General News
SANWO-OLU EMPOWERS ARTISANS WITH MODERN WORKING TOOLS, AS LAGOS GRADUATES 2,000 IN UP-SKILL PROGRAMME
• 76-Year-Old Brick Maker among Beneficiaries
• Governor Donates Free Land in Badagry for Industrial Skill Hub
For Pa Fawole Johnson Alade, there is no age too old to learn. The 76-year-old concrete and block craftsman from Igbogbo-Baiyeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA) makes the list of graduands churned out by the Lagos State Government, on Tuesday, in its up-skill programme for tradesmen and artisans in informal sector.
No fewer than 2,000 artisans from all traditional divisions of Lagos had their skills modernised and upgraded in the eight-week intensive training organised by Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the graduation ceremony held at LTV Blue Roof in Agidingbi, empowered all the trainees with technological tools and equipment to facilitate their transition into modern practice in their respective vocations.
The event also commemorated the yearly Tradesmen and Artisans’ Day.
The trainees were nominated for the capacity building programme by Lagos State Council of Tradesmen and Artisans (LASCOTA), the umbrella body for all traders’ associations in the State.
Sanwo-Olu said the Government embarked on the up-skilling and trade enhancement programme for the artisans, given the contributions of the informal sector to the State’s economic growth.
The Governor said the training was to equip the participants with contemporary skillset and tools in order to make them in tune with changing dynamics in their chosen vocations.
He said: “Our administration places premium on participatory governance, just as we strongly believe Government and private sector must work together to transform the State’s economy. It is not in doubt that technology and innovation are the bedrock of economic development. The transition from the agricultural age to the Industrial Age to the Digital Age has been underlined by waves of innovation that emerge to disrupt an established order and replace it with a new way of doing things.
“As a forward-looking Government, we cannot afford to ignore the rapid pace of change in the 21st century. Lagos’ artisans cannot afford to be left behind. It is our abiding commitment to ensuring that our Micro, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (MSMEs) grow and flourish. This is why we are equipping our artisans with contemporary skills and incorporating technological innovation into their practice to stay in tune with emerging trends from around the world.”
To build a dynamic economy for the State, Sanwo-Olu said there was a need for optimisation of values provided by skilled workers, while also training the under-skilled segments of the workforce.
The Governor said his administration would continue to create enabling environment for artisans and tradesmen to thrive, promising continuous investment in programmes that would impact their lives and improve earnings from their crafts.
He said: “For the 2000 re-trained tradesmen and artisans who are graduating today, let me remind you that the strategic position of Lagos offers you limitless opportunities to achieve your dreams, as the State contributes a quarter of the national GDP, and is by extension the fifth largest economy in Africa. Your training has, therefore, been designed to provide you with the right mix of skills needed to service the rapidly growing industrial needs of our State.”
Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Mrs. Yetunde Ariobeke, said the up-skill programme was part of the empowerment opportunities initiated by the Sanwo-Olu administration for residents in informal sector in which 4,500 had benefited.
She said the training was packaged with technical support from BOSCH Nigeria, which taught the participants on how to use various technological tools. The training and provision of equipment, the Commissioner said, are to address the challenge of obsoleteness of equipment at the dispo
General News
Clergy Urged To Put Members’ Welfare Above All Else
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.
General News
1,000 Prayer Warriors Storm Ilorin for Tinubu, Nation’s Deliverance
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.
General News
Nigerian Anglicans Condemn Lesbian Archbishop of Wales, Deepening Global Anglican Rift
…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.
