What Man of God is Pastor Chris Oyakhilome?

If our marriage breaks down, we must not fool ourselves and others by insisting we are standing in the righteousness of God Christian pastors have become demigods. Their word is law; no questions asked. As Jesus said, they teach as doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:9). They come up with all kinds of self-serving principles that turn scripture on its head; just in order to justify themselves before men and control their lives. I want to discuss Pastor Chris Oyakhilome. Man of God Pastor Chris is going through a rough patch at the moment. His wife, Pastor Anita, has filed for divorce, accusing him of having inappropriate relationships with female church members, among other things. Instead of waiting for his day in court, Pastor Chris has resorted to bogus interpretations of the scriptures; even proclaiming he is a “man of God” and therefore above sin. Pastor Chris declared to his congregation through a live telecast: “There are preachers and there are men of God. I am not a preacher; I am a man of God, and I go in the way I’m asked to go. You have to understand something about a man of God. A man of God is not just someone who worships God or preaches God. A man of God is handpicked by God, set on course by God. If you study the scriptures, you will not find one man of God go against God, sinning against God.” What nonsense! Who made Pastor Chris a man of God? From which school of theology did he get his sinless distinction? John says: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10). David was a “man of God.” (2 Chronicles 8:14). Yet he committed adultery with Bathsheba. Balaam was a “man of God;” yet he became apostate. The “man of God” who came from Judah was killed by a lion because he sinned against God. (1 Kings 13:23-26). But listen to what Pastor Chris says about himself: “We are not working in sin and living in sin and hoping that we can mix sin and righteousness together. We are the manifestation of his righteousness.” This is standing logic on its head. If our marriage breaks down, we must not fool ourselves and others by insisting like Pastor Chris that we are standing in the righteousness of God. There is no righteousness in divorce. False Christ In the bid to justify himself, Pastor Chris is fabricating similarities between Jesus Christ and himself. He said: “Jesus Christ was accused by many – a lot of frivolous charges. There will always be those who would like for it to be true. But you know, in spite of the accusations against Jesus, it didn’t change who he was.” However, Pastor Chris is not Jesus. Many accusations were indeed leveled against Jesus, but they were not made by his wife and they did not include inappropriate relationships with the opposite sex. In short, Pastor Chris might be whoever he likes, but he is certainly not Jesus. Jesus says: “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.” (John 5:31). Yes, there are “men of God” in the Old Testament. However, Jesus created no such distinction in the New Testament; we are all “children of God.” Jesus says: “Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3). Indeed, Jesus was implacably opposed to men like Pastor Chris, who sit on pedestals and claim to be holier-than-thou. He says: “Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called ‘Doctor’ and ‘Reverend’. Don’t let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates.” (Matthew 23:5-8). Male chauvinism While Oyakhilome was busy elevating himself, he was also snidely putting down his wife. He said: “If you are married to a man of God, it doesn’t make you automatically mature. You can make mistakes; you can do something that is wrong. But some people expect the wife of a minister to definitely be at the level of that minister.” This is an arrogant statement. What makes Oyakhilome more spiritually mature than his wife? By what measure and by what criteria did he come to ascribe this superiority to himself? Anita Oyakhilome was also a minister. She was a so-called pastor of a London branch of Christ Embassy. So why should Pastor Chris presume himself more “minister” than her. If we are to accept Pastor Chris’ bogus self-appellation as a “man of God;” what disqualifies Anita from also being called a “woman of God?” Are women inferior to men? Oyakhilome said: “If a man of God is married, it doesn’t automatically mean that the wife of a man of God is therefore a woman of God. That’s not the way it is in the Bible. That’s why you don’t really find the wives of men of God mentioned in the Bible…. You never find their names.” What poppycock! When one of the female pastors in his audience asked why the names of wives of the men of God were not mentioned in the bible; Oyakhilome’s response was a classic. He exclaimed: “Why? You ask God when you find him. Ask God when you find him!” But it was not God who fabricated this theory that the wife of a man of God cannot also be a woman of God simply because wives’ names are not mentioned in the bible. It was Chris Oyakhilome. Therefore, it is up to Chris Oyakhilome to provide us with another bogus explanation. Pastor Chris ended his diatribe by saying: “When it comes to Reverend Anita, what I will say to you is ‘pray for her.’” There is no doubt that, more than anybody else; it is Pastor Chris himself that is greatly in need of prayer. By Femi Aribisala

