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CBN supports healthcare sector with N200bn to drive economic recovery

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Emefiele saga: Human Rights Organisation cautions against interference in DSS investigations
CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele

Mr Godwin Emefiele, Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on Friday said the apex bank had earmarked N200 billion to support the healthcare sector to drive the recovery of Nigeria’s economy.

Emefiele said this at the inauguration of Duchess International Hospital, the newly built 100-suits state-of-the-art health facility in Ikeja, Lagos.

“To further drive the recovery of our economy, the monetary policy recognised that while the interventions in our manufacturing sector is essential; it is also essential that we continue to support the medical sector.

“When we started COVID, CBN set aside N100 billion to support the healthcare sector.

“But upon rise in demand, we have disbursed N107.7 billion, supporting 114 healthcare projects which include medical diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, dental services, eye clinics both private and public hospital just to mention a few.

“We had taken up N100 billion to support healthcare but the monetary policy has said we should move it further up to N200 billion.

“We would continue to do whatever can be done to support healthcare,” he said.

The CBN governor expressed the bank’s commitment to conrinually support Nigerians in their businesses, calling on those abroad to come back home.

He said, “the monetary policy recognises that Nigeria parades some of the best in the world; we need to encourage everybody to come back home.

“We will continue to do the little we can to give you the support to grow your business.”

He called on more private sector operators to invest in medical facilities that would help reverse medical tourism as that would make the country not to spend dollars abroad but create more dollars.

According to him, medical tourism put a huge strain Onuche country’s foreign reserves.

He said more importantly, for every 1 billion dollars allocated to medical treatment abroad, there was less than 1 billion dollars that could be available to other critical sectors of the economy.

Emefiele, therefore, urged banks to lend to Nigerians and members of the private sector community to invest, stressing that they did not need to be medical doctors to own a medical facility.

The Vice- President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, said the facility had all it needed to be the place of choice for medical tourists from other countries.

“It is one of those days when the belief is affirmed that this is a countrry of world class talents, world class ideas and world class execution.

“We are at Duchess, which by standards and personnel is comparable to anywhere in the world,” said Osinbajo.

According to him, the facility will reverse medical tourism by delivering high standards of care using the most advanced technology.

“The opening celebrates the fact that they have all that it takes to be the place of choice for even medical tourists from other countries.

“With investments like this seeking high quality medical personnel, we can even reverse the trend of doctors leaving the country.

“The reasons for thier leaving are obvious; better renumeration, better facilities,” continued Osinbajo.

He said only serious private sector investments in high quality healthcare services offering top compensation for its personnel could possibly create an attractive proprosition to reverse the trend.

“So the only way that we can ensure that people stay, obviously is to reward thier services and I think that this is a good way to start. If we can belive enough in our economy,” Osinbajo said.

Earlier, Dr Adeyemi Onabowale, Chairman, Reddington Hospital Group, urged the apex bank to benchmark healthcare funding against a stable currency.

He noted that the true cost of healthcare anywhere in the world was phenomenal, coupled with the depreciating currency.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other dignitaries who spoke at the event are: Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, among others.(NAN)

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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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