General News
Diaspora Voting Is Our Wish – Lawan
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has said that it is the wish of the National Assembly that Nigerians in diaspora are able to exercise voting right in time of elections in Nigeria.
Lawan made this known when the Chairman of Nigerians In Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the Senate President’s office on Wednesday.
“I beleive that at one point, I don’t know when and how far it will take us before we could start diaspora voting. But one thing I can assure you is that National Assembly is doing everything, particularly this 9th National Assembly is doing everything possible to ensure that our electoral processes and procedures are fully supported to make them have more transparency and integrity, and that is what we want to achieve at home.
“We are simultaneously working to ensure that Nigerians outside of Nigerians are able to vote and have their votes count.
“It is very important we get the electoral process right. We have passed the electoral Act(Amendment) bill, we are now at the verge of having a harmonisation of the two versions of what passed in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
“I believed that at the end of the day the National Assembly will send to the Mr. President a very good electoral Act amendment that will change for the better the electoral environment in this country.
“And of course, Diaspora voting is a wish for all of us, and when we reach there, we must ensure that every part of our diaspora community in every part of the world is given the opportunity to participate.
“And we have to make sure it is foolproof so as not to create another avenue for merchants of rigging to go and perfect their acts of rigging.
“We have to provide the opportunity but it has to be foolproof and all encompassing, giving everyone outside of Nigeria who wishes to be part of election process to participate,” Lawan said.
Lawan urged the Commission to work in synergy with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the implementation of the National Diaspora Policy recently ratified by the Federal Executive Council.
“So you need to put the two institutions together in order to see how you can work in such a manner that what you do and what the foreign affairs ministry does are always in tandem and collaboration to bring the best we expect from the two agencies,” the Senate President said.
Lawan said iNigeria had a duty to protect its citizens wherever they are in the world.
Also speaking in similar vein, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege who is the Chairman of the Senate adhoc Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution said his committee was not opposed to diaspora voting.
“At some point, we will have all Nigerians cast their votes irrespective of where they are domiciled.
“But the position that we have taken for now, while we support that, a proper modality needs to be put in place.
“We thought the best way around it at this time is to liaise with INEC to come up with a proper framework for us to include in the exercise and I have the privilege to share that with the Chairman of NIDCOM,” Omo-Agege said.
Earlier, Dabiri-Erewa said the visit was mainly to present to the Senate President a publication titled “+600 Diaspora Icons,” a compendium of stories on more than 600 Nigerians in diaspora who have glass shattering records.
“We know that we have negative stories about our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora but we have more of positive than negative. All we need is a more intensive engagement,” Dabiri-Erewa said.
She noted that the request for diaspora voting is a gradual process that could be achieved in the near future.
“We are not saying diaspora Voting should be done tomorrow,” she said.
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.