Festering trouble in Anambra over Anglican Church demolition

It has been claims and counter claims over the rightful owner of the parcel of land housing the Oyolu Eze Primary School and Ebenezer Anglican Church in Nkwelle Ezunaka, Oyi local government area of Anambra State. Residents of the area woke up last month to discover that the church built inside the school had been demolished by unknown persons. While officials of the church pointed accusing fingers at the President General of Nkwelle Ezunaka Union, Dr. Chris Eluomunoh, of being the mastermind of the demolition, Eluemunoh, who is also the Anambra State President of Ohaneze Ndigbo and a delegate to the recently concluded National Conference, denied the allegation, saying it is unfortunate that people who claim to be men of God are telling lies just to claim what does not belong to them. The controversial school, according to Eluemunoh, was built in 1978 by the community and handed over to Anambra State government to manage, adding that in 1990, following the over- flowing of the population of the 33 suburb of Onitsha, the church applied to the headmaster of Oyolu Eze Primary School to be allowed the use one of the classrooms in the school for Sunday worship since they were yet to build a branch in the area. Sunday Vanguard received documents pertaining to the land and the correspondences between the two groups. First was the application dated March 7, 1990, signed by Venerable E.O. Okonkwo, and in which the church applied to the headmaster of the school to be allowed to use the school for worship. The application read: “We have a worshipping congregation at 3-3 which has been managing a small private building, but as the number of worshippers increased, the small house does not accommodate us. On receipt of the application, the headmaster, Mr. B.O. Okafo, in a reply, dated 21st March, 1990, said: “Approval is hereby given to your request. You are to use the eastern end of the school block for your worship temporarily. “You will be held responsible for any damage done to any of the school property by your congregation. Besides, you will pay a token rent of N20 only per month with effect from April 1, 1990.” However, on February 3, 2003, 13 years after the granting of the approval, the church reached an agreement with Oze community to cede part of school to it. The agreement read: “We, the Oze community, under the leadership of Oze Progressive Union unanimously agree to give to St. Barnabas Church Parish, land, which we donated to government, to put up an Anglican Church building. This will enable both the indigenes and non- indigenes residing within Oyou Eze area to have a benefitting place of worship”. Further to the application, counsel to the Anglican Church, Mr. Nnamdi Ibegbu, SAN, on June 13, 2005, wrote the State Primary Education Board, Awka informing the officer in charge that following a request by the Bishop on the Niger Diocese, Rt. Rev Ken Okeke, the state governor had approved the request and urged the church to prepare a survey plan for processing in order to be granted Certificate of Occupancy, C of O. But, in another letter dated August 22, 2005, Mrs. C.N. Umeokeke, for the Commissioner for Education, rejected the request. In the letter, reference number MOE/SCHD/2018/VOL.1/11A, and addressed to the officer in charge of Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board, the ministry said: “I am directed to request you to inform the Diocese on the Niger that the ministry cannot grant her request for allocation of part of Oyolu Eze Primary School land. “This is because the portion of the school land afore said has been earmarked for the building of additional classroom blocks to ease off the accommodation problem facing the school. “The ministry sincerely regrets her inability to oblige the Diocese on the Niger.” Chairman of the Parent Teacher Association, PTA, of the school, Mr. James Okete, on May 18, 2005, in another letter addressed to the Education Secretary of Oyi local government, Nteje, threatened that the PTA would pull down the church signboard and asked the church to vacate the school’s library. It also gave the church a quit notice on the grounds that they may one day start claiming ownership of the school and requested the local government to send two security personnel to the school to protect it in view of the development. According to Eluomunoh, notwithstanding the rejection of the request, authorities of the Anglican Church went ahead to mount a giant billboard on the school with the name Ebenezer Anglican Church which, he said, gave the impression that the school belonged to the curch. According to him, the church had converted the school library to a store, thus making it impossible for the pupils to make use of the school library. He vowed that the ‘Anglican Church must leave the school premises either in peace or in war’ because on no account would the community allow the church to claim the school it built in 1978 and handed over to the state government to manage, regretting that members of the church have been dishing out lies, apparently to win people’s sympathy. He said: “There was no