'Prayer can stop Boko Haram insurgency’

Religious leaders have been enjoined to intensify prayers to address security challenges confronting the nation. Professor Joseph Otubu, General Evangelist Motailatu Church Cherubium and Seraphim worldwide stated that prayer should be applied as a weapon to checkmate the Boko Harram insurgency and other security issues wreaking havoc on our country. Speaking at the Adoption Thanksgiving Service of the Motailatu Church in Lagos, tagged, “Celebration of Spiritual Rebirth: The Future of Aladura Churches”, the professor of obstetrics and gynecology said churches have the responsibility to continue to preach peace and justice for the well-being of the nation. The General Evangelist admonished the church as followers of Jesus Christ to show love to one another as Christ himself exemplified, and also endeavor to make provision for the poor. He noted that the major problem confronting our nation is poverty, and, as such, the church must address it squarely by providing for the less privileged. The General Evangelist reminded the brethren at the thanksgiving service of the four responsibilities they owe God: Living a life of continuous praise to God, increase goodness to one another; allowing the goodness of God to lead them to repentance and reforming their lives; and approve themselves faithful to God as to allow his goodness and mercy to always follow them

I have no terminal sickness – Pastor Adeboye

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, yesterday, debunked the claim that he has a terminal sickness and is soliciting for funds to travel to India for medical treatment, saying the story was the handiwork of impersonators out to extort. The respected man of God, speaking during the just concluded 16th Holy Ghost Congress at the Redemption Camp on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, warned Nigerians to be wary of such dubious people parading themselves in social media purportedly soliciting for funds on his behalf. “Some people have been impersonating me on Facebook and other social media asking people to donate monies for unidentified orphanages or some sick persons who require urgent medical treatment abroad. Please do not believe them and do not give them money,” Adeboye said. “Somebody even went to the ridiculous extent of saying that I needed money to go to India for the treatment of an undisclosed ailment. Please do not answer them. As you can see I am not sick. I am hail and hearty. They are liars.” Continuing, he said some others are equally impersonating his wife, pointing out that such persons are not representing him or his wife. According to him, some other fellows are busy sending e-mails to people inviting them to fake programmes purportedly organised by the General Overseer. “If anybody invites you to any programme anywhere in my name, please confirm from me. There is also one that said I had a dream where I saw many of my people weeping because they could not make it to heaven. It is all lie! I did not have any dream and I know that you will all make it to heaven in Jesus name,” he stated. On recent stories by some persons who claimed they died and got to heaven but were sent back to warn brethren who are perceived to be wallowing in sin, Adeboye said such people should be ignored because God does not operate the way they are portraying Him. “There is woman who said she died and went to heaven where Jesus sent her back to warn people of the world against sin. If you do not know already, when the rich man died and saw Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham, he requested that Father Abraham should send an angel to his relations on earth to warn them to repent and escape hell. He was told that there are enough prophets to accomplish such missions,” Adeboye stressed. The cleric explained that anyone who claims to have died and returned to preach the gospel; “please do not listen to them. Put your trust in the true Word of God. Some years ago, one man claimed to have died and came back and he started preaching that any Christian who acquired a car would go to hell. “This man produced a CD which he was selling to the people and he made a lot of money from selling the cassettes and CDs. Not long after, he bought a Land Cruiser and when people asked him why was opting for hell, he replied that he did not buy a car. He bought a Land Cruiser. Be careful, you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free,” the RCCG General Overseer said Vanguard Newspaper

My encounter with the ‘devil’, by CAC Pastor Adeniyi

Pastor Augustine Afolabi Adeniyi is the General Overseer of Christ Apostolic Church, Egbe, Ikotun, Lagos. He spoke to Sunday Vanguard on how he became a minister of God. Establishing church seems to have become an all-comers affair. How did your own start? Christ Apostolic Church, Myriad of Miracle was planted in 1986. And we started the second service on October 2, 1986. I have been in the ministry since 1967. I started as a member and I was ordained as an elder. While I was an elder, I was working in the Ministry of Federal Ministry of Commerce, former Ministry of Trade. It wasn’t my wish to become a pastor. My intention was to travel abroad and you know…I had an encounter with the devil. It was a serious encounter. I visited so many hospitals. The last place was University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan and they could not cure the sickness. As a result of that, I went to a herbalist, they still couldn’t cure it until finally when somebody introduced me to CAC in 1967. A sickness we could not cure for almost 16 years was cured within a week. It was a divine intervention. How would you describe the healing experience? When I got to the church (CAC), they prayed for me and asked me to go into a seven-day fasting. Since I had not been doing it, the day I started, my legs were shaking, my head was aching, my body was something else. Before I got to the place, for about 9 days, I couldn’t sleep, but the first day I fasted and they prayed for me, I was able to sleep. So I stayed in the mission, the fourth day of the fasting, in the afternoon, I dreamt that I saw an old man who came down to me and said: ‘My son, they told me about your plight I said, ‘Thank you, sir’ and he said: ‘Open your mouth’. I opened my mouth. It was around 1pm. As I opened my mouth, he put his hand into my mouth and removed a very big stone. I cried such that the people around heard and ran to me. They asked me what happened and changed my room. I slept again and saw the old man in another dream. He said, ‘My son, it remains only one thing’. I said, ‘What is the thing again as the first one was really painful? He said, ‘let me do this one’. He put his hand into my mouth again and removed a husk of maize, he removed it from my tummy. As he removed it, I cried and blood gushed out. People around came to me. When the pastor saw it, he said the work had been done, that it was the work of God. That’s how the sickness vanished and I became a strong believer in the power of God. What is unique about this ministry? We want to win souls for Christ, evangelise the whole world. And we are moving to every part of the country. All we need is God’s assistance and assistance from people. We also need finance to back it. You may have knowledge but you also need what it takes to carry it out, which includes prayer, finance, etc. We are planters of Christ Apostolic Church; we are not the founder. Christ Apostolic Church started as far back as 1930. It started in Ilesa, Oke-Oye where the dead rose. What is unique about the upcoming harvesting in the church? In Christendom, there are two ways to harvest – physical and spiritual. We are doing the physical to tell people how the invisible one will be done and that is why we are practicalising it. Let everybody bring what he started doing right from the beginning. When you look at our country, we have rainy season and dry season. In the rainy season, you plant. When it is ripe, that is during the dry season which is approaching, everything will be ripe for harvesting and we as Christians follow it by what our Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 3 that there is time for everything. That is the reason this year people from all our branches will come together and do the harvest to tell the people that there will be a day that the whole world will be harvested based on whatever we have done. There is somebody awaiting us, to whom we would give account of what we have done. Then, the chaff shall be separated from the seed. The upcoming harvest will bring blessing by the grace of God. What is your advice to Nigerian leaders All leaders should acknowledge and seek God first. All Christians must pray for the country to survive. Also, I’ve travelled and seen a lot. Our leaders should follow the example of the developed nations Vanguard Newspaper

Take inspiration from Mandela, archbishop tells C.Africans

A senior Christian leader on Sunday urged the Central African Republic to take inspiration from Nelson Mandela as he called for reconciliation after a wave of deadly sectarian violence that had turned people into “animals”.As South Africa buried its first black president, Catholic archbishop Dieudonne Nzapalainga told a mass attended by around 1,500 people that Christians should not respond to violence with violence.“Many Christians have said that they are going to seek revenge,” said Nzapalainga as he delivered his sermon in Bangui a day after a Muslim motorcyclist was hacked to death to death in the capital, where residents later brandished his cut-off hands.“We have become animals, the abuses go beyond reason when someone is killed and his arms brandished,” said the archbishop, before calling on the faithful to take inspiration from the “man of peace and reconciliation” that Mandela was.Violence between Christians and Muslims has been on the rise since a March coup by the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel group overthrew the president and installed Michel Djotodia, but the unrest has intensified dramatically in recent weeks.The United Nations has said 600 people have been killed in the carnage of the past 10 days, 450 of them in Bangui, prompting UN chief Ban Ki-moon and local authorities to plead for an end to the atrocities.Muslim leader Imam Oumar Kobin Layama has also called for reconciliation, saying Saturday that Muslims “must not give back as we were given” as he called for calm following the lynching of the motorcyclist.Djotodia, the majority Christian nation’s first Muslim president, said Saturday he was ready to “extend his hand” and “talk” with Christian militias on issues including an amnesty for their role in the unrest and including them in his transitional government.“They are not enemies. They are our brothers,” he said.Thousands of Christians in Bangui went to mass on Sunday morning despite the still tense atmosphere on the streets of the capital, where French troops are trying to restore security.Gunfire could be heard at dawn, and there was a report of a Muslim man being lynched by Christians in the south of the capital.Faced with reports of widespread atrocities in its former colony, France on December 5 decided to deploy 1,600 troops to prop up an African peacekeeping force already on the ground.The French-backed military force this week began disarming militias — many of them former Seleka rebels that had gone rogue.But bands of armed thugs continue to roam the streets, and France’s foreign minister said Sunday he would ask his European counterparts for more help.“Tomorrow I will go to the Foreign Affairs Council (in Brussels) and I will ask that there be more solid, stronger support,” Laurent Fabius said.He said Poland, Britain, Germany, Spain and Belgium were already helping with logistics and that two of these countries were considering contributing troops.“There are 4.5 million people in Central Africa, nearly half are in pre-famine conditions. Of these 4.5 million people, there are seven surgeons. So France, Europe, Africans, and the international community must mobilise (for the country).”Christians make up around 80 percent of the population of the Central African Republic, and lived in relative harmony with the country’s Muslim minority until the March coup.Fabius rejected accusations that the French army had precipitated the massacre of Muslims by disarming the former Seleka and leaving them at the mercy of Christian vigilante groups.“The Seleka… still have weapons and sometimes heavy weapons,” he said.“So the first task is to disarm these heavy weapons. We also go to the Christians to say ‘you must disarm’”, he said Vanguard Newspaper

Woman stabbed by pastor in critical condition

Men of Ogun State Police command have arrested a-45-year-old man, pastor Daniel Samuel for stabbing his wife over the later refusal to attend church activities. Daniel , an Apostolic Church pastor was reported to have used a cutlass to inflict a deep cut on his wife, Patient Samuel in her neck in Owode-Egba in Ibafemi Owode local government area of Ogun State. Vanguard gathered that, the offence of the 42 -year -old wife of the Pastor was because she gave preference to her work over the church programmes. It was further gathered that, shortly after the man attacked his wife with cutlass, he alerted the neighbours that his wife has been matcheted by some unknown men , urging the people to help him take his wife to hospital.

