doing. We are here to complement and to stand with the churches. CCRW is no longer my vision, it is our vision, the vision of the church in Akwa Ibom,” he said.
Ashimolowo added that since inception, CCRW has won over 30,000 souls, conducted close to 2,000 surgeries, treated over 100,000 people and distributed hundreds of thousands of bags of food items.