church in that school. The Anglican Church has land it acquired along the College of Education, Nsugbe, but instead of developing it, they went into government school to claim ownership. “It is disheartening that those who call themselves pastors should be telling lies because they want to claim what does not belong to them. They are claiming that government gave them the property to manage, but that is not true as government had earlier written them that it would not cede part of the school to anybody. “Besides, the school did not qualify as a mission school because all schools returned to the churches were built before the civil war and no church built any primary school on any government premises since the end of the civil war.” He urged government to implement the report of the panel that looked into the matter, adding that what the church was doing was mere grandstanding which could not lead them anywhere. When members of the church discovered, to their amazement, that the church building, which they had spent so much money to erect, was reduced to rubbles, they took to the streets. Apart from blaming the people of Nkwelle Ezunaka for the demolition; they accused the state government of encouraging the community to perpetrate what they described as an evil act. Among their requests were that those who pulled down the church must rebuild it and that Governor Willie Obiano should intervene in the matter and arrest the perpetrators of the act. Speaking on behalf of the Diocese on the Niger, Rev Ik Egbeonu said the state government’s silence on the matter signified a kind of conspiracy between government and those who perpetrated the act. He claimed that the school compound, housing the demolished church building, was among the schools handed over to the church by the former governor of the state, Mr. Peter Obi, adding that the statement credited to the President General of the community. Eluemuno, that the church took over the school by force was not true. He said: “We are calling on the state government to come and rebuild our church. We are also calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene in this matter. If this is not done, the 2015 presidential election will surely be affected because Anglicans form almost half of the voters in the country. This is a church project that has gulped over N30 million and the money was contributed by widows, orphans and the less privileged only for some people to pull it down from top to the foundation level”. Chancellor of the Diocese on the Niger, Mr. Nnamdi Ibegbu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, condemned the demolition and threatened that the Diocese would seek legal action against those who did it. According to him, the issue of the rightful owners of the premises that housed the demolished church building will be determined by a competent court of jurisdiction, even as he appealed to the Anglican faithful in the area to remain calm. However, Eluemuno denied that the community had a hand in the demolition of the church building, explaining that the matter was already being handled by law enforcement agents. Arguing that nobody gave the school to the Anglican Church in the first place and that the church did not get any certificate of occupancy on the land, he urged the Anglican Church to discontinue construction work going on at Oze village or be prepared for a showdown with the community. The President General summoned a general meeting of the community during which they alleged that despite an order of the state government that status quo be maintained pending the completion of investigation by the panel set up by the state government, the Anglican Church continued to build on the disputed school premises. “Even as the panel set up by government was sitting, the Church was building another structure, day and night, in the premises and this is what we cannot condone,” he said.. Eluemumo also recalled that it was Chief G.U. Okeke, Chairman of GUO Group of Companies, who is a member of the church that came to Nkwelle Ezunaka and pleaded that Anglican Church be allowed to worship there and promised that the church would never contest ownership and wondered what the church leaders should be preaching to the ordinary people. Shortly after the demolition, Governor Obiano, in company of his deputy, Dr. Nkem Okeke, who is an Anglican, visited the demolished church building. The governor later set up a panel of inquiry headed by the deputy governor to ascertain the remote and immediate causes of the dispute between the community and the church. But the Anglican Church vowed never to cooperate with members of the panel of inquiry, accusing the deputy governor of not doing much to prevail on his boss, Obiano, to treat the Anglican Church equally with the Catholic Church. For two consecutive days, members of the church continued with the demonstration and urged security operatives not to attempt to stop them as they were prepared to spill their blood on the disputed land. As the protest continued, the Anambra State government issued a statement, urging the Anglican Church to give peace a chance. Culled from Vanguard Newspaper