Catholic bishop flays Imo govt over discriminatory school fees

The Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, His Grace, Anthony Obinna, has criticised the discriminatory school fees being charged by government in the state. Obinna spoke while addressing members of Owerri Archdiocesan Pastoral Council in Owerri. He said: “It is condemnable for government to discriminate against pupils and students in mission schools in the Imo State free education programme. “Nigerian youths at various levels, particularly university students and the unemployed, are going through extreme difficult times. Our governments should please help in alleviating their current and pitiable plight.” Obinna also .appealed to both the federal and state governments to redress the extreme difficulties of unemployment which the Nigerian youths were going through. He, however, asked members of the Pastoral Council in all the parishes within his jurisdiction to not only give youths more attention and support but also establish Youth Welfare Committees to help them. According to him, “it is part and parcel of our duty and mission to provide Catholic education to our children and others who love integral disciplined education.” Vanguard Newspaper

Pope Francis Named Time's Person of the Year

Time magazine named Pope Francis its Person of the Year on Wednesday, crediting him with shifting the message of the Catholic Church while capturing the imagination of millions of people who had become disillusioned with the Vatican. This is the third time the magazine has chosen a pope as its Person of the Year. Time gave that honor to Pope John Paul II in 1994 and to Pope John XXIII in 1963. The Argentine pontiff - who, as archbishop of Buenos Aires was known as the slum cardinal for his visits to the poor and penchant for subway travel - beat former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden and gay rights activist Edith Windsor for the award. Other finalists included Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz from Texas. "What makes this Pope so important is the speed with which he has captured the imaginations of millions who had given up on hoping for the church at all," Time said in its cover story. "In a matter of months, Francis has elevated the healing mission of the church — the church as servant and comforter of hurting people in an often harsh world — above the doctrinal police work so important to his recent predecessors." Time said the final selection was made by its editors, who had considered suggestions from the magazine's more than 2 million Twitter followers. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said Pope Francis, the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, the first from Latin America and the first Jesuit, was not seeking fame. "It is a positive sign that one of the most prestigious recognitions by the international media has been given to a person who proclaims to the world spiritual, religious and moral values and speaks out forcefully in favor of peace and greater justice," Lombardi said in a statement. "If this attracts men and women and gives them hope, the Pope is happy. If this choice of 'Person of the Year' means that many have understood this message, even implicitly, he is certainly glad." In September, Francis gave a groundbreaking and frank interview, in which he said the Vatican must shake off an obsession with teachings on abortion, contraception and homosexuality, and become more merciful. And in July, Francis told reporters he was not in a position to judge homosexuals who are of good will and in search of God, marking a break from his predecessor, Benedict, who said homosexuality was an intrinsic disorder. Francis replaced Benedict in March after he abdicated. The new pope's style is characterized by frugality. He shunned the spacious papal apartment in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace to live in a small suite in a Vatican guest house, and he prefers a Ford Focus to the traditional pope's Mercedes. A champion of the downtrodden, he visited the island of Lampedusa in southern Italy in July to pay tribute to hundreds of migrants who had died crossing the sea from North Africa. With the Catholic Church marred in recent years by sex abuse scandals, Francis formed a team of experts Thursday to consider ways to improve the screening of priests, to protect minors to help victims. Still, Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a victim advocacy group, said in a statement Wednesday that more action was needed. "After nine months of essentially ignoring the church's most severe crisis, (Pope Francis) hastily announced last week that he'll appoint an abuse study panel," Blaine said. "He has not, however, made a single child safer." Culled from Rueters

Mandela was a magician — Tutu

Nelson Mandela was like a “magician” who conjured a united nation out of a country teetering on the brink of war, South African Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu said Monday. “Everybody was saying we would go up in flames,” the archbishop emeritus told a memorial service for Mandela in Johannesburg. “He really was like a magician with a magic wand, turning us into this glorious, multi-coloured rainbow people. “This repulsive caterpillar, South Africa, that used to be the world’s pariah, he turned into a beautiful, beautiful butterfly. “That is what we are celebrating,” Tutu told hundreds of mourners of all races who filled the memorial venue for an emotional service. Tutu said the world must not mourn his old friend’s death, but rather celebrate his life and example. “He emerged from that crucible of suffering and being dehumanised, breaking rocks… sewing post office bags, working in the quarry,” during his 27-year incarceration under the apartheid regime’s racial laws.“But instead of being consumed by hate and a lust for revenge, (he became) a stalwart for reconciliation… and forgiveness.”The moving gathering ended with singer Johnny Clegg performing the track “Asimbonanga” he had written for Mandela in 1976.The title means “We’ve never seen him” and refers to the long years Mandela spent in jail when all images of him were banned -

Traditionalists, CAN disagree over Osun schools crisis

Traditionalists in Osun State under the aegis of Traditional Worshipers Association have blamed the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in the state for allegedly inciting Christians against the state government over the recent merger of public primary and secondary schools in the state. The President of the association, Chief Idowu Awopetu, who spoke in Osogbo, yesterday, accused the leadership of CAN in the state of fanning the ember of discord among the people of the state on the education policy of the Governor Rauf Aregbesola led government. He alleged that the leadership of CAN has shown a high level intolerance with adherents of other faiths in the state, pointing out that the recent merger of public schools could not have generated crisis if Christians are accommodating and tolerant of other believers. He described as absurd a statement credited to the state chairman of CAN, Rev. Elisha Ogundiya that the recent merger of schools embarked upon by the state government was capable of triggering terrorism, saying that such statement, capable of causing crisis, should have been avoided by a religious leader. “We expect credible leadership of a religious organisation like CAN to be mindful of their utterances, especially those that can fan the ember of discord in our dear state, knowing the volatile nature of security and religion in our country,” he stressed. He also called on security agencies in the state to investigate the CAN chairman over the statement credited to him, just as he warned the CAN Chairman not to provoke the adherents of other faiths in the state. Chief Awopetu recalled that government had since 1975 taken over the ownership of schools from the missionary, and warned the CAN leadership in the state not to refer to any public school as missionary school irrespective of the name it bears. He also challenged the leadership of CAN in the state to present evidence of their contributions to the up-keep of the schools referred to as missionary schools in the last 35 years. CAN reacts Osun State chairman of Christian Association of Nigerian, Rev. Elisha Ogundiya in his reaction to the allegation, said the leadership of the association are people of peace, who have been co-existing with other religous leaders in the state peacefully. “We are not inciting anybody against the government in Osun State. What we are only doing is to protect the interest of Christians in the state and they are equally free to protect the interest of their members too.”

Kaigama urges Christians to emulate Mandela

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, Archbishop of Catholic Archdiocese of Jos weekend, called on Christians to emulate people with exemplary lives like former South African President, Nelson Mandela.Kaigama made the call during his pastoral visit to the Church of Immaculate Conception, CIC, Parish, Zaramaganda, Jos.The Archbishop said that by emulating good people, their legacy would continue to impact on society. “The Catholic Church had long identified such and had been immortalising people that lived righteous and exemplary lives as saints. “We cannot all be saints but I assure that you will be rewarded by God for your ways.“Mandela died and the whole world is mourning him because of his good deeds for humanity. “He loved humanity; he cared for humanity and he served humanity honestly and he was a unique man that left the world better than he met it.“Back home, we had our Mandela. He is late Solomon Lar. He was a man that loved humanity and a man that stood for the unity and peace of Plateau and beyond”, he said.The cleric charged the congregation to imbibe righteousness as a way of life, adding that whatever they do would live after them.Kaigama also urged Christians to reflect on the period of advent, meant for spiritual preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ.According to him, it is a period of sober reflection for Christians. “Reflect on your ways and let go things that are not in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ.“Instead of spiritual preparation, many people concern themselves only with physical preparation”, he said.He charged the parishioners to pray for the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety and the fear of God.“These are gifts you should pray for during Christmas and not just the material gifts”, he added. Rev. Fr Dennis Kaye, Parish Priest of CIC commended the archbishop for the visit and urged the parishioners to use the opportunity to develop their spiritual lives.The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that Kaigama inaugurated the parish hall and offices built by the Church. Kaigama is the President of Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria.

Five babies delivered at ongoing Holy Ghost Congress

Mrs. Ruth Kehinde Posu, 25, leaves at New Site around Festac Town in Lagos. She is a member of Living Faith Ministry aka Winners Chapel and was particularly keen on going the current convention of the church at Ota because there was no money for such a venture. She was nine-month pregnant but had no inkling of how the baby would be born as there was no money even to buy the initial required baby things. Somehow, she followed some persons to the ongoing Holy Ghost Congress of the Redeemed Christian Church of God where she was delivered of a bouncing baby boy, yesterday. The baby weighed 3 kg. Mrs Posu is one of the five women who had been delivered of babies during this Holy Ghost Congress. Narrating her story yesterday, the 25-year-old lady expressed gratitude to the church leadership and particularly the nurses who took her in without even baby pants. The story of Mrs. Tubi Omolara, 28, was also very intriguing. She travelled from Akute in Ogun State with an abounding faith in God to deliver safely after she had been told by three other doctors that her baby was too big to deliver normally. She said: All hospitals, I went to had only one verdict for me; and that my baby was too big and so I should prepare for a Caesarian session. Much as I want the baby, we were not preparing for a CS for several reasons.” “So on Monday, the pain was becoming severe, I called my pastor and told him I won’t go for a CS and immediately he recommended that he would take me to the camp and at about 6.00 a.m. yesterday I was delivered of a baby boy.” The baby weighed 4.5 kg to confirm the fears of the earlier doctors. Mrs. Omolara wishes to christen her baby, Oluwasegunfunmi (God had given me victory). Mrs. Itoro Udoh, 34, is a resident of the Redemption Camp whose baby girl arrived at about 9.00 p.m. on the first day of the congress. This is her second baby, she weighed 3.5 kg. According to her testimony, there were lots of prophecies about the baby before she was born successfully at the Redeemed Maternity at the camp on Monday. She narrated that several persons had prophesied that she was going to have a still birth but at each of the occasion, they dismissed such prophecies while asking their pastors and other brethren to pray along with them. She said: “But yesterday (Monday) when I was admitted here, it was like the prophecy was going to come to pass because I just couldn’t push even as the nurses were urging me to do so. I was completely out of breadth and it was like I was going but through God’s intervention, the baby came out successfully.” As a result of the circumstances of her birth, if given the chance, Mrs. Udoh would want to christen her baby, Highly Favoured. The story was not different for Mrs. Oluwasusi Oluwaremilekun, 27, who travelled all the way from Ibadan in Oyo State even when she was overdue for delivery. She worships at Royal Priesthood Parish in Ibadan and she had been told that her baby would delay in coming. She had visited some hospitals in Lagos and the story is similar until she was directed to the Redemption Camp. Initially she was worried, wondering what would happen if the baby decides to appear in a public bus; but to God be the glory that did not happen and she was delivered safely at about 2.00 a.m. yesterday morning, bringing the number of babies born so far to five. Three boys and two girls. In unison, all the four women (the first one had been discharged before we got there) paid glowing tributes to the staff and managers of the maternity home. They commended the vision of setting up a maternity in different parishes of the church were women go for anti-natal and delivery free of charge. One woman was waiting for her turn as at the time of this visit.

