Breaking News:Law-Makers Endorse 14-Year Jail Term For Same-Sex Marriage In Nigeria

The Nigeria's House of Representatives on Thursday endorsed the report on a bill prohibiting same-sex marriages in Nigeria.The offence now attracts a jail-term of 14 years.
Many Nigerian religious preachers had earlier frowned at this same-sex union,which they said was capable of making mockery of God-ordained man-to-woman marriages.Same-sex marriage has also been described as anti-African 

Pastor Adeboye Commends RCCG's CSR,Insists On Improvement

The General Overseer, The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Adejare Adeboye, has commended the church’s programme on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) nation-wide and its impact on the beneficiaries and also commented that the church could do better.

Speaking at a press conference through the Special Assistant to The General Overseer (Administration and Personnel) and the Pastor in Charge of the RCCG Headquarters, Pastor Johnson Odesola at the RCCG, Ebute-Metta, the cleric declared that not less than an approximate sum of N433.3 million between August last year to date was expended on various activities ranging from digging boreholes, education which include providing books for both primary and tertiary institutions across the country, procurement of drugs, gift of glasses for those with eyes problems, care-giver for HIV positive and drugs, provision of toilets, libraries, classrooms among others.

He disclosed that the CRS activities covered 255 local councils, which is about 33 per cent of the 774 local councils in the country with no less than 353 communities, which cut across various ethnic groups benefited.

“The Church started in 1962, but we have gone beyond spirituality to impacting on the society in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility with a view to giving relief to the underprivileged.

“About a year ago, the Church in her determination to reach the less privileged across the country, made a move to select Senior Pastors as well as Assistant Provincial Pastors to be in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility both in rural and urban areas. We have been able to cover a lot of places including Jigawa, Bidda, Katsina, Taraba, Maiduguri and impacted on state schools according to the Lord’s command to freely give.

“Our scholarship scheme with an annual budget of between N150 and N200 million is free for anyone to apply provided the candidate sits for the qualifying examination and comes out successfully which is to ensure that scholarships are given to those who are qualified.

“Interested candidates are free to obtain free forms, fill in the name of his or her school and how much is needed which we will of course work upon” he said.

Commenting on affordability of private universities, the Cleric disclosed that Redeemers University have the best hostels which are run free and tuition fee relatively affordable with every member of RCCG giving special considerations.

According to Odeshola, “this year, we have expended half of our budget on CRS for this year and the General Overseer insists we should do more”.
Culled from Guardian Newspaper

Foursquare,Catholic Churches In Land Tussle

 Federal High Court, Lagos on Monday adjourned a suit filed by the Foursquare Gospel Church against the Catholic Pastoral Council of Nigeria for report of settlement.

Justice Saliu Saidu adjourned the case to Sept. 26, following a report by the plaintiff’s counsel, Mr Adewale Ademola, that both parties had yet to reach terms of settlement.

The judge, therefore, granted a long adjournment to afford parties adequate time to explore the settlement option.

The plaintiff had filed the suit against the defendant on May 15, 2012, over alleged wrongful ejection from premises.

Joined as defendants are Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, the Federal Ministry of Lands and Housing, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Presidential Implementation Committee on Sale of Federal Government Property.

The plaintiff is challenging the ejection of the church from the premises at the 1004 Housing Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Foursquare, represented by Mr Felix Meduoye, had averred in its statement of claim that the church was granted lawful occupation of the premises in 2003, by the Federal Ministry of Lands and Housing.

Meduoye said that the premises was situated within a zone specifically reserved for religious activities.
According to the plaintiff, the premises in question is the zonal headquarters of the Foursquare Gospel Church, and the rent paid would expire in 2014.

Meduoye said that on March 20, 2012, the presidential committee on sale of Federal Government property, had in a meeting, offered the premises for bidding, without recourse to the plaintiff.

He said that the Catholic Pastoral Council of Nigeria bid for the purchase of the premises and was granted same without any recourse to the plaintiff as original occupants.