TB Joshua will not die but will suffer – Congolese Prophet

Cogolese Jean-Claude Kibondzi is one of the thousands of worshippers who crave to see TB Joshua. He said that he is based in Sweden and that he has not been able to meet TB Joshua since he started coming to Nigeria in 2012. He calls himself a prophet and predicts that more buildings at the Synagogue may collapse. You said God revealed things to you. What were they? T.B Joshua is a messiah. He is not a real human being. He is a special creator from God and it is only God that knows why he chose to use that body. There is likely no man of God who is spiritually endowed. It is only those who are filled with the spirit of God that can understand him and that is why demons tremble when they come close to him. Again, I want to say T.B Joshua is the fulfillment of the promise of God in Mathew 21 verse 42 to 44. Jean-Claude You said God revealed the building collapse to you. Which other revelation has God shown you that has come to pass? God has shown me many Prophecies like the fall of the Catholic church and the fall of the Pope. I sent these prophecies via mail to SCOAN. I even call the church but nothing tangible has come out of it. Why did you send it to SCOAN and not the catholic church? Well, I sent it to SCOAN because I had contact with them and I told some Pastors in Sweden but they did not believe me. I told them about the missing Malaysian airplane but they never listened to me. My Challenge in Sweden is racism. Have you been able to speak with TB Joshua since Saturday? No, his security officials were very arrogant. They go as far as pushing and treating you like a dog. They did not want me to talk. I was detained on Sunday around 8am till 9:45pm in a room with no water or food. My family did not know where I was. At 9:45pm, they told me to come back the next day that I will see the man of God. The next day, I was at Gate 5 as agreed. They began to push me here and there and when they saw that some people were attracted to the scene, they carried me into the same room and locked me there. It was when I was released that my wife told me it was someone who saw us when we were walking into the church premises that told her and she began shouting and this led to my release. Why do you think God sent you instead of somebody close to TB Joshua? God has sent me to America to empower a man of God. I also got a revelation about President Obama and other pastors in Sweden prayed for him for two weeks. Have you met TB Joshua in spirit? I met him in the spirit and in the throne of God. How? It takes a spiritual person to understand who this man is. For me, I have to know you in the spirit to confirm whether or not you are a man of God. If TB Joshua were a white man, I believe, we will be paying nothing less than $10,000 to go and visit him. But, here in Nigeria, people don’t believe him and I am giving them another five years and they will know better when this man’s mission will be accomplished. Are you are saying, he has a mission to be accomplished in five years time and will be taken away like Enorch? God will take him and everyone will see it. Then, the people will know. But, until then. Is that a fresh revelation? It is not like a fresh revelation, but, the consequence of the threatening of his life. He will not be killed but he will suffer. Are you saying all these to get the man’s attention, perhaps when the story is out, he will call you over? No, I am not. I spoke with one of the man’s wise men called, “Wise man Daniel and made him understand that he was a prophet of T.B Joshua while I am a prophet of the Almighty God. He apologized immediately because he knew I was not kidding. I told him I will put the power of God to test in his presence so as to know that I am not an ordinary man. God will always rescue TB Joshua from any trouble but I am more concerned of the lives of the people that may perish if no preventive measure is taken. I am not in government but a spiritual leader, and whether people like it or not, I will be going back to my country. I have told God that, this would be my last time in Nigeria and I will not come back. And what if God sends you to people like Adeboye, Kumuyi among others? I don’t take a contact of someone I don’t know in the spirit. Many people call themselves men of God but in the real sense they are not. I can’t talk or authenticate someone who I have not met in the spirit. What will happen if you are not able to see him? This is my seventh visit to SCOAN and everything God has shown has happened. So, if I can’t get him this time, I will not come back. Culled from Vanguard Newspaper

Nigerian President visits Synagogue, S’Africans killed now 84

President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday morning paid a visit to the site of the collapsed six-storey building of the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Ikotun, Lagos. The President said the primary purpose of his visit was to condole with the founder of the church, Temitope Joshua and the families of the more than 80 people that lost their lives in the building that collapsed penultimate Friday. Jonathan, who said he would not comment on the possible cause of the building collapse, disclosed that the Federal Government had made an arrangement to have a meeting with governments at all levels on how to forestall such an accident. The President said, “I came to look at the site and express my personal condolence and that of the Federal Government to the church, to the founder of the church and especially to the bereaved families of the people that have died. And as we (have) read in the papers, a number of them are not Nigerians but from other countries, especially South Africa. I spoke with the President of South Africa on Thursday to express my personal condolence and that of the Federal Government. “The issue of the cause of the collapse is not what I can comment on since investigation is going on but we’ll work with people to make sure we don’t experience such collapse again, if it is something within the government’s capacity. “I spoke with the governor of Lagos (Babatunde Fashola) yesterday. We are going to have a meeting with all the governors and local government chairmen to see how government can offer assistance in terms of advisory issues to people who are building high-rise houses, so that if it is technical issues, we will be able to manage them. But primarily, my coming here is to express my condolence to Prophet Joshua, the Synagogue of All Nations and the bereaved families.” Meanwhile, Pretoria’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Lulu Mnguni, told the Agence-France Presse on Saturday that the number of South Africans that died in the collapse is now 84.