Mother Theresa ‘resurrects’ in Lagos

To adherents of the Catholic faith, Mother Theresa is associated with kindness and giving help to the helpless. In fact, her selfless services during her era turned her into a matyr and resulted in her canonization by Pope John Paul 11, after her death. Last week in Lagos, Mother Theresa resurrected in a middle-aged woman, Hajia Binta Bakari, who came all the way from Jos, Plateau State and was driving through Adeniyi-Jones in Ikeja when she noticed a lady lying helplessly on a foam, just by the major road, beside Asogbo Estate. She quickly ordered her driver to stop and on inquiry, she was told by sympathetic onlookers that the lady was thrown out of her apartment by her landlady because she was sick. This is in spite of the fact that her rent had not expired. Hajia Bakare who was in a hurry to finish her business and fly back to Jos there and then, abandoned all her engagements and sought a way of helping the sick lady. She was scorned, berated and even ignored by some of the people she approached including the Police until she proceeded to Alausa where the welfare department quickly listened to her pleas and rescued the dying lady. She narrated her story to Crime Alert. “I woke up this morning with lots of positive things going through my mind,like thank God its Friday and the weekend is here again,but that’s for me, Not Fumilayo who woke up this morning not in her usual comfortable bed,but on the street with no bed, no laughter from her room mates in the hostel where she used to stay. Why did Fumilayo find her self on the street? That is the baffling questions that came out from residents of Ashogbon street, off Adeniyi-Jones, Ikeja, Lagos and other passersby. Encounter with the landlady “This young woman is not mental, nor destitute and yet slept on the street,in the open for 24 hours, putting her life at risk of rapists or ritualists, anything is possible these days in our society. Her crime-she is a very sick woman in need of medical attention, but instead of her land lady or her room mates offering her the assistance she urgently needed,she was thrown out of her room (which has been paid for by Fumilayo ) until the end of the year by the very same woman who is eager to collect her rent but not eager to assist her in time of need simply because her land lady,lacks the maternal instinct of a mother and have no conscience as a human being. “I was on my way to the market around 10:30 am when I noticed a woman lying by the road side, I quickly asked my driver who she is? He told me that she has been lying there since yesterday. I asked my driver to turn back and let me find out why. When I interviewed the people around there,I was told that her landlady threw her out from the hostel. I went to the hostel to inquire, I was told by the security guard that there was no body to escort her to her village after Shagamu because the taxi he got was not willing to take her with out any escort or relation. So, I asked to speak to the landlady but instead of the landlady, a maid came out and told me that she was asked to go and get herself treated before coming back to the hostel which she did, and later returned only for her to get ill again. “I even offered to pay for her transport fare if the landlady could instruct any of her staff to do so. But after about 5 -10 minutes, the maid came back and said they are very busy and there is no spare staff that can escort Fumilayo to any where,the only solution is to leave her there to die. But my maternal instinct and conscience told me otherwise. I became frustrated and angry at the situation. Police reaction So, I headed to the nearest police station to look for a solution,because (I don’t live in Lagos. I came to Lagos for other business). I then went to Mancenter Police station. After narrating the incident to the police woman behind the counter, she was very sympathetic and immediately took me to the D.P.O. But, to my amazement, the so-called D.P.O. who was busy on the phone buying under wears at the station, did not even allow me to finish my story, he quickly and arrogantly dismissed me with the word, “this is not a police business, besides, this is not a welfare office.” I asked what do I do or where then do I go to for help since I’m not resident in Lagos? One of the officers told me to call 199,I dialed the number believing to get the response I needed but MTN told me this number does not exist. So, with no help from the police, I headed to the Lagos state Secretariat, Alausa, for assistance. It was from there I was given an emergency number(112) to call. Alausa to the rescue “To my amazement, a young girl’s voice came on the line with a soft, polite voice and asked me what was the emergency and I narrated the story and she promised that an ambulance will be dispatched immediately. After several phone calls from me and also from the emergency response unit, Fumilayo was finally taken away to the hospital. Now, the question I asked is, what do we do with the wicked landlady?what does it take to go the extra mile to save a life? After all, ain’t we supposed to be our brothers keepers? Well, thank God that we have a government in Lagos state that cares about the welfare of its citizens,God bless the government of Governor Fashola and his entire cabinet for coming to the rescue of Fumilayo.” Culled from Vanguard Newspaper

S-African CJ at the Congress, as Adeboye preaches holy living

Pastor Enoch Adeboye, G.O, RCCG Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa, Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng was one of the star attractions at the opening ceremony of the ongoing 16th Holy Ghost Congress of the Redeemed Christian Church of God taking place at the Redemption Camp on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. He was among the several delegations from different parts of the world including Japan, Germany, USA, Great Britain, Switzerland, South Africa who graced the opening ceremony of this year’s Holy Ghost Congress with a theme, ‘The Overflow'. Three spiritual heavyweights including the chief host and General Overseer of the church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, spoke at the opening night on Monday, with Pastor Adeboye urging the gathering to live holy lives without which, according to him, they would be said to have run the heaven race in vain. The topic of his first message at the ongoing congress was ‘Beyond Salvation’, in which he admonished Christians to remain steadfast in their worship of God, saying that next year will determine the destinies of individuals, families and several nations of the world. “The coming year is a very crucial one for every citizen of the world,” he said, adding that Christians and indeed everybody should prepare adequately and pray with sincerity of hearts. The man of God did not, however, say the consequences if his listeners fail to heed his call. According to him, Christians’ acts of service in the church and benevolence to the less privileged in the society cannot guarantee their passage to heaven, stressing that the only guarantee was holy living. Illustrating with different sporting activities in the secular world, the man of God reputed to have actively participated in boxing in his formative years, said salvation should not be regarded as sprint, instead it should seen as a marathon which requires a lot of patience and due preparation. He maintained that the Christian life is a process which takes endurance to finish, urging Christians to steadily move from salvation to sanctification which can therefore move the converts closer to the end points of the race. Earlier, the Secretary General of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, Prophet Emmanuel Kure took the opening prayer while the president of Sword of the Spirit Ministries, Ibadan, Bishop Francis Wale Oke took the first talk of the day entitled “I will bless The Lord at all times. "In between the different segments, there were high powered praises and worship of the Almighty God for His continued mercy and abiding love towards the church as well as the entire nation as a whole by participants Culled from Vanguard Newspaper

2014 will determine destinies of people,nations -Adeboye

With 20 days to go into the New Year, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, has said that the much-expected 2014 will be the determining factor of the destinies of people, families and nations. This is just as he told Nigerians to intensify their prayers everywhere they go as 2013 gradually draws to an end. Pastor Adeboye, popular called Daddy G.O, disclosed this revelation late Monday night being the first day of the 2013 Annual Holy Ghost Congress tagged: “The Overflow,” holding at The Redemption Camp, Kilometre 46, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State. The man of God, while speaking on the topic: “Beyond Salvation,” monitored on the satellite in Warri, Delta State, hinted that although God had not availed him all the events that would mark the coming year, he has, however, told him 2014 will be crucial in determining the destinies of people, families and nations. “The Lord has not told me what He is going to do next year, but He has told me that the coming year is going to determine the destinies of people, families and nations,” the cleric stated. He advised worshippers to spend this week in absolute commitment to prayers, saying people should prepare themselves well for the coming year. “The year that is coming is a very important year. And if you are able to prepare yourself ahead of time, it will be a year you will never forget,” he promised, while welcoming worshippers who had arrived from all over the world. The six-day spiritual programme ends on Saturday

Pope meets with Netanyahu at Vatican

Pope Francis and Vatican officials expressed hope that Palestinians and Israelis can forge a peace agreement “as soon as possible” as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the pontiff Monday, the Vatican said. The meeting with Netanyahu at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace comes months ahead of Francis’ anticipated trip to the Holy Land, a biblical region that includes Israel and the Palestinian territories. Netanyahu also met with the Vatican’s secretary of state, Archbishop Pietro Parolin. The discussions focused on “the complex political and social situation in the Middle East, with particular reference to the reinstatement of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, expressing hope that a just and lasting solution respecting the rights of both parties may be reached as soon as possible,” the Vatican said. Pope Francis is expected to visit Israel on May 25-26, an official Israeli source told CNN last month. The Vatican would not confirm the exact dates of the trip. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas invited Francis to travel to the Palestinian territories during Abbas’ visit to the Vatican in October. Pope Francis met with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the Vatican in April. A Vatican communique issued after that meeting said they had discussed the hope for a speedy resumption of direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians. The Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, visited the Holy Land in May 2009. Pope Francis on Tuesday called for major changes in the Roman Catholic Church- from the top down- saying he knows it will be a messy business but he expects his flock to dive in feet-first. Pope Francis slams market ‘tyranny’ Pope calls for major changes in Church “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security,” the Pope said Tuesday in a major new address. “I do not want a Church concerned with being at the center and then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures.” The Pope’s address, called an “apostolic exhortation,” is basically a pep talk from the throne of St. Peter. Officially known in Latin as “Evangelii Gaudium,” (The Joy of the Gospel) the 85-page document is the first official papal document written entirely by Francis

