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2023 General Elections: EFCC pledges support for INEC to curb vote buying

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EFCC Chairman Abdurasheed Bawa
Chairman of EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa

 

2023 General Elections: EFCC pledges support for INEC to curb vote buying

 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it will continue to partner with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address the problem of vote buying, in the forthcoming general elections.

The Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa said this in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Thursday, shortly, after defending the commission’s 2023 budget before the Senate Committee on Anti Corruption.

“We will continue to do what we have to do, we are trying to ensure that illegitimate funds are not finding their way into our electoral processes,” he said.

Bawa said that the commission would partner with INEC to arrest and prosecute persons involved in vote buying.

The commission’s chairman said that cases of those arrested for vote buying in previous elections were ongoing in court.

Bawa also thanked the National Assembly for supporting the commission, via landmark legislations designed to further assist it to deliver on its mandate.

“I want to use this opportunity to thank the National Assembly for their support as EFCC Chairman, particularly the committee on anti corruption.

“They have been with us 100 per cent. You remember recently they have worked with us to pass landmark Acts and legislations and the President has assented to it .

“So, we are working with them towards ensuring that this country is free of economic and financial crimes,” he said.

The EFCC chairman lauded the redesigning of naira notes by the Central Bank of Nigeria,(CBN), adding it was a welcome development.

“We welcome the policy; it is a good thing that the country is designing its currency, because how can you have an effective monetary policy when you don’t have control over 85 per cent of your currencies.

“Out there, people are holding it, people are using it to speculate on foreign currencies, and so coming out with this policy ,the government is trying to contend with it.”

According to him, with the new policy, the commission will be able to monitor people holding currencies legitimately and illegitimately.

“I am sure that those people that are holding back this money whether legitimately or illegitimately, we will be able to monitor and the right cause of the law will take its course,” he added.

On fight against cybercrimes, Bawa urged youths to support the commission to rid the nation of cybercrimes and other criminal activities associated with cyberspace.

According to him, their activities are tarnishing the image of the country in the global arena.

Bawa revealed that as of Oct. 22, the commission succeeded in securing 2,847 convictions of cybercrime perpetrators.

“These are Nigerians from the youthful constituency, they should join me in fighting the scourge of Cybercrime.

“It is part of our mandate to fight cybercrime, to fight advance fee fraud,and we are working in conformity with the law.

“I am pleading with them not to stop doing such things at this time of transition of the country in terms of elections, in terms of government efforts to see that the economy is back on track,” Bawa added.

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General News

Clergy Urged To Put Members’ Welfare Above All Else

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Anglican Church logo

At a solemn ordination service in Abuja, senior church leaders have called on pastors to make the well-being of their congregations a top priority, following the example of Jesus Christ.

Speaking during the priesthood ordination and installation of a Sub Dean at the Cathedral Church of Advent, Life Camp, Abuja, the retired Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Okene, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Ajulo, described pastors as shepherds charged with the care of their flock. He urged them to shun worldly distractions and focus on meeting the spiritual and material needs of their members.

Bishop Ajulo also encouraged the newly ordained priests to remain faithful to their calling by teaching God’s word without compromise.

In his charge, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, urged the new clergy to preach the undiluted gospel and foster religious harmony wherever they serve. He expressed confidence that their new roles would help promote peace and unity in society.

The service also featured prayers for national leaders and divine intervention in addressing the current global economic challenges.

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1,000 Prayer Warriors Storm Ilorin for Tinubu, Nation’s Deliverance

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

In a dramatic show of faith and patriotism, over 1,000 fiery prayer warriors from across Nigeria will descend on Ilorin, Kwara State, this Saturday, lifting their voices in intense intercession for President Bola Tinubu’s success and Nigeria’s survival in the face of biting economic woes and mounting insecurity.

The spiritual siege, themed “Walking in Domini”, is the maiden convention of the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), with its Kwara State Chairman, Evangelist Thomas Adeboye, vowing that “heaven will hear and respond to Nigeria’s cry.”

Aside from marathon prayers, the gathering will roll out free medical outreach to locals across Kwara’s LGAs, a gesture aimed at touching both body and soul.

Adeboye, lamenting Nigeria’s “troubling economic and security realities”, called for a nationwide prayer uprising, insisting that Tinubu has shown the will to revive the nation but needs massive divine backing to succeed.

“Banditry, a collapsing economy, and political tension demand we seek God’s face like never before,” he declared. “We will storm heaven for wisdom for the President and governors to steer Nigeria to safety.”

The convention will also feature awards to distinguished personalities, soul-lifting worship, fiery sermons, and unity-driven lectures—all capped with thunderous prayers for Nigeria’s redemption.

Adeboye urged the President to ensure every policy has “a human face,” stressing that Nigerians must not only endure but also enjoy the fruits of governance.

With the OAIC promising to reaffirm believers’ authority in Christ and rally spiritual boldness in the face of national challenges, Ilorin is set to become the epicentre of a powerful spiritual warfare for Nigeria’s destiny.

 

 

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Nigerian Anglicans Condemn Lesbian Archbishop of Wales, Deepening Global Anglican Rift

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…Church leaders accuse Welsh counterparts of “spiritual decadence” and “abandonment of faith”

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has issued a forceful condemnation of the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann, an openly lesbian cleric, as the Archbishop of Wales. The move is the latest in a series of developments that have deepened divisions within the global Anglican Communion over sexuality and doctrine.

In a statement from Primate The Most Rev’d Henry Ndukuba, the church denounced the election as a “serious departure from biblical teaching” and a sign of “spiritual decadence” and “an outright abandonment of the faith once delivered to the saints.”

Archbishop Ndukuba warned that Bishop Vann’s elevation compromises the Anglican Church’s global mission and could obstruct evangelism. He compared the situation to the controversial tenure of Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori, former Presiding Bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church, who also faced intense criticism from conservative Anglicans for her progressive views.

The Primate accused Bishop Vann of being complicit in the “ongoing crisis” around same-sex issues, stating that the election is a “clear revelation that many who claim to be members of the body of Christ cannot endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).

The Church of Nigeria called on Anglicans worldwide to reject “rebels” and “apostates” and to instead support conservative bodies like the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON).

“The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) condemns, unequivocally rejects, and will not recognize the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann as Archbishop of Wales,” Ndukuba declared. He concluded with a solemn warning that without repentance, the Church in Wales risks losing “complete relevance” and its leaders will face judgment.

 

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