Pope in Albania urges Muslims to condemn extremism

Pope Francis called Sunday for Muslims and all religious leaders to condemn Islamic extremists who "pervert" religion to justify violence, as he visited Albania and held up the Balkan nation as a model for interfaith harmony for the rest of the world. "To kill in the name of God is a grave sacrilege. To discriminate in the name of God is inhuman," Francis told representatives of Albania's Muslim, Orthodox and Catholic communities during a half-day visit to Tirana in which he recalled the brutal persecution people of all faiths suffered under communism. Francis wept when he heard the testimony of one priest, the Rev. Ernest Troshani, 84, who for 28 years was imprisoned, tortured and sentenced to forced labor for refusing to speak out against the Catholic Church as his captors wanted. "Today I touched the martyrs," Francis said after embracing the man. Security was unusually tight for the pope's first trip to a majority Muslim country since the Islamic State group began its crackdown on Christians in Iraq and announced its aim to extend its self-styled caliphate to Rome. The trip was preceded by reports that militants who trained in Iraq and Syria had returned and might pose a threat. The Vatican insisted it had no reports of specific threats against the pope and that no special security measures were taken. But Francis' interactions with the crowds were much reduced compared to his previous foreign trips. His open-topped vehicle sped down Tirana's main boulevard, not stopping once for Francis to greet the faithful as is his norm. He only kissed a few babies at the very end of the route, and then left quickly after his Mass ended. Snipers dotted rooftops along the route, military helicopters flew overhead and uniformed Albanian police formed human chains to keep the crowds at bay behind barricades. Francis' own bodyguards stood guard on the back of his car or jogged alongside. In his opening speech, Francis told President Bujar Nishani, Albanian officials and the diplomatic corps that Albania's interreligious harmony was an "inspiring example" for the world, showing that Christian-Muslim coexistence wasn't only possible but beneficial for a country's development. "This is especially the case in these times in which authentic religious spirit is being perverted by extremist groups," he said. "Let no one consider themselves to be the 'armor' of God while planning and carrying out acts of violence and oppression!" Francis said in the wood-paneled reception room of Tirana's presidential palace. Muslims make up about 59 percent of Albania's population, with Catholics amounting to 10 percent and Orthodox Christians just under that, according to the country's official figures. Muslims and Christians govern together and interfaith families are common, thanks to the near-quarter century when religion was banned under communism. Addressing Muslim and other religious leaders at a Catholic university, Francis said religious intolerance was a "particularly insidious enemy" that was evident in many parts of the world today. "All believers must be particularly vigilant so that, in living out with conviction our religious and ethical code, we may always express the mystery we intend to honor," he said. "This means that all those forms which present a distorted use of religion must be firmly refuted as false since they are unworthy of God or humanity." Francis has said it was legitimate to use force to stop the Islamic extremists, but that the international community should be consulted on how to do so. Last month, the Vatican's office with relations with Muslims issued a strong statement condemning the Islamic State's atrocities and calling on religious leaders, particularly Muslims, to use their influence to stop them. The extremists' advance is of particular concern to the Vatican given the exodus of faithful from lands where Christian communities have existed for 2,000 years. The Albanian capital's main Boulevard Martyrs of the Nation was decorated for the visit with Albanian and Vatican flags - as well as giant portraits of 40 Catholic priests who were persecuted or executed under Stalinist dictator Enver Hoxha, who declared Albania the world's first atheist state in 1967. Hundreds of priests and imams were jailed and scores executed before the regime fell in 1990. One of those who was imprisoned was Troshani, the 84-year-old priest who said he nearly died from the torture inflicted on him by his jailers, who took him on Christmas Eve, 1963 and slated him for execution. He said he was only spared because Hoxha learned that he had forgiven his captors. "I didn't know that your people had suffered so much," Francis said after embracing Troshani and an 85-year-old nun who recounted how she had kept her faith alive, secretly baptizing children, once even in a roadside canal with her plastic shoe. Francis' decision to visit tiny, poor Albania before any major European capital was in keeping with his desire for the Catholic Church to go to the "periphery." Albania is seeking European Union membership and his visit comes just a few weeks before he delivers a major speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. Albania's president, Nishani, thanked Francis for making the country his first European destination, saying it was a historic event for all Albanians. "There is no intolerance, extremism among us but reciprocal respect inherited from generation to generation," he said. "From an atheist country, we have turned into a country of religious freedom." Albania's Interior Ministry promised "maximum" protection from 2,500 police forces and beefed-up patrols at border crossings. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, insisted that no special security measures were taken, and said Francis didn't stop to greet the crowd as usual because he didn't want to fall behind schedule. On previous foreign trips, including his last one in South Korea, Francis frequently has run behind schedule because he spends so much time greeting crowds. It didn't seem to matter to the Albanians who turned out, many of whom traveled from the north for what the prime minister said was a "rock star" visit that gave the world a different view of Albania. "Don't ask for names because we are all Albanians today," said Nikolla, who traveled about 80 kilometers south from Lezha to Tirana with a group of teenage friends for the event. "All love God the same. We are a mixed (religious) group and came together to see the pope." Culled from ABC News