"Catholics Will Go To Hell: Pope Francis Is Anti-Christ" - Nigerian Popular Preacher Declares

Pastor Chris Okotie left his congregation shocked on Sunday (yesterday) when he said that all Catholics in the world will go to hell when they die because they are worshippers of Satan and are led by a Pope who is Anti-Christ and a friend of the Devil. The fifty-five year old pastor made this controversial statement while he was preaching in his church, Household of God Church in Ikeja, Lagos. He said the Catholic church was a counterfeit church created by Satan. He accused Catholics of bowing to idols and crucifying Jesus by eating His flesh and drinking His blood every Sunday. photo “They are not Christians and have never been,” Okotie insisted, to the wide-eyed shock of his congregation. “They don’t know Jesus. They believe that when they eat bread on Sundays, they are eating the body of Jesus. It’s ritual." He said Pope Francis is Anti-Christ, doing the bidding of the devil and that it was only a matter of time before the Catholic church came out to declare full service to Satan. He urged his congregation to save the Catholics by evangelizing to them. He added that all he was saying wasn't out of disrespect. Rather, he was showing respect for the word of God. He added that it was only fair that those who knew the truth should bring it to those who didn't in the Catholic church. He said that Pope John Paul II, one of the most revered popes in recent Catholic history, had handed over the Catholic Church to Mary, earthly mother of Jesus, and that the current Pope (Francis) had done the same thing, instead of surrendering it to Jesus Christ Himself. He said that, while he didn't write the bible, it was obvious that Catholics aren't Christians and they do not serve the same Christ he preaches about in the bible. He added that Catholics didn't even believe in hell, but in purgatory ("the purgatory that they invented," he added) Pastor Chris Okotie has been married twice, and divorced twice, and he announced that there would be a beauty pageant to announce the most beautiful woman in his church next Sunday. His yearly "Grace Programme" will also hold next Sunday. The former music star, who is now a politician of sorts has always been a controversial character in Nigeria. He once said that it was the devil who informed him that he was going to be a preacher. Pastor Chris Okotie once said the famous Prophet T.B. Joshua was the son of the devil and his congregation will wind up in hell. Pastor Chris Okotie has announced frequently in recent times that God has anointed him to be president of Nigeria. Alas, the prophecy hasn't come to fruition yet, as he has lost in the two presidential elections he contested in. from news.naij.com

Chris Okotie Under Fire Over Comment on Catholicism

Nigeria’s controversial preacher and former presidential candidate of Fresh Democratic Party, Rev Chris Okotie has been widely criticised by Christians and non-Christians alike over his comments that all Catholics in the world will go to hell because they worship Satan and are led by an anti-Christ Pope whom he described as a friend of the devil. The comments of the once popular rock star turned celebrity preacher and politician provoked Catholics and members of other denominations who questioned his moral rectitude to make such comments. Although journalist was informed at St Leo Catholic Church located on Toyin Street in Allen - Opebi area of Lagos that the Catholic Church will react officially to the comments, some members of the church said Okotie’s utterances were too reckless for someone who lays claims to pious credentials. Reacting to Okotie’s utterances, Pastor Kingsley Onyekanna appealed to Catholic faithful not to ridicule the Christian religion by joining issues with the pastor, saying the matter should be left in the hands of God. He said, “I don’t want to probe the veracity or otherwise of Reverend Chris Okotie’s allegations against some churches and prophets. I will rather leave that to the all-knowing God to prove who is His and who is not”. He added that his grouse with the preacher is his resolve to organise a beauty pageant in his church next week, wondering if the preacher is set to marry another wife, having married twice and divorced twice. For Mathew Ahiante, a devout Catholic, Pastor Okotie has committed heresy for describing the Pope as an anti-Christ and a friend of devil, saying the preacher should be critically examined to ascertain his state of mind. “Catholic system has the largest number of Christians in the world today. Pastors like Okotie are appendages of the breakaway faction of the Christian faith and all of them are called churches and allowed to use the title Reverend. “But when you look at what pastors like Okotie do and their lifestyle, it contradicts what the Bible says. So, they are the anti-Christs, not the Pope”. Also reacting to the utterances, Paul Chukwudima said Rev Chris Okotie should be ignored, saying the preacher thrives in controversies. From news.naij.com

Catholics Battle Chris Okotie Over Comment

This is a ‘complicated’ season for popular Lagos Pastor, Rev. Chris Okotie, even as he prepares to honour the first female one-star General in the Nigerian Airforce, Air Commodore Habiba Garba. She is the winner of Okotie’s Household of God Church’s Karis Award for the year and she will be honoured on Sunday at the Church in Lagos. Damning widespread criticisms continue to hit a statement credited to the controversial preacher and televangelist, declaring that all “Catholics will go to hell.” Indeed, this seems to be threatening to take the shine of the annual Karis Award. The event is a brain child of Okotie who established it to honour Nigerians who have excelled in various fields, but who may not have been recognised by the larger society. The pastor is alleged to have made the remarks while delivering a sermon last Sunday. The controversial statement partly goes thus, “The Catholic church is a counterfeit church set up by Satan. Catholics bow to idols and crucify Jesus every Sunday when they eat bread claiming they are eating Jesus’ body.” Okotie tried to justify his claims by adding that his statements are “not out of disrespect but out of respect for the word of God.” Apart from the fact that he has not debunked the claim, a post on his Facebook account on Tuesday afternoon reinforces the argument. It simply read, “Re- Catholicism: Truth is bitter. It lacks saccharine delights.” The statement has further led to more outrage by his Facebook fans and other aggrieved persons, just as his Facebook page has been besieged by angry Nigerians who have failed to see reasons with him. Not surprising, most of the comments have been uncomplimentary as the Man of God has been tagged with unprintable names. The ensuing controversy has also pitched Okotie and Catholic faithful against one another on Twitter and Facebook. A group called Nigerians Catholics on Facebook have issued a statement to this effect. The body claimed that Okotie was simply seeking cheap publicity in its statement. The administrator of the page wrote, “The unguarded utterances of Chris Okotie to fellow Christians who chose to practise their dogma in their own way shows how irresponsible and ill-mannered he is. “Antagonising another church with a different principle of worshiping, but with no difference in faith professed, portrays Christ Okotie in bad light and casts negative shadows on his purported ministry in Christendom. “Chris Okotie should know that if over 1 billion Catholics will go to hell because of the way they worship their God, he too is not exempted. “I want to state clearly to Chris Okotie that over 1 billion Catholics going to hell will only happen in the figment of his imagination. “In fact, if I am to use what is written in the Bible concerning marriage and divorce to humanly judge Chris Okotie, then he is already number one candidate of hell.” On his part, Kingsley Williams wrote, “ l think we all need to pray for Pastor Chris; honestly, before it gets out of hand.” Ifeoma Goodluck, only offered prayers for the Catholic church, as she also posted, “No weapon formed against Catholic Church shall prosper, In Jesus name. Amen.’’ However, some people came to the defence of the controversial pastor, with one of them being Wilfa Wilfred, who simply said, “Please, insulting Chris and calling him names shows a lack of faith by baby Christians. Just pray to God to forgive him. I am not a catholic but it is only God that knows his true worshipers.” Just like Wilfred, a certain Peter Edaile also stated on Facebook, “It also lacks sugar and honey delights but contains salt.” Enough on the controversial statements, anyway. Mixed reactions have also greeted what many members of the the public termed a decision to hold a beauty pageant in the church this Sunday. But the church has since taken to its official Facebook to explain the concept behind what is perceived to be a beauty pageant. It explained that the competition tagged Queen Esther pageant competition is geared towards selecting an ambassador for the church. “The evening usually features the parade and display of beautiful women in costumes inspired by popular female bible characters. The contestant with the most creative costume is then crowned as the Queen Esther and gets a cash prize of one million naira,” the post read Culled from news.naij.com

5 bishops ‘banned from officiating in N-Delta’

Five Pentecostal bishops have been banned from officiating in any bishopric gathering in the Niger Delta. A terse statement, issued yesterday by Pentecostal Bishops in the Niger Delta and signed by the acting National Secretary of the organisation, Bishop David Benedict, said the unnamed bishops committed a sacrilegious act when, in company of seven other clerics from the region, indulged in alleged disgraceful act “without minding their highly exalted position in Christendom”. While commending the National President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, and the South-south Chairman, Arch-Bishop God-dowell Avwormakpa, for suspending the bishops, lauded the CAN President for his effort to religious body in the country. The group called for peace between Governor Chibuike Amaechi and President Goodluck Jonathan.

Archbishop docked for alleged illegal N7m land deal

A self-acclaimed archbishop, John Okeke, 59, was, Tuesday, brought before a Lagos High Court in Igbosere for allegedly selling a land worth N7 million belonging to someone else. Okeke, founder of God’s Pentecostal Ministry World Wide, Iba, Lagos was charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a nine-count bordering on stealing, forgery and impersonation. At the resumed hearing, EFCC counsel, A.M. Ocholi, told the court that the trial could not go on due to absence of a witness (one Nurudeen Bello) who took his two-month-old baby to the hospital following complications. Responding, the defendant’s counsel, U.C. Ikebulu, argued that the prosecution had nine witnesses, and could have called another witness since they could not go on with Nurudeen (witness). The presiding judge, Justice Aishat Opesanwo, after listening to both counsel, adjourned the case to February 8, 2014 to enable the prosecution produce its witnesses. It will be recalled that a businessman, Ignatius Ozorumba, had on January 31, 2013 told a Lagos High Court in Ikeja how the archbishop (defendant) allegedly stole his land worth N7 million. Testifying in the case, Ozorumba, who was led in evidence by EFCC counsel, Mrs Atinuke Daramola, said he was a former member of the defendant’s church. He said sometime in 2005, Okeke informed him that the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) had instructed all persons allocated plots of land in FestacTown to pay their land rents. Ozorumba, who is the director of Immortal Impex Limited, said he asked the archbishop to help him process the payment so that the land would not be revoked. The witness said:“I gave him N200,000 to help me pay eight years rent at a cost of N25,000 per year, for my land known as “Plot H1”, located on 2nd Avenue, FestacTown, Lagos. “I also gave him photocopies of the Title Deed and other relevant documents to facilitate the process.” Ozorumba explained that the defendant later told him to bring the original documents for “sighting” purposes by the authorities of the FHA and he complied. According to him, after the defendant took the documents, he failed to return them, claiming that they were in the custody of the FHA. He later discovered that the defendant had sold the property to the trustees of Mainland Motorcycle and Spare Parts Dealers Association for the sum of N7million. Ozorumba alleged that the archbishop had forged documents, including a change of ownership form purportedly issued by the FHA, to facilitate the transaction. The witness further alleged that the defendant misled the buyers that he was the original owner of the property and had sold it since September 2005. He said this led to a dispute between himself and the archbishop which prompted him to petition the EFCC. from Vanguard Newspaper