Meduoye further averred that as a result, the Catholic Pastoral Council had encroached into portions of their premises, claiming it as part of its Saint Francis Catholic Church, located in the same premises.

He maintained that the action was unjust, especially as their tenancy would expire in 2014.

The plaintiff, therefore, averred that as an existing church in the premises, they were entitled to a right of first refusal.

The judge had earlier, on April 22, advised both parties to opt for out of court settlement to solve the matter as it was a religious issue. 

Prophet Ajanaku Fights Tope Alabi Over Adultery Allegation

A dog that is bound for destruction they say will not hearken to the instruction of the hunter. This much can be said about one of the most successful Yoruba gospel musicians, Tope Alabi as she seems to have fallen out of her spiritual godfather’s grace because she cannot stay off sin and has been falling from one crisis to the other since the separation last year.

Born Toyin Obayomi, she was rechristened Tope by her spiritual godfather Prophet Elijah Ireti Ajanaku of Christ Revival Victory Chapel International, who had a vision that the reason she had been having many failed relationships before she met him had to do with her name. Her situation changed after the rechristening as she has since been married to Soji Alabi for years. It would be noted that she had her 18-year-old daughter for a man popularly known as Sankara before falling out with him after which she had another relationship with a Yoruba movie marketer popularly known as Olaoye Films. She had two daughters for him but one died and just like her relationship with the first, this also hit the rock before she later met her current husband, Soji, whom she is older than.

Tope Alabi, who was initially into the movie industry before she delved into music has never for once minced words in attributing her success story to the fact that she was fortunate to meet the man of God. However, sometime last year after she was said to have been dilly-dallying into things that are sinful, the man of God was said to have invited her and her husband to worship in his church twice a month. This we gathered was to checkmate her excesses as she was alleged to have by that time been sleeping around, warranting her to state in an interview last year that pastors were pestering her for sex, whereas she was alleged to have been caught pants down with a supposed firebrand pastor with tribal mark whose nickname has to do with a feared wild animal generally seen as the king of the wild animals. She was also alleged to have been having an amorous affair with a popular hospitality business owner whose name has almost the same spelling with Yoruba word for patience and many other men. But rather than hearken to the words of the man she sings his praise, she decided to stay away from the church and this informed the decision of the man of God to leave her to her own.

The decision became obvious last year during the church-organized praise concert tagged Praise the Almighty, which was organized in the church auditorium in November, as the pastor did not allow her to perform. Though her picture and that of Ebenezer Obey were used on the posters and flyers of the concert, she was blocked from singing even when artistes that are not as popular as her were given time to sing. She was said to have made moves to reconcile with the pastor after the November event but her moves were rebuffed by the pastor who wants her to confess her sins to her husband before anything. And for failing to do this, she has further been distanced from the man of God as he has stopped talking about her and this we gathered may have informed all sorts of things that have been happening to her. She was said to have lost her Toyota Sienna car that she bought about a month earlier to armed robbers on December 25; her studio and office which was somewhere around Abule Egba area of Lagos State has also been under lock and keys since December when the electricity generating set there developed fault, thereby affecting the equipment in the studio.

Sources confirmed the whole thing may also have to do with the way she has been treating her husband. It was revealed that she is fond of leaving home in the morning, switching off her phone and not informing anybody of her whereabouts. She is also said to have shown no concern to the plight of her husband’s family whose mother, it was gathered, operates a grinding machine somewhere around Oke-Ira area of Lagos State while her own mother is living fine in her Oshodi, Lagos home.

Apart from all these, she was also alleged of threatening a new music artiste in the church that is now doing what she has been doing. The lady in question called Ifemide has been receiving calls from different people both within and outside the country telling her that Tope Alabi reported her to them and that she has threatened to deal with the girl if she did not leave the church and the pastor. She was also alleged to be responsible for the decision of Paul Play not to attend the church because she sees him as a threat to her plan to hold on to the man of God as she’s not in the process of allowing anybody else to compete with her for the attention of the pastor, and it was because of artistes like Paul Play who was healed of his kidney disease by the Pastor. She was said to have also been blocking even her friends from seeing the pastor even when it is obvious they seriously need prayers.