Archbishop of Canterbury Admits having doubts in his belief of God

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has said he sometimes has doubts in his belief in God.
In an interview with BBC Bristol the leader of the Church of England said he doubted in “lots of different ways”.
He said: “There are moments, sure, when you think, ‘Is there a God?’ ‘Where is God?'”
The archbishop has recently completed a tour of the West Country and made his comments at an event called Standing Room Only at Bristol Cathedral.
When asked about doubt by presenter Lucy Tegg, he said: “It is a really good question. I love the Psalms, if you look at Psalm 88 that’s full of doubt.
“The other day I was praying over something as I was running, and I ended up saying to God ‘look this is all very well, but isn’t it about time you did something, if you’re there?’
“Which is probably not what the Archbishop of Canterbury should say.”
He went on to explain that it was acceptable to occasionally have doubt, and still be a Christian.
He added: “The extraordinary thing about being a Christian is that God is faithful even when we’re not.
“When we get into the wrong place he comes alongside us and says, ‘Right let’s go from here.'”
The archbishop made his comments about doubt in front of a crowd of about 1,000 people, not all of whom were churchgoers, and the event took place on 12 September.
During his tour of the West Country the archbishop spent time visiting schools, churches and local charities, and the tour finished on Sunday. It was the first time he has made an official visit to the region since becoming the leader of the Church of England last year.
A spokesman for Lambeth Palace said: “The remarks were made in the context of an event at Bristol Cathedral during which the archbishop spoke extensively about why he believes in God and how his faith in Jesus Christ has transformed his life.
“The comments in question were made in response to a specific question about whether he had ever struggled with doubts.”

Synagogue tragedy: 120 church members rescued

A total of 120 persons were rescued from the collapsed Synagogue Church of All Nations building in Ikotun, Lagos on Saturday evening. The building collapsed on Friday at about 1pm. A Lagos State Emergency Management Agency official said rescue operations at the site might last till Tuesday. According to the LASEMA official, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak to journalists, the effect of the collapse was massive. The official added that 21 of the 120 were on admission at the emergency centre of Igando General Hospital. The LASEMA official said some of the guests lodged in the guest house were having lunch on the ground floor at the time of the collapse. He explained that the strong pillars at ground level were responsible for the survival of those rescued. The official added that though the survivors had been trapped under the debris for over 24 hours, the pillars kept them uncrushed. The source further said the rescuers had to create holes in several parts of the debris to enable the survivors escape. Rescue teams included the National Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross. One of the survivors, a woman, after being pulled out from under the rubble, shouted, “Thank you Jesus, the God of T.B. Joshua is alive. I can go back to South Africa alive.” Another, a male carried on a stretcher, was seen clapping happily. Ambulances were seen moving in quick succession to and from the site. The vehicles made multiple trips with rescued victims on board. No less than 25 persons were rescued by the LASEMA and the National Emergency Management Agency, during the period our correspondents were on the church grounds on Saturday. The pastor of the church, Temitope Joshua, attributed the cause of the collapse to a mysterious helicopter flying repeatedly over the building. Showing a three-minute video clip to journalists in Lagos on Saturday, Joshua claimed the helicopter might have been responsible for the six-storey guest house collapse. He said, “I was at the mountain yesterday, where I went to pray. After praying, I slept off there. The place is about five minutes from here. I left around 9 am. They called me that there was a plane trying to land, I told them not to worry; that only a helicopter can land, but they said they were worried that it was coming too close to the building and that maybe it was taking pictures. “The same plane went around Ikotun. To our surprise, after moving round Ikotun, it came back on top of this building four times. There is a surveillance camera in here. We have a role to play; we cannot leave everything to God.” When asked about the time interval between the the helicopter flew over the building and when the building collapsed, a church representative kept quiet. Joshua said many who listened to his sermon last week Sunday must be wondering if he had seen a ‘revelation,’ because, he had encouraged his church members not to trust in their possession but the Giver of the possessions. The pastor also said some months ago, he reported that a member of the Islamic extremist sect, Boko Haram, was apprehended in his church, but the Lagos State Government did not believe it. He also said few months ago, the church sighted an aerial surveillance camera hovering above the church. He said members of the church knocked it down and brought it to him. Joshua also argued that the number of dead persons was less than 10. However, one of our correspondents who visited the Isolo General Hospital’s mortuary on Saturday counted, at least, 22 dead bodies from the church’s collapsed building. A mortuary official, who spoke with our correspondent under the condition of anonymity, claimed that more corpses were taken to General Hospital, Gbagada, and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. Culled from Punch Newspaper

