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LSETF HAS SUPPORTED OVER 40,000 STARTUPS WITH ACCESS TO FINANCE – SANWO-OLU

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Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and others

LSETF HAS SUPPORTED OVER 40,000 STARTUPS WITH ACCESS TO FINANCE – SANWO-OLU

…Says Tech Firms Have Received Millions Of Grants From State Science And Research Council

…As First Lady Hosts First Lagos Inter-Youth Collaboration

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday disclosed that the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) has so far supported over 40,000 startups with access to finance which in turn has created jobs and contributed to the bid to ensure an enabling environment for businesses, especially budding entrepreneurs to thrive.

The Governor spoke at the maiden edition of the Lagos Inter-Youth Collaboration organized by the Office of the First Lady of Lagos State, held at LTV Blue Roof, Agidingbi, Ikeja, with the theme: “Youths and Moral Values in an Evolving Society: Challenges and Recommendations.”

The programme, according to a statement signed by the Assistant Director, Public Affairs, Office of the Lagos State First Lady, Mrs Olubukonla Nwonah, was designed to expose over 1,000 participants drawn from 100 youth groups both from formal and informal sectors as well as paramilitary institutions across the state to the various intervention programmes of the state government specifically targeted at the youth.

Mr Governor said: “The LSETF is also here. If my calculation is not wrong, they have intervened in over 40,000 start-ups. They have given some people soft loans; they have given some people grants directly; they have given other businesses development plans so that they can indeed develop their businesses to full fruition.

“They have been on for a couple of years and every year, they are doing lots and lots of great things. The programmes are available irrespective of who you are, where you are from or who you know, as long as you are a resident of Lagos.”

The Governor, who also spoke on activities of the Lagos State Science and Research Council, said in the last two years, grants worth millions of naira have been given to various tech firms through the council to support them to grow and build on their innovations.

“The council, headed by the VC of UNILAG, reviews a lot of tech start-up businesses that we have and once they see some of them, they pass them; they give them grants. In the last two years, they have given grants of N10million, N20million, N5million, and N2million to different categories of individuals.

“Our youth need to take advantage of these programmes. See how you can partake and how you can be part of it because it is published everywhere before they get entries. We have been doing it for the past two years and there is another one coming before the end of the year again,” Sanwo-Olu said.

He commended the Office of the First Lady for putting the programme together, saying it would go a long way to build conversations around various initiatives of the government for young people.

In her opening remarks, the First Lady, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu said the Inter-Youth Collaboration was aimed at sensitizing youths on the inculcation of moral values which were gradually being eroded in today’s society, as well as how they can take advantage of intervention programmes of government for the youth.

“Our objectives, among others, are to encourage youth participation in Nation-building, create awareness on civic rights and responsibilities, provide access to opportunities profitable for youths, enlightenment of the youths about the activities of the state government, and re-orientation,” she said.

At the programme, key government MDAs including Ministries of Agriculture, Education, Finance, Wealth Creation and Employment, Youth and Social Development