Though her behavior slighted her Spiritual godfather, members were of the opinion that despite the man not pronouncing any negative things on her, the fact that he has stopped praying for her and the fact that she refused to leave her sinful ways will give way to evil to befall her. A close source, however, revealed that she’s making moves to reconcile with the pastor as it was alleged that she had approached the most influential Nigerian pastor in the person of the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye to help her beg her spiritual godfather. It is only a matter of time before the result is known and this is because of her disobedience.

Culled from Global News 

Take Your Revival Elsewhere,Ghanaian Authorities Warn TB Joshua After Holy Water Stampede Kills 4

Ghanaian authorities have temporarily banned the Ghana branch of TB Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nation from hosting revivals, days after four people were killed and 13 more injured in a stampede during a church service on Sunday May 19th. Thousands of people thronged to the church after church officials announced that holy water would

Nigeria'll Not Disintegrate,American Civil Rights Leader Predicts

Rev.Jesse Jackson

American civil rights leader, Baptist Minister and two-time Democratic Presidential nominee, Rev. Jesse Jackson, was in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, as a Guest Speaker at Isaac Boro Day lecture. He spoke on a wide range of issues in this interview with journalists. MIKE ODIEGWU was there. An excerpt:

You are from one of the most advanced democracies in the world, how much of democracy have you seen in Nigeria and Bayelsa State?

The American democracy which is just 40 years old is said to be hundreds of years old. Over 246 years, Africans in America were in slavery, they were not full citizens, they called it democracy but it was not. Hundred years of Jim Crow racial marginalisation, they called it democracy because white could rule, we could not, but it was not.

But in 1965 because of our struggle and because of the martyrs of that struggle most, like the Isaac Boros, these martyrs helped to redefine the American democracy and made it for the first time inclusive democracy. The first time African-Americans could vote and two years later in 1967 white women could serve on juries. In 1970, an 18 years old could vote and in 1974 you could vote on campuses and in 1975 you could vote bilingually. So, ours was democracy in the making and that has happened since 1948.

If you look at your young nation, you are here where we were at age 20 or 25. The process has been long but there is now a common belief in democracy in Bayelsa State and in Nigeria. A belief that the vote does matter and vote must count. We should not allow ethnicity and tribalism to limit our participation in democracy.

So, the right to vote means little without right to economic security. The feeling is that the freedom of our reconstruction is not freedom to starve, freedom to be malnourished, freedom to be unemployed. The freedom is not enough. We should go beyond that and fight for the freedom of economic equality and economic justice.

This means that these corporations that are operating here must have a real sense of responsibility, partnership. The source of shame frankly is that you have this abundance of supply of resources but we import oil and gas as well. That mentality must change. There is no real logical reason why refineries are not opened in Nigeria as part of the partnership. You must have a refining capacity if you have to be on a level playing field.

How do we get Nigeria to be at par with the developed economies?

You have a stable government and violence has been reduced. It is very significant because violence and democracy don’t go hand in hand. Violence and investment don’t work together. People do not invest where there is violence. They don’t invest where there is fear. Where there is fear and violence there is no growth and where there is no growth there is no development.

That is why democratic resolution of conflict as opposed to violent suppression of terrorists is the way to go. Part of democracy is the right to fight for the right and we have checks and balances, balance of power, the legislature, executive and judiciary. There is a way to express oneself which is by election, protest and litigation. When we address those matters in democracy, it makes a country investment attractive. I want to say that the governor Dickson’s commitment in seeking regional, American and European investment is a good thing. That investment must be about partnership.

Is the struggle of Niger Delta region for self determination justified?

Absolutely. The beauty of the dream of Isaac Boro is the dream for the Niger Delta to be recognised as a region unto itself, show kingship to the Federal Government and also independence as a state. Those are logical progressions of democratic process.

But what we have found worthy in America, Nigeria and South Africa, is that if you remove the outer layer of skin exploitation and you don’t deal with exploitation down to the bone marrow, you have missed the point. You can be free of skin, colour humiliation as in skin level apartheid but there is also trade and economic apartheid, education apartheid, engineering apartheid and banking and shipping apartheid.