Three helicopters hovered over Synagogue building before the collapse

A member of the media team of the Synagogue Church for All Nations in Ikotun, Lagos, Mr. Oladapo Bankole, has alleged that three helicopters hovered over the six-storey building, which collapsed on Friday 20 minutes before the building came down. Bankole, who spoke with newsmen a few hours after the building gave way, said three helicopters were seen at about 1pm hovering above the building, which was under construction. He added that one of the helicopters came close to the uncompleted building, noting that the building collapsed 20 minutes after the unidentified helicopters flew over the building. According to Bankole, the building involved is standing between the two canteens of the church. At the time of the incident, he said some construction workers were at work while some children were around the canteen. Bankole said as of 3pm, no fewer than 25 persons had been evacuated and taken to various hospitals including the General Hospitals at Isolo and Igando. He explained that since the church was not envisaging the accident, the identification of the helicopters was not noted. He however did not confirm the number of casualties in the building collapse. He said, “For now, we don’t have the casualty figure because the Lagos State Emergency Agency has taken over the site, but as of 3pm, we were able to evacuate about 25 persons through the emergency unit. There were three children involved; fortunately the three of them are alive, no foreigner was involved. “We are still trying to understand what the mission of the helicopters was; we weren’t expecting the accident, so we didn’t pay attention so as to the identify the helicopters.” Culled from Pnch Newspaper

Shun materialism Cleric warns Christians

A Roman Catholic priest, Rev. Fr Aloysius Udo, has urged Christians, especially youths, to shun desperation for wealth and other forms of materialism that can affect their relationship with God. Udo made the call in an interview in Abuja . He spoke on the sideline of the presentation and launch of his book titled “The Valuable Hands” authored to mark the 30th anniversary of his priesthood. The clergyman charged Christians to imbibe the virtues of discipline, self-control and perseverance in the service of God. “Christians often play down on discipline and hard work as some even think some of us are old school; but I tell you that God still rewards such virtues. “Discipline, hard work and dedication should be your focus as Christians and make sure you shun materialism and desperation for wealth. “Some youths do not want to suffer to achieve something; they want the easy way and that is not the attitude you should carry to serving God.” Udo said the greatest challenge he encountered was lack of support from his parishioners whenever he had any inspiring project. He, however, said that all the challenges had strengthened him to pull through in the last 30 years. “I am toughened in what I am doing to the glory of God, to the salvation of my soul and those I am serving. In all, the special grace of God has kept me.” The book reviewer, Rev. Fr Patrick Alumuku, the Director of Social Communications in the Archdiocese of Abuja, commended the creativity of the author. Alumuku described the book as a collection of personal essays, articles and usable blocks of wisdom from the world of arts, humanities, science and technology. “This book is a compact memento meant to add value as well as edify the little worth of many a reader.” Some of his parishioners at St. Augustine Catholic Church, Airport Road, Lugbe, described him as a priest endowed with the gift of wisdom. According to James Eshiokpekeh, Udo is a priest with wisdom, both morally and spiritually. “If you have a problem, he will give you the right word to address the situation. “I can testify that whenever I follow Fr’s advice, I will also have course to give glory to God for that situation.” Another parishioner, Nkem Okafor, described Udo as a priest of courage, tenacity and wisdom and prayed God to grant him more fruitful years in His vineyard. NAN reports that Udo was ordained a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Abuja on July 7, 1984 Culled from Vanguard Newspaper