Pastor Docked for Alleged Impersonation

A 50-year-old pastor, Keiggy Ogarekpe, on Wednesday, appeared in a Wuse Zone 2 Senior Magistrates' Court, charged with pretending to be a brother to the Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS). Mr. Ogarekpe was charged with impersonating a public servant and cheating. The prosecutor, Paul Igoche, told the court that between October 20 and 26, the accused pretended to be the younger brother of the DG, and collected N800, 000 from one David Solomon with a promise to influence a contract for him with the NNPC. Mr. Igoche said the offence contravened the provisions of sections 132, 322 and 324 of the penal code. When the charges were read to the accused, he pleaded not guilty and denied all the allegations. The counsel to the accused, Felix Ipogah, applied for the accused to be granted bail on liberal conditions. Mr. Ipogah told the magistrate that the accused had been granted an unconditional release by Justice Abubakar Mohammed of the FCT High Court. "The case before Justice Mohammed is an enforcement of Fundamental Human Rights case," he said. The Senior Magistrate, Christopher Oba, admitted the accused to bail in sum of N1 million and a surety in like sum. Mr. Oba ordered that the surety must be a civil servant not below Grade level 10 and residing within the court's jurisdiction. He adjourned the case to February 17, 2014 for further hearing

Nigerian Gospel Singers Jahdiel ,Eben To Tie The Nuptial Knot Nov.30

By November 30, Eben and Jahdiel won’t only be sharing the title ‘Gospel Music artiste’, but also the same surname, as both artistes will be getting married in Lagos, Nigeria. Eben and Jahdiel who have been rumoured to be dating for a long while now, would finally bring to rest the rumors by tying the knot. The wedding ceremony is scheduled to take place at D.G.M, Plot 4, Off Road 16, Ikota Villa Estate, Lekki Ajah Expressway. Reception follows at The Manor Event Centre, Admiral Ayinla Way, Lekki Phase 1, 3rd Round about, Opposite Treasure Garden Estate, Lagos. Jahdiel recently released a single ‘Jara’ (DOWNLOAD HERE). Well, this is obviously one of the “jara’s” that follows seeking God’s Kingdom. The ‘heritage’ crooner Grace Okoduwa, popularly known as Jahdiel, is a Nigerian gospel musician, Chemist and entrepreneur. She started singing as young as age five when she joined her Church’s choir and started playing the piano/keyboard at age 13. She attended Aunty Ayo primary & secondary schools and she was senior prefect in her final year. Emmanuel Benjamin, popularly known as EBEN, is a gospel rock artiste who has become a household name in Nigerian gospel music. EBEN started singing in the youth choir of Winners’ Chapel in 1997, from where he went on to establish himself as one of the major vocalists in the mass choir. This resulted in him being a regular feature in the annual Shiloh events from 1999 – 2005. In 2006, he joined Christ Embassy, and almost instantly became one of the regular faces on the Loveworld platform. Eben has appeared often in major events hosted by the ministry like the Night of Bliss held in major cities across Nigeria, and South Africa. In May earlier this year, Eben released his third studio album ‘Justified’, a 15 track album that has caught the fancy of his fans across the globe. Culled from Praiseworld Radio.

Terrorism: Anglican Bishop Urges More Prayers

Nigerians have been urged to intensify prayers so that terrorism in the country can be curbed. The appeal was made by the Bishop of Ijebu North Diocese, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Commun-ion), Rt. Rev. Solomon Kuponu at the silver jubilee celebration of Young Men and Women Christian Association, YMWCA, of St. John Anglican Church, Iju-Ishaga, Lagos on Tuesday. Speaking on a topic “Terror-ism as it affects social and political life of Nigeria: Christ-ian perspective”, Rev. Kuponu said, “Nigeria is a multi-religious country. The problems of Nigeria are many but the deadliest and most worrisome is terror attacks. From its inception, Boko Haram viewed Nigeria as a state run by non-believers and made the government its main target, even when the country had a Muslim president. The effect of this insurgency on the social and political life of the people cannot be over emphasized.” Rev. Kuponu added that the challenges facing Nigeria are serious, and the solutions are scarce. He warned that inviting foreign aid as solutions will compound the problem as there are only few countries with the capability to help. He suggested solutions to the menace of terrorism in Nigeria to include: “we need to intensify prayers; ban activities of Almajiris in the North.” Thuggery is rampant, espec-ially around politicians, who use political thugs to terrorize their opponents and rig elections, he said. Continuing, Rev. Kuponu urged religious leaders to stop preaching hatred, instead they should preach love and encourage followers to live in peace. According to him, Nigerian government should reach out to the poor countries where the terrorists come from and lend a helping hand. “Let them sow seed of love and people can see that there is no need for violence, provide food and medicine and their major problem will be solved. “Government should deal with corruption, poverty and hope-lessness and above all let dialogue be used to settle differences,” he stated. In his welcome address, the president of the Young Men Christian Association of St. John Anglican Church, Mr. Elijah Oni said, “the YMWCA is a non-denominational organisation committed to providing charity works.” Culled from Vanguard Newspaper

Pastor’s Wife Jailed 2 yrs Over N4m Dud Cheque

An Asaba High Court, Tuesday, sentenced the wife of an Asaba-based pastor to two years imprisonment with hard labour for issuing a dud cheque worth N4 million to a bank where she obtained an overdraft facility. Convicted was Mrs. Esther Onekpe who is also the proprietress of Bukky J. Nursery and Primary School, Asaba. Prosecution stated that Mrs. Onekpe, aged 38 years, had on October 8, 2012 at Asaba within the Asaba judicial division issued a Wema Bank cheque NO 1182114718 of N4 million to UBA Plc which was dishonoured when presented on account of insufficient fund in the account and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 1(b) of the dishonoured cheque (offences) Act Cap D11, Volume 5, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. It further told the court that the woman obtained an overdraft of N4million from the Asaba branch of the United Bank of Africa (UBA) PLC but instead diverted into another purpose of which the loan was obtained and in trying to pay back, according to prosecution, a dud cheque was issued. In sentencing her, the court ruled that “she knew that the cheque when presented will be dishonoured. she knew that there was insufficient funds in her Wema bank account. I therefore hold that prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt essential ingredients of the offence. I hereby convict the accused accordingly” . Culled from Vanguard Newspaper

Oritsejafor Grants Scholarship Awards To 40 Indigent Students

WORD of Life Bible Church, Warri in Delta State, recently gave scholarship awards to 40 indigent students to study courses of their choice ranging from mechanical engineering, petroleum engineering, medical sciences to economics at different tertiary institutions of higher learning in the country and overseas. The list included 36 fresh students in 100 level, three in 200 level while the remaining one is a 300 level student. One of the lucky students, Toritse-weju Mene is admitted to read Economics at Memorial University in Canada. Speaking at the award presentation ceremony which took place during the 26th Jubilee Word Festival at the church headquarters in Ajamimogha, Warri, the general overseer, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor said the scholarship was a way the church encourages the growth of education in the society, stating “it is better to have many unemployed graduates than to have a society with uneducated people. “I believe we are coming to a time when graduates will be proud to work in every sector of the society,” the National President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said, adding that he had a covenant with God to empower as many indigent students in and around Delta State as long as possible. He therefore enjoined the benefitting students to take advantage of the opportunity to study hard and carve a niche for themselves because very soon they would be the persons who would determine the future of this country. Stressing the need for the Christians to be their brothers’ keepers, Oritsejafor warned that “the underprivileged children you fail to help today may be the ones that would torment your privileged child-ren tomorrow”. The Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan who handed the awards to the 40 recepients, congratulated the Word of Life Bible Church on its 26th anniversary. He commended the church for awarding scholarship to 40 indigent students, noting that an educated society is that which can grow positively. The governor also commend-ed the first family of Word of Life Bible Church, Pastor and Pastor (Mrs.) Ayo Oritsejafor for their unrelenting desire to always lend a helping hand to the underprivileged in the state and the nation as a whole. He warned that disciplinary measures would be taken against any primary and post-primary school head or teacher who is found to be charging fees in any form from students, pointing out that a task force has been set up in the state to monitor activities of teachers to ensure that his administration’s free education programme was not sabotaged, stressing that education is free at primary and post-primary levels in the state. The governor warned that anyone found wanting would be made to face the full weight of the law, adding “we lay a lot of emphasis on education that is why we instituted a free education policy but our efforts are being sabotaged.” Continuing, Dr. Uduaghan said: “Some teachers and school heads are still collecting fees illegally despite the fact that government pays all fees for students including fees for external examinations. We have a task force that is going round and any teacher or school head caught would be disciplined and if you are not caught, God is watching you and will punish you.” He admonished the recipients of the scholarship to be good ambassadors of the church by avoiding unholy activities in their respective schools, stating that the students will also benefit from the state government’s bursary programme if they meet the required grade points. Earlier, Prof. Gabriel Yomere who interviewed the candidates affirmed that their parents cannot sponsor their wards to school. Culled from Vanguard Newspaper