God has given you everything you could ask for, industrious people and fertile soil. This is the kind of God endowment to you. You must give God something in return, peace and justice. These resources must be shared fairly among God’s people. The people must appreciate that this is the gift from God and this gift must be treated as precious and all the people must benefit from it.

There is so much greed, jealousy, violence and that is where man has failed. So fighting for a system of economic justice is a struggle of your time. When your governor talked about environmental degradation, he is right on the need to build roads and bridges. You cannot rebuild without infrastructure so this emphasis on infrastructure is not for housing development alone, your port must be strong. The roads and bridges are the great key of European reconstruction after the World War II.

Terrorism has assumed a global dimension and it is present in Nigeria, could it be the reason why the USA set up a drone port in Niger Republic?

Terrorism is a global phenomenon. People are killing innocent people to get attention. The Boston bombers said they were upset about the war in America and Afghanistan and bombed America in a bid to get attention. But when one has democracy, one can resolve conflict through aggressive non-violent means. You can create leadership, you can change leadership, you can have all the transfers of power or you can have the right to protest, right to a free press, and these are the real fruits of democracy.

There is no need to kill someone to be heard. You can be heard just by sitting down and talking and that is the real beauty of democracy. When democracy is suppressed, people can’t act and can’t talk, they can’t change things then they speak with the voice of the unheard. That is why in this region, over 3000 barrels of oil, are lost in the pollution of rivers. Obviously that must stop, you cannot develop when people are afraid to invest and participate. Democracy has real key values. One key virtue of democracy is the right to participate, the right to protest for the right.

What about the drone port?

That is a decision each country has to make. Each country will need to make decision about military relationship. My recommendation is that we are very sensitive when drones kill many innocent people in what is called collateral damage. We must spend more time on conflict resolution. You cannot put out the plan to suppress people that way. We must resolve conflicts.

You said it would be in the best interest of big economies like the US for Nigeria to remain together. How can big economies help Nigeria to remain as a united country?

Nigerians must be determined on a united Nigeria to achieve joy, that is a Nigerian decision. States have their place and tribes have their solutions. But the ultimate protection is one Nigeria. One Nigeria must be achieved for us to achieve power. Nigeria must not disintegrate. It must remain strong. Reports about violence and terrorism and oil and the criminality around there must result in negotiation but it must not result in separation. Within America, the South sometime sought to secede but Lincoln did not allow it. He fought to protect the union. You see that Isaac Boro was the one being a freedom fighter for the region again he fought to save the union because there is strength in the union. Fighting for fair formula is a just fight. So, when the states fight for their fair share, it is a fair democratic fight.

How would you appraise steps taken so far by President Goodluck Jonathan to address terrorism?

The amnesty must work and for it to work the conditions of amnesty must be fully honoured. There is a need for economic restitution. The jobs, development and training must be there. Within our own country when there was civil unrest and a state of emergency, l hope that you will soon get back to the bargaining table away from the battlefield because in the end, is the bargaining table not the battlefield that wins the victory.

You cannot battle forever; you can bargain and resolve conflicts. It is the bargaining table that wins victories. So, l believe so strongly in non-violence. Non-violence does not mean fear, it means courage. It means figuring it out, your ability to figure it out and then to fight it out. It is better you figure it out than fighting it out; better figuring it out than shooting it out.

Source: Punch Newspaper

Chief Imam Remanded In Prison For Damaging Archbishop's Fence

Chief Imam of Lagbasa Central Mosque in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, Alhaji Akibu Adam, is still languishing in Kirikiri Prisons, Lagos, seven days after he was arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate Court, Lagos for damaging the fence of an estate belonging to Archbishop Felix Job.

The Chief Imam is been detained following his inability to meet his bail conditions.

Adam, who was arraigned alongside four others, Alhaji Oseni Falana, Chief Shamsudeen Elegbeleye and Tunde Ashafa, was alleged to have conspired with others to destroy the fence of a 10-acre land located at Langbasa Estate, in Eti-Osa council.