Nigeria is at war – Catholic Church

The Catholic Church has said given the state of insecurity in the north-eastern part of the country, it is clear that Nigeria is at war. The church lamented that despite the situation, Nigerians are moving on as if nothing is happening. Executive Secretary of the Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria, Fr. Evaristus Bassey, told journalists in Calabar, Cross River State, on Thursday that it was sad that people were more interested in elections in 2015 than the growing state of insecurity in the country. He said the foundation is the humanitarian and human development wing of the Catholic Church in Nigeria. Bassey said, “We need to change our lifestyle to reflect the times. We need to know that Nigeria is in a war situation. We need to lend a helping hand to the people out there. “We can’t go around eating and drinking when people don’t even have a place to sleep. Even our girls have not been brought back. We are gradually forgetting about them. In the midst of this people, (we) are still talking about things like campaigns. It is tragic. “Thousands of people have been displaced. People are living in the hills. People have no food to eat and they are living in fear of their lives. Churches have ceased to be places of worship but places of refuge for displaced people. “The church in the North-East is under serious pressure and they need our help. We need to spare for our brothers out there who are suffering; not just of the Catholic faith but anyone out there in pains. “The tragedy is that the rest of the country is moving on as if nothing catastrophic is happening. Politicians are gathering, multi-million naira parties are being thrown, and everyone is carrying on with business as usual. “Is it that we have heard so much about Boko Haram that these happenings are no longer news but have become normal daily narratives? But imagine being a refugee in your own country! Imagine running for hours for safety! Imagine not being certain if you would eat for days! Imagine having to sleep in the hills for days and weeks! “This is not a time to apportion blame. But the fight against Boko Haram is not a wrestling match; it is a competition of fire power. Thank God our military has woken up to the reality that this is something that needs confronting with all military arsenals. “As Boko Haram is tackled in one area, they open up in other areas. The military needs a broad-based strategy to confront them. The military have realised it is serious and I think they are doing well. The President should bring in international community to carry out credible investigation to get to the root of the matter.” He said they were raising funds for the people who were affected and if any wants to help they could contribute through the following account numbers. Culled from Punch Newspaper

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10 things you didnt know about Pastor Chris Wife,Anita Oyakhilome

 

The recent divorce saga between founder of Believers Love World, a.k.a. Christ Embassy, Rev. Chris Oyakhilome, and his wife, Rev. Anita Odegwa Oyakhilome, has been trending online. Below are some interesting things you will like to know about Anita Oyakhilome: 1. Anita is a pioneer member of the ministry: She was among those who started the ministry which used to be a campus fellowship, known as Believer’s Love World Fellowship, BLW (now Believers’ LoveWorld Inc.) at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma in Edo State. 2. She met her husband, Pst Chris, at the University: She reportedly became a born-again Christian at the BLW Campus Fellowship, where Chris was still a pastor in the late 1980s. 3. She got married to Pastor Chris Oyakilome in 1991: They got married 23 years ago in Lagos and their union is blessed with two daughters, Sharon and Charlyn. 4. Anita is a gifted writer: Besides the ministry’s daily devotional, Rhapsody of Realities, which is now in over 250 languages all over the world, Anita has written many Christian books with her husband like: Don’t Pack Your Bags Yet, Confession For living, a Handbook For Successful Living, Unending Springs of Joy, and many more. 5. Pastor Anita is a member of the Central Executive Council: The Central Executive Council is the governing body-of the ministry. She is also a registered trustee of BLW in the UK and most likely in Nigeria. 6. She is a half cast: Anita has dual citizenship, born of a Nigerian father, Mr. John U. Ebhodaghe, OFR, former MD/CEO of Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), and a Swiss mother. She is the first daughter in a family of five. 7. She has an impeccable dress sense: She does not joke with her appearance as she has severally been adjudged by many as one of the best dressed Nigerian women. 8. She was the Director of Christ Embassy International Office: Anita used to head the church in the United Kingdom and also oversees other churches there and beyond. 9. Anita only visits Nigeria twice in a year: Before the marital crisis, she was living apart from her husband in the UK with her children, over-seeing the church there. She only visits Nigeria during BLW’s annual PPCF which holds in the Lagos Mother church and December 7, her estranged husband’s birthday. 10. She is a graduate of English Language from Ambrose Alli University,formerly Edo State University, Ekpoma.