Angola Bans Islam, Destroys Mosques

Announcing plans to eradicate the world’s fastest growing faith from its territories, Angola has become the first country in the world to ban Isalm and has taken preemptive steps to enforce it by actually destroying mosques. This action comes by popular demand of the Angolan people because “they see what Muslims are doing to non-Muslims, especially in Africa, and are taking steps to prevent the same from happening in Angola.” This spate of demolitions started in October when Muslims residing in Luanda woke up to a demolished mosque without prior notice or permission. Other occurrences in the same month included the destruction of the mosque Zango located in the urban district of Viana and a radio broadcast by the Governor of Luanda, Bento Francisco Bento, announcing “that radical Muslims are not welcome in Angola and the Angolan government is not ready for the legalization of mosques in Angola.” And on Tuesday, November 19, the Minister of Culture, Rosa Cruz e Silva said. “Regarding Islam, the legalization process has not been approved by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. Therefore all mosques would be closed until further notice. “ It should be noted that the Angolan government has made closing of all mosques a priority. The only two mosques located in Luanda have already received a warning document signed by the mayor of the municipality of Viana José Moreno. The provincial governor of Luanda, Bento Bento, said on the airwaves of local radio that “radical Muslims are not welcome in Angola and the Angolan government is not ready for the legalization of mosques.” Minister of Culture, Rosa Cruz e Silva explained that the law on freedom of religion will be reviewed given the current national context , noting that the Government will redouble its efforts to fight relentlessly against religious cults like Islam which are contrary to the customs of Angolan culture. 95% of Angola’s population is Christian. A quarter belongs to Protestant churches founded during the colonial period, including congregational evangelical church. This decisive action taken by the Angolan head of state is based on a desire to guard against the rise of theWahhabi ideology that has created havoc, death and destruction in Africa and elsewhere. And as rightly explained Tunisian philosopher Mezri Haddad: “Islamism and Islamophobia feed each other. Worse, long-term Islamism as an ideology destroy Islam as religion. “ According to the International Religious Freedom Report 2008, Islam in Angola is a minority religion with 80,000 – 90,000 adherents, composed largely of migrants from West Africa and families of Lebanese origin. The Muslims comprise between 2.5 to 3 percent of Angola’s overall population of 17 million people, most of them Christians. In the last decade, but especially during the last few years the Muslim community in Angola has grown appreciably and Islamic activities have become more common in major cities. Mosques have sprung up in a number of places and Qur’anic schools have been built to provide Islamic instructions and teach Arabic language to adherents. Public attitudes toward Islam have been generally negative. Cultural differences between Angolan and Muslim immigrants have been the basis for negative views toward Islam, as was the perceived link between Islam and illegal immigration. Since the September 11 attacks, there has been a deliberate attempt to link Muslims with terrorism. It has become a matter of routine at Luanda airport for security officers to detain Muslims arriving from Sahelian countries. On September 1, 2008, a Muslim mob attacked non-Muslims in the community of Andulo. The school-age daughter of a deacon at one of the churches was decapitated. Forty Christians were assaulted or tortured. The mob burned three church buildings. They also went to non-Muslim houses to intimidate them or destroyed items of property. Stones were thrown at the headquarters of a local Christian project, causing some damage. An Angolan Christian leader said that the local police were unable to stop the attack and fled the scene. Culled from ynaija.com

Bola Are kickstarts 40 years on stage anniversary

Preparatory to her 40 years on stage anniversary, Evang. (Dr.)Bola Are is set to hold a thanksgiving on October 5, 2013, at Jogor Centre in Ibadan. The gospel musician expressed her profound gratitude to God for keeping her this long in the music industry, just as she thanked the Nigerian media for helping to build her career to this height. “There is no time I don’t say it that God used Nigerian journalists to assist me in propagating the gospel through music. It is only appropriate that I hold a thanksgiving to let God see how grateful I am for his mercies and blessings,” she said. Another celebration will hold at her church before the end of this month. Bishop David Oyedepo will minister at the gospel music icon’s 40 years on stage celebration from 12 noon Saturday.

Suspension: Bishops threaten legal action against S/South CAN

SOME Bishops from the Niger Delta zone have decided to take on the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the zone after they were suspended for allegedly soiling their hands in the murky water of politics South South CAN chairman, Archbishop God-Dowell Avwomakpa, had, last week, announced the suspension of the bishops from the zone after they attempted to broker peace between the G7 governors, who are threatening to dump the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Presidency. Reacting to their alleged suspension, leader of the bishops, who attempted to settle the political crisis on the platform of Global Peace Relief Initiative, His Eminence, Prophet Jones Ode Erue, on Thursday, threatened legal action against Avwomakpa and CAN, saying that the archbishop had no capacity to suspend them. “Avwomakpa has no capacity to suspend us. He is not our member; we only invited him to join us when our delegation visited Governor Rotimi Amaechi. “We give him 48 hours to retract the announcement of our suspension and all the bad things he said about us on Delta Television or else we will institute legal action against him and CAN”, Erue said. Continuing, he added that, “These eminent clerics and their affiliate, Global Peace and Relief Initiative, have taken on a laudable project of consulting across all interest group and stakeholders concerning the Nigerian project. Nigeria is the only country we can call our own and as fathers we cannot fold our hands and watch intolerance and impunity destroy our nation. “To place the records straight, we have not made promises to any persons and we have not used the name of CAN, we have an affiliate whose mission and vision best defines our activity. We are noble men and do not rail accusation on authorities. The group also justified their action by saying “This is a faith based non-governmental organisation with memberships spread across the nation. Our main business is advocacy, conflict prevention/ resolution and facilitation of peace projects whether individual, group, organisation or government. We create a good soil for developmental projects and people-oriented policies to thrive.” They added that they would continue with their consultation of what they described as “the task of putting Nigeria back on the road to national unity and development.” Culled from Tribune Newspaper

CAN, NOSCEF Set Agenda For National Dialogue

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) representing the 19 Northern states in the country, in association with the Christian Elders Forum of the Northern States (NOSCEF), have sent the agenda for the upcoming nation conference. The bodies, earlier in a statement co-signed by the president of the northern CAN, Archbishop P.Y. Jatau, and the NOSCEF chairman, Mr Olaiya Philips, had thrown their collective weights behind the conference, saying it was a “visible evidence of an intent to establish a society in which the will of the people is the foundation from which all else flows – the fount of legitimacy.” Believing that the “inadequacy” of the 1979 constitution, upon which the 1999 constitution was based, was “imposed by a military government and was founded on a lie,” the bodies believed that with the coming of elections in less than eighteen months, the deliberations should not be totally divorced from the hustle and bustle of politics. Therefore, “what can be done is the setting of clearly stated time lines that will be vitally important in ensuring that the national conference is not supplanted by the coming elections in the national psyche.” According the bodies, the prospect of the National Assembly retaining the capacity to further amend the deliberations of the people runs counter to the reasons for the conference, as there could not be “two masters on a ship. The Nigerian ship of state is about to set course on the journey that is the future of this country, and in so doing its people have effectively taken back their sovereignty over their affairs from their representatives. Those representatives are, therefore, honour-bound to listen to those that elected them rather than seek the cover of their elective positions to obstruct and frustrate the will of the people.” They, therefore, urged that during the deliberations, the secular nature of the Nigerian state must remain sacrosanct, saying that the “security of minorities (including religious minorities) has continued to be a thorny issue and the last decade has shown what manner of whirlwind can be unleashed by religious intolerance. Religious minorities, especially in the North, have a long history of being persecuted, discriminated against and excluded from the affairs of their states of origin; that type of marginalisation cannot endure in the kind of society we look to shape. “Whether or not Nigeria is to continue as presently structured (36 states) has to be addressed. It is difficult to see how a country with our developmental needs can be expected to persist in spending prodigious amounts of money on the administrative machinery of governance. There is little or no benefit correlation between the efficacy of governance and the cost of running 37 legislatures, over 37 judiciaries, 37 executives and all the paraphernalia that accompany these. We do not believe that there is a perfect number of administrative units but we do know that as presently configured we have too many.” Culled from Tribune Newspaper

‘Unless there is spiritual revolution before 2015 elections, there will be blood bath’