Police Prosecutor, Michael Okon, alleged in the three-count charge leveled against the defendants, that the destroyed fence, valued at N3 million, belonged to Archbishop Job.

Part of the charge reads: “That you, Akibu Adam, Oseni Falana, Shamsudeen Elegbeleye, Tunde Ashafa and others at large, sometimes in 2012 at Alaba Estate Langbasa town, Eti-Osa Local Government Area, Lagos, did maliciously damage the fence of entire 10 acres of land valued at N3 million, property of Archbishop Job.”

The alleged offence committed by the defendants is punishable under sections 52, 337 and 409 of the criminal law of Lagos State, 2011.

When the charge was read to them, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bail in the sum of N5 million by Magistrate H. O. Omisore.

The matter has been adjourned till July 2.

Anglican Church Blames Nigeria’s Woes on Recycled Politicians

Anglican church has blamed much of the country’s woes on old and recycled politicians, noting that this has foisted on the youths the ignoble role of thuggery, armed robbery, kidnapping, suicide bombing and other vices.

Secretary, Nigerian House of Anglican Bishops, Rt. Rev. David Onuoha, who made the observation in a message to Nigerian children, also urged the youths to demand as of right and take up their rightful place in the nation’s scheme of things.

Bishop Onuoha, who doubles as the Anglican Bishop of Okigwe South Diocese,  wondered why some politicians were endlessly being recycled in power, and asked that they exited public office honourably.

He said: “These old hands have been recycled for too long. They have nothing new to offer Nigeria and Nigerian youths. We must realize that the problem of youth unemployment is a time bomb that is waiting to explode.” he said.

He implored youths in the country to take their destinies in their hands, if they were to have a bright future, saying “while we are opposed to any violent action along this line, it is certain that through peaceful resistance and sponsoring of bills in the legislature, Nigerian youths can preserve a future for themselves.”

He said the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, ought to lead the crusade aimed at dissuading youths from engaging in cultism and all manner of violence.

Onuoha said:  “If the recent information from the Federal Bureau of Statistics, which shows that youths constitute 70 percent of the Nigerian population is anything to go by, it then shows that this country belongs more to the youths.”

He said creating youth wings in political party arrangement with the sole purpose of using them for hatchet jobs was condemnable.

“Given the salutary roles played by Nigerian students in the struggle for independence and the years following, one wonders what the present NANS is doing to preserve a future for Nigerian youths,” Onuoha grieved.

He said it was time for NANS to rise and halt further plundering of the country through greed and selfishness.

Bishop Onuoha also equally concern that many were simply watching quietly as the country was systematically being impoverished, and “our commonwealth appropriated by just a privileged few.”

Pastor Ashimolowo Sets To Storm Abuja For Prayer & Prophetic Fire Service

The Nigerian wave-making  pastor who is based in the United Kingdom,Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo is set to storm Abuja for a three-day prophetic service.
The programme,tagged  Prayer & Prophetic Fire.will begin on Tuesday,the 4th of June,2013 and  will end on Thursday,the 6th of June,2013.Time of the services is 6pm daily.
The venue is Kingsway International Christian Centre ,opposite Sky Memorial,wuse II,Abuja.
The servant of God will be ministering live the the service.
KICC  just established its branch in Abuja with Pastor Dipo as the helmsman

Patience Ubeng Launches Great Impact Foundation, As Pastor Kingsley Tasks Members

GIFT LOGO

A new charity-based Non-Governmental Organization(NGO), Great Impact Foundation Team (GIFT) was yesterday launched in Abuja at Serob Legacy Hotel, Area 1, Garki, Abuja.

The Foundation was founded out of the humanitarian passion of two young Nigerian youths: Ms Patience Ubeng and Mr. Ibimiluyi Oluwatosin. The vision of the newly-founded NGO is to cater to the needs of the less-privileged, most of whom are children and women, in the remote regions of Nigeria.

