General News
Foundation launches app to assist Nigerians in emergency situations
The CANs Foundation, also known as the centre for Civic citizens’ Welfare and Community Development Africa (CWCDA), has launched an app to assist Nigerians in emergency situations in the country.
Co-Founder and Executive Director, Olajide Abiose, said at the launch of the app in Abuja, that the app, known as ‘Backup’, was developed with the support of the Open Society of West Africa (OSIWA).
According to Abiose, the Backup app, a new law enforcement anti-brutality digital intervention platform, would create an effective system for intervention and data collection in cases of brutality against citizens by law enforcement agencies.
He added that it would likewise improve the number of case management and prevention issues in law enforcement brutality, while supporting law enforcement agencies to identify officers tarnishing their image.
“CANs foundation a nonprofit organisation set up to use emerging technologies to solve social and development problems in Africa.
“Backup was created as our intervention to the unending crisis of law enforcement brutality in Nigeria
“We launched the app to give young Nigerians hope towards getting justice and support when they face any emergency situation.
“The app works by helping you to trigger an emergency and share your live location and information, particularly video and audio sound in real time, to both your emergency contacts, family, friends and other stakeholders who can provide intervention for you.’’
Abiose said that although the app was designed to focus on anti-brutality, it could be used for other creative purposes .
“People can apply it to different scenarios, so I will not be surprised if people apply it for robbery, kidnapping because what it does is to allow people know what you are experiencing at a point in time.
“It then gives them your location, in order for them to come and provide intervention,’’ he said.
He said that Backup could also help law enforcement agencies do their job better, adding that the foundation’s goal was to work with them to help identify the flash points where these incidents occurred.
Abiose added that it would also provide them real time data on what is happening in different parts of the country with respect to how the citizens were faring in the hands of their officers.
Already, the foundation had begun taking steps to work with the police complaints units and other agencies with set up designed for this kind of purpose, he said.
Mr Anthony Eromosele, CANs Programme Lead, said that the Backup app was launched as a result of complaints from youths and as a technology-driven NGO, it deemed it fit to provide an innovative solution to address the complaints.
“Youths were complaining about various human right violations, they go out but they don’t go back home yet you don’t even know their whereabouts.
“So, we felt the need to develop this app, where youths can actually report these violations they so often complain about and by whoever is perpetuating it .’’
Eromosele said that with the Backup app, people could keep track of the whereabouts of their loved ones who used the app to report the emergency situation they were in or which police station they were taken to, if arrested.
He said that the app was available on different app stores like Google play store, IOS, among others, and that for low income earners that could not afford smart phones, a USSD code would be provided to prompt automatic record and report of violent situations.
Ms Latifah Adesanyan, Product Associate, CANs Foundation, said that using the app was simple because “we feel the app developed should be a straight forward process .’’
Adesanyan said that this was because the foundation understood that when people were in emergency cases, they needed to be able to report as soon as possible.
“So in order to report a case on Backup, all you need to do is tap the red button which says report for self, so once you do that, automatically the system records happenings of the event with your camera.
“During the sign up process, you need to add an emergency contact, that’s those people who could be notified.’’
She therefore advised Nigerians to be their brother’s keeper to either report cases for themselves or report for others “this is something we thought of so that Nigerians can assist each other,’’ she said. (NAN)
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.