Rev. Emmanuel Adetunji Adeonigbagbe is the founder and Spiritual Head of Celica Church of Christ (CCC) Ibadan. Adeonigbagbe is not happy with the political trend in the country. He was taken up on many issues, including the conflict and tension in the polity after a special programme of his church. The clergy told OLUSAKIN BABALOLA that most of the leaders in the country are in public offices to feather their own nests, and not to serve the masses. Excerpts: We recall that some years ago, you have a cause to counsel those in power on how the problems of the country could be tackled. But those problems are still there what else are you doing? Most of the advisers through whom our messages were sent to the President did not allow such messages to get to the rightful leaders. It was not during the tenure of this President alone. Even before, we did send to past governments but we did not receive any feedback or action on what we suggested to them. You talked of revolution recently during one of your programmes. Is it the conventional revolution like the French Revolution, Russian Revolutions or…prayer or political manoeuvring? I will refer you back to 1992. We sent a letter to General Ibrahim Babangida (Rtd) that he should not conduct Presidential election in 1993, that if there was election that year, it would not be the best for Nigeria. God gave us a framework sent to me that there should be military and ceremonial President. That they should conduct election after 1996 and that after then, there could be any Presidential election. We did say that there should be Council of Obas – traditional rulers and council of religious leaders, we told them that it should be both Christian and Muslim leaders. But we stressed that they are not just academic ones, except those who were called directly by God because there are three types. But those selected were the academicians who went to study theology. The issue was that the mediator between God and people should be selected. We felt we needed spiritual council that can mediate and we said they should go back and select those called by God. The letter we sent was not acted upon. The mistake he made was that when somebody made a proposal, such a person should be invited but he did not. He would elaborate and tell you the details even without being a partaker of that programme. You would remember during that time, he selected Ernest Shonekan but what was the result? Didn’t any of the leaders accept your counsel? It was only one person and that was Late General Sani Abacha. Though I didn’t like him for anything , God sent me to him thrice and this man responded by getting back to me with gifts which I rejected. What I needed was the growth and peace of the country and not money. I rejected the money because money was not the basis of my work to him. He was the only leader who appreciated God in that respect. Others rejected such leader. Is the incumbent Governor included? Yes, definitely. President Goodluck Jonathan is surrounded by mediocre. We have academic mediocre, political mediocre and even spiritual mediocre. These mediocres cannot tell them the truth. God told me that 1993 election would kill peace in Nigeria. Did it not happen? God told me there was going to be revolution when I started praying for Nigeria, if these people refused to hear his voice. This revolution is not going to be by guns, matchets, bombs as being experienced in Egypt and other places. But you will definitely see it one day when God strikes. What is happening now was seen in January that the big political parties will be divided. There would be crisis in the PDP and the APC. Would there be no resolution? There would be. But if care is not taken, God was telling us that Nigeria would be or not be. What does that connote? The meaning of my revolution is a spiritual one that God would fight for his people because Nigeria leaders have no interest of the governed. Is this realisable with our state of sins? Let me refer you to the city of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible. They sinned but God still fought for the nation. Likewise Nigeria, because there are some people that are still devoted and have given their lives to God. I am not talking of Christianity or Islam but people who have devoted their lives to God and God alone. God will not watch these people suffer in the hands of the wicked leaders all over. What is your prediction on 2014 election in Osun and Ekiti states? I am not in politics but at the same time, one should give kudos to those who deserve it. In Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola is trying one way or the other to make the State better, others also tried – Oyinlola was a very good administrator though surrounded by mediocre and liars during his tenure. The way he handled LAUTECH issue was good. Aregbesola is a motivator. You can clearly see his impact. The next year election will be tough – a strange thing will come up because of the two parties – PDP and APC – giant ones. Both would want to win at all costs. This is the area we should watch very well. The ACN, ANPP and CPC leaders who teamed up to take power from PDP are arrogant men and strange bed fellows. They will have problems in due course because their ideas are not the same. Even if they desire to produce Presidents, their interests would clash. The leaders are enemies joining together and at the end of the day, there will be problems. The leaders are arrogant. PDP leaders too are arrogant and power hungry. All of them are arrogant and ambitious to be in government at all costs. Do you support the two-term policy as enshrined in the constitution? The issue of second term by executives has been causing crisis and ripples for public office holders. Appointing them for a second term always makes them turn to something else, using public money to meet their personal needs. Look at Lagos State, where during the first term Governor Raji Fashola did extremely well. But his performance in this second term is very low by my judgment. Look at Governor Segun Mimiko of Ondo State too. He also started well but now, what is he doing? The workers are not being paid as and when due. That is the problem we are facing with second term. In other words, you are against second term for our leaders? I don’t support it for anybody. Let them use a term and go away. Four years is a long time enough to do good work and bring dividends of democracy to the people. It is greed and desire to loot that make them insist on second term. It should be live and let others live. I repeat, four years is enough for anybody to do whatever he wants to do. This is because we don’t have God-fearing people with the love of masses in their minds. In Nigeria, it is not possible for our leaders to do well during their second term. Their fear is that when some other people come in, they may forget the programmes which they started. But in most cases, it is not true. They can select a good candidate. You are yet to talk on the next election in Osun and Ekiti States? Osun and Ekiti people are peace-loving. The people are now wiser and I don’t see anybody sending out thugs to go and attack people because of desire to acquire power at all costs. If anybody wants to send out others for violence, he should be asked where his own children are. Let the youths be civilised to tell leaders where their children are if they wanted to send them death errand. Parents in particular should educate their children to let them know that they cannot gain anything in violence. Nobody compensates those sent out by politicians and killed in the process of fomenting trouble. Our people in Osun and Ekiti have learnt from the bitter lessons of the past, the houses that were burnt and other bad acts were not compensated for. What would you say about insecurity, terrorism, kidnapping and robbery that pervade the clime? Our security agents are corrupt. It is not peculiar to Nigeria alone. This is because they are in a corrupt society. They have failed us like politicians, the academic and even the clerics. Even the traditional leaders as well, and this is why we should go back to our root, God. We ought to have got over this issue of Boko Haram. That is why I agree with Late Chinua Achebe in his book that things have fallen apart and the centre cannot hold. As a cleric, what is your vision and advice on the 2015 general elections? What advice would you give to people who did not like the masses who voted them in and from whom they still expect vote for 2015? These are leaders who use the masses money for rituals to get back to power. Your church is Celica Church of Christ. I know of Celestial Church of Christ. Any nexus? I was born an Anglican. After that, I joined my brother, a member of Cherubim and Seraphim. Later, in my dream, God showed me Celestial. I joined Celestial and was working as a Shepherd when revelation came in 1980 that God wanted to use me in another denomination entirely. I rejected it till 1992 because of my love for Papa Bilewu Oshoffa, the former Spiritual Head of CCC. He, Papa Oshoffa, told me in my dream that I should accept the call. What is unique about your life and ministry? God used me to heal my mother who was on the verge of death. Time may not permit me to elaborate. Even when I was in the Anglican Church, I was seeing visions. When I started in Celestial, Jesus Christ descended and asked Papa Oshoffa about an object kept with him and he said I was the one

Cleric tasks populace on offering, tithes

The founder of Christ Apostolic Church, Wonderful Palace of God, Ikotun, Lagos, Pastor Chris Daramola, has urged Nigerians especially those in leadership positions to learn to offer sacrifices to God in form of giving. Speaking at the 7th annual harvest and thanksgiving service held at the church last Sunday, on the theme: ‘Food of God’, the founder said the only food that God eats is the thanksgiving people offer to Him with their substances. According to him, the theme came as an inspiration from God to give unto Him the honour due for Him and that is why he has urged every member of the church who desires one thing or the other from God to learn to give sacrifice. “The traditional believers know the importance of sacrifice that is why anytime they are being confronted with difficult situation, they resort to sacrifice. The same thing should go for Christians who do not have to offer sacrifice in form of killing animals but by honouring God with their substances, this will challenge God and move Him to action,” he said. Daramola also said sacrifice brings promotion, citing the case of Abraham, Solomon among others, who offered sacrifices to God. The cleric regretted that Nigerian leaders are not offering sacrifice to God anymore but out of their selfish desires to retain power and positions, they have turned their hears away from God and are now sacrificing to Satan. According to him, “that is why there is a lot of ritualists today because of greed for money, power and position; our leaders have turned their hears away from God and have decided to sacrifice to devil, who in turn demands for items like parts of human beings, animals and other items. The real sacrifice that is acceptable to God is the one that people bring with hearts of gratitude and a holy heart,” he said. He spoke further that the miracles that prayer and fasting will not achieve, sacrificial offering will go a long way in achieving them, stressing that, sacrifice opens door of mercy for an individual as he added that God commanded it in the book of Psalms 50 verse five and Proverbs three verse nine. “Why our country is faced with myriads of problems is because our leaders are seeking individual favour and not the favour of God. For instance, which country is Nigeria paying its tithes to, we make so much money from our crude oil yet we don’t pay our tithes to any country like America is paying its own to Israel, and that is why the country is controlling the world today,” he said. On the vision of the church, the cleric explained that is going to be a church of revival after the order of the late Timothy Obadare, saying the harvest will launch him to a radio presentation that will be exactly like the one the late C.A.C Evangelist was having then. Share !

500 bishops vow to join G7 governors

The Bishops and Eminent Clerics Forum of Nigeria, Niger Delta chapter, has vowed to join the G7 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors to end “impunity in national institutions.” The group said that it would no longer fold its hands, and allow few individuals to run Nigeria into tribal and religious war based on religion affiliation. The leader of the group, His Eminence, Jones Ode Eruie, made the disclosure, yesterday in Yola during his visit to Governor Murtala Nyako. He said that the traditional institution in the country has failed completely by engaging in partisan politics which has made it impossible for them to call leaders that are beating war drums to order, because of selfish interest. He revealed that 500 clergymen in the country, under his organisation have dedicated their lives to fight for the unity of the country stressing that they are ready to sacrifice their lives in the struggle because they would go against the powers that be in the process of pointing accusing fingers. “We are bishops, the highest body in the Christendom and we have enlisted no fewer than 500 bishops to champion our cause. As stakeholders in the Nigeria Project, we are troubled in our minds with the situation in the country and without mincing words, our traditional rulers have failed us by routing themselves to tools of politicians. We clergymen have made up our minds to join forces in the crusade with those who are fighting impunity in the nation’s interest.” The leader of the group said that one of the reasons they visited Governor Nyako in their consultation process was because of the leadership trait he displayed as a detribalised Nigerian, adding that when Nyako was a young man, he joined the military to protect the sovereignty of the nation and as a political leader, he also championed war against impunity in the country. “You chose Amaechi, a young man from Niger Delta, to join forces and fight impunity in our country. We were challenged as religious leaders that we must protect the country and join forces with you to fight enemies of democracy that are leading the country to doom. “We Christians believe that there are three judgments: Judgment of the people, judgment of prosperity and judgment of God. We don’t want God to condemn us because we have only one life to live and that is why we stand by you in the fight against evil.” He reiterated that religious leaders in the country are tired of politicians who have been using ethnic, tribal and religious sentiments to promote their evil agenda to the detriment of the larger interest of the country. He, however, blamed the government for using police and other government apparatus undemocratically to victimise their perceived enemies, stressing that as men of God, they will stand in the way of such politicians. According to him, “Nigeria has two laws and one of them is selective. Olagunsoye Oyinlola was removed as the National Secretary of the PDP, based on court judgment and another man was sworn-in less than 24 hours. When another court reinstated him, the second law applied, as they refused to honour the court order. I met somebody in Ghana when I went for a seminar who told me that Nigeria has invented a new mathematics formula, where five is greater than 27 and 16 is greater than 19.” In his response, Nyako said that the religious leaders must supplement prayers with action. He blamed the extension of the emergency rule in the state on the hand work of “the evil few” Abuja politicians from the state, who are hell bent on causing calamity and destruction in the state. The Governor said the people of Adamawa State are tired with moving alongside the evil men, who will never be tired of causing havoc and calamities in the state and the nation at large. From Sunday NEwswatch

105-foot statue of Jesus appears in Syria

In the middle of a brutal civil war, a bronze statue of Jesus has appeared on a Syrian mountain side. The 105-foot statue has taken eight years to complete, and stands on Mount Sednaya. Although its safety is not guaranteed, it has been in place for three weeks in an area where some Al-Qaida fighters have little sympathy for Christians. Syrian Christians believe that the second advent of Christ will happen on the mountain, on the route that pilgrims took from Jerusalem to Constantinople. Backers say it is there simply because ‘Jesus would have done it.’ The main armed groups in the area halted fire while organisers set up the statue, which was assembled from two pieces. Backers said it is there simply because ‘Jesus would have done it.’ The main armed groups in the area halted fire while organisers set up the statue which was assembled from two pieces. Smaller statues of Adam and Eve stand close to the work which was inspired by Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue. The project, called ‘I Have Come to Save the World’, is run by the London-based St. Paul and St. George Foundation, and was financed by private donors from across the globe. The plans were started in 2005, but were hit by many setbacks including the deaths of key backers and the 2011 uprising against President Assad. And for as long as it is there, the statue will offer some support to the region’s besieged Christians. Sunni Muslims dominate the revolt, and jihadists make up some of the strongest fighting groups. Other Muslim groups along with the 10 per cent Christian minority have stood largely with Assad’s government, or remained neutral. Churches have been vandalised, priests abducted and last month the extremists overran Maaloula, a Christian-majority town, so old that some of its people still speak a language from Jesus’ time.

How to prosper through the Bible –Ibrahim

The Group Managing Director of Energy Group of Companies, Dr Jimoh Ibrahim, has said that the word of God is far more profitable than the riches of this world. The business tycoon with investments in the energy, media, banking, insurance, education and real estate sectors of the economy said this at the Adult Harvest anniversary of the Omnipotence Mission of God, held in Lagos last Sunday. Speaking on the topic, ‘How to become a millionaire’, the tycoon emphasised that keeping of the precepts of the Bible is indeed the shortest cut to becoming a millionaire, billionaire or trillionaire. Ascribing the powers to make and unmake anything unto the Almighty God, Dr. Ibrahim said that anyone who observes the word of God would not have to struggle to possess the goodies of the world. His words: “The Bible, the written word of God, is the greatest key to resounding success. If you follow it well, you will enjoy huge success.” Taking his text from the book of Isaiah 46: 9-10; he pointed out that God is God; and that there is no one else who could do all things. “God will always remain God. He is God yesterday; he is God today and he will remain forever more. Whether you are rich or poor, God will remain God no matter your situation. Whether you are in pain, suffering, making it, whatever your situation, God is God and will remain because he is the owner of the universe. “He can do anything. He can bless you. He can curse you. He can prosper you and he can suffer you,” Ibrahim said. He also noted that pride makes people to forsake God. According to him, the sins of pride made God to wipe the country of Tyre out of the surface of the earth. He stressed that whoever allowed pride to lead him or her into disobeying the Lord was asking for the dangerous side of God. “I want to prove to you that God is an organiser. God is a planner; that God has planned everything on earth from the beginning and he has revealed all things by the word of prophesy. He further noted that God alone knows the future; so let Him reveal it to you; adding that it is wise for everyone to embrace the teaching of the Bible to avoid the wrath of God. “Jesus is coming very soon,” he said from National Mirror

Anambra church stampede tragedy: Politicians in blame war

Even up till this moment, the actual cause of the stampede that claimed no fewer than 28 lives and left scores of others worshippers injured last Saturday at the Holy Ghost Adoration ground, Uke in Idemili North Local government Area of Anambra State, is yet to be ascertained. For all who cared to know, they are being furnished with one gory tales or the other. While some said that the sight of a snake inside a nearby gutter cause the stampede, others had it that a flame of fire in a firewood raised up by a woman frying Akara was responsible for the mayhem. Some equally attributed the incident to Governor Peter Obi’s attendance to the adoration ground with the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) campaign train for purposes of campaign, while others said Obi’s visit had nothing to do with the stampede. On the other hand, both Governor Obi and the Governor candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Chris Ngige had traded blames against each other over the incident but no matter how defensive each of them was, the dead can no longer come back to life. Already, the incident has elicited many reactions from far and near, including some human rights group, the bereaved victims and ordinary individuals, among whom are Mr. Izundu Ajah, the bereaved husband to one of the dead victims, Mrs. Adaobi Ajah. The body of all the deceased victims were scattered in various hospitals, including the Immaculate Heart Hospital, Nkpor- Agu, St. Vharles Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha and Crown Hospital, Nkpor-Uno and as at the time of filing this report, the medical Director in-charge of Crown Hospital, Dr. Edwin Emegoakor, told newsmen that out of the 21 injured persons brought to his hospital, 20 of them had been discharged after recovery, while only one was still responding to the treatments. The bereaved Mr. Ajah, a Lagos based businessman from Uburu community in Ohaozara Local overnment Area of Ebonyi State, told newsmen in Onitsha on arrival that his late wife, Adaobi who was until her death, was doing her youth service at Onitsha High School, Onitsha, called him on phone at about 5 p.m. the previous day being Friday to inform him that she would attend the night vigil at the adoration center. Ajah noted that at about 10 p.m., she called him against to inform him that she was already there at the adoration ground, bu that little did he know that the 10 p.m. call would be the last to hear from her again. He said he started calling her in the morning hours without any response until one Achebe, a coordinator at the adoration center who picked up her phone, responded and said that he did not know her whereabout, but after a while, another caller informed him that she was dead in a stampede that occured early in the morning. He said he sent his brother-in-law and elder brother who were with her in Onitsha to go to the adoration ground to find out what was happening and they went and confirmed her dead, adding that she had been deposited at the Immaculate Heart Hospital, Nkpor. Ajah who recalled that his marriage with the late Adaobi was less than two years old, noted that he would like to bury her as soon as possible and forget the death, adding that the most painful aspect of her death was that she was six month old pregnant. He said the coordinators of the adoration center had just intimated him that the Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Dr. Valerian Okeke would conduct a solemn mass for all the deceased worshippers on October 21, after which he would like to bury her at once. He said he was looking forward for the compensation which Governor Peter Obi promised in his broadcast to the people of the state, last Sunday. Meanwhile, the Campaign for Democracy (CD) has urged Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, South-East Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), to constitute a 7-man investigative committee to unravel the circumstances surrounding Uke tragedy. CD said the essence of such committee was to ensure equity and also to check any possible manipulation, adding that Anambra government should hands-off the panel of inquiry and investigation into the mysterious tragedy. The statement, which was issued to newsmen in Onitsha, was jointly signed by Dede Uzor A. Uzor and Dr. Jerry Chukwuokolo, who are the Chairman and Secretary of CD South-East Region respectively. The statement noted that the state government sponsoring an inquiry and investigation would bias the outcome of the remote and immediate causes of the incident which would further infuriate the minds of the public especially the Christian community. “A tragedy that led to a loss of more than 25 lives in a holy and safe place, which included a six-month pregnant woman, Adaobi who is a corper currently serving at Onitsha High School, Onitsha, should not be swept under the carpet”. CD warned politicians to henceforth, stop using churches and prayer grounds for their political campaigns and rallies in Anambra in the interest of God and humanity. CD, however, urged Anambra government to ensure a free treatment for injured survivors of the tragedy, while due compensation should be paid to the families of the victims who lost their lives. “Anambra government should as a matter of necessity pay a minimum of N20 million to the families of each of the dead victims of the tragedy and at the same time, erect a long lasting monument at the entrance of the Uke adoration ground to serve as a memorial for the souls lost so far. The statement also urged Anambra government to construct more than two leading roads to the adoration ground. Authorities of the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, Anambra State had disclosed that they have launched a full blown investigation into the stampede that claimed 28 lives and left scores of other worshippers critically injured at the Holy Ghost Adoration Center, Uke in Idemili North local Government Area of Anambra State , early Saturday morning. The Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Dr. Valerian Okeke who disclosed this yesterday while briefing newsmen at the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha, said the Archdiocese had just inaugurated a team of investigators to unravel the circumstances surrounding the matter, adding that more efforts are being intensified to protect the lives of all worshippers at the center. Archbishop Okeke who spoke through the Archdiocesan Director of social Communications, Rev Fr. Pius Ukor, noted that he was deeply saddened by this ugly incident, after visiting the dead in the morgue and the injured in the hospitals, expressed his sincere condolence to the families and relations of those who lost their lives in the incident. He explained that save for the unprecedented crowd, the vigil started and ended normally, adding that the stampede was reportedly caused by a false alarm raised by somebody in the crowd along one of the narrow roads out of the town. According to him, “The crowd was so much that all the people wanting to leave at the same time made it very difficult for people to find enough space to move, adding, this happened in just one of the roads out of the town”. In the same vein, the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (INTERSOCIETY) has called on the authoorities of the Adoration Ministry led by Reverend Father Emmanuel Obimma to ban the official attendance and recognition of politicians and their political parties during adoration prayers. In a press statement issued yesterday, the Chairman of INTERSOCIETY, Emeka Umeagbalasi said such politicians may be allowed to attend in their private capacities, adding that the ban should also be placed on their retinue of supporters, who at times turn mischievous. Umeagbalasi also called for an outright ban on donation of vehicles by politicians to convey devotees to the Adoration Ground should, adding that politicians, including those in charge of affairs in the Government of Anambra State may be invited officially in the day time to participate in the official activities of the Ministry including fund-raising. He noted that it is shocking and sad to note that some politicians have formed habits of sending and stationing their hatchet men on the Adoration Ground to disrupt their opponents’ successful participation in the Prayers’ session either by voice or physical disruptions. He however recommended that the authorities of the Adoration Ground should reorganize the entire security and exit and entry procedures in the premises of the Ministry. The mammoth crowd that graced the stampeded prayer session is dotted with suspicion of “menacing rented crowd” possibly imported by some politicians to create such homicidal atmosphere. He said that although the fatal stampede has been linked to “frying oil flames”, but other intervening forces such as political sabotage may not be ruled out, stressing that the desperation of some politicians to capture and loot Anambra State premised on the allimportant November 16, 2013 governorship poll is evidently pronounced. “The governorship candidates of APC, Labour and APGA have visited the scene recently and made several promises including tarring the entrance road, tackling the gully menace near the Holy Ground and provision of vehicles to convey devotees from far distances during Adoration days and hours”. “While Dr. Chris Ngige and his APC reportedly fulfilled their recent promise of grading the entrance road to the Adoration Ground, the camp of Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah and his Labour reportedly took charge of providing some vehicles to convey devotees from far distances to the Holy Ministry. The camp of Governor Peter Obi and his Party have reportedly promised to tar the entrance road and tackle the gully menace threatening the Adoration Ground before the end of the Governor’s tenure by first quarter of 2014”. Culled from National Mirror Newspaper