Speaking at the inaugural meeting which attracted huge number of Nigerians from all walks of life, Mr. Oluwayinka Oladele, a renowned consultant, charged members of the new foundation to always be dedicated to the Foundation which affords them the opportunity to reach out to the needy in the remotest terrains of the country, adding that government alone cannot do everything.

In her inaugural address at the meeting, the Foundation founder, Ms Patience Ubeng, who said the idea of establishing the Foundation was borne out of her humanitarian passion to touch lives, said it all started on the 28^th March, 2013, after watching a broadcast which was aired on Africa Independence Television (AIT).

Her words: “I was so touched to see helpless young children hawking on the streets of this country, one of them was asked why he was not in school, and the young boy said, and I quote “I hate to hawk while my mates are in school, my blind mother and I have no one to help us, but one day I’ll become a lawyer, and I will change my country”. These words re-echoed in my ears again and again, my shirt was wet with tears, then I asked myself, “WHAT HAVE I DONE FOR MY GENERATION?” Almost immediately something struck me, I called a friend of mine, now my partner in charity, and told him about the big dream I had, at first, he waved it off, thinking it was one of those mood swings people have during the Lenten season.When I insisted that it wasn’t, he took me seriously, and brought even better ideas which gave birth to Great Impact Foundation, and today we are gathered here for its inauguration''.

Ubeng who said the constant constraint of most people to domestic and official affairs, had made them to often neglect the welfare of the needy-who are not related to them either by marriage or by birth.

Patience Ubeng Flanked by Other Members of the Foundation

“Sometimes,we are often constrained to our own domestic and official affairs; we think only of our future, our family and our friends.We neglect the needs of those who are not related to us by way of marriage or blood.We tend to forget that we are blessed so that we can be a blessing to others. Last month we took a walk to a certain community somewhere in Bwari Area Council here in Abuja, there we saw pupils of a primary school who went to school on bare feet, some wore what could best be described as rags, and the others either held their torn note books in their hands or carried it in a nylon bag, as a result of this,we have an outreach programmes in mind that will help to change the story of those children,who happen to be the future leaders of our great country,Nigeria''.

On what the Foundation has achieved so far in the last three months, the Foundation Director said they had travelled to certain communities in Bwari Area Council in Abuja, where they saw pupils of primary schools who went to school on bare feet; some were putting in what could be best described as tatters as uniforms; while many were seen holding in their hands torn notebooks.

She highlighted the Foundations achievements in the last 3 months to include visits to Igu Community in Bwari Area council, Kabusa Community in Dakwo District and Pandagi Community in Abaji Area Council.

Speaking on both the short and long-term goals of the Foundation Ubeng said: “Before the end of July, 2013, we hope to visit one or two motherless babies’ homes and impact their lives with undiluted support.

“Also by September, when schools must have resumed for the new session, we intend to provide at least a thousand pupils in various communities with basic school needs-school bags, school sandals and stationery. These we can only achieve through your help”.

While speaking on the Foundation mission, the dark-skinned lady emphasized “our mission is to the less-privileged children and widows in the remote regions of our country and beyond. We hope to achieve this through various programmes and events in the future. These programmes will include scholarships and adopt-a-pupil scheme for children; skill acquisition and apprenticeship for the youth, and small and medium scale ventures for the widows.

While thanking the members for making out time out of their busy schedules to be at the inaugural meeting, Ubeng ended her speech with a quote from John Wesley which says “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the time you can, to all the people you can, and as long as you ever can”.

Patience Ubeng With Other Members of the Foundation

Also present at the meeting was the founder, Mount of Redemption Church, Pastor Kingsley Samuel, who tasked every member of the Foundation to always strive to touch lives as this is commanded in the Bible.

As at present, the Foundation boasts of over 2071 fans on Facebook as well as huge number of members all over the country.

Despite this, the Foundation is calling on all well-meaning Nigerians, who want to put smiles on the faces of the numerous less-privileged and the needy in the society, to join them.

The Foundation which is not religion-based accepts members from all religions and is pleading for sponsorships and donations in order to be able to carry out successfully its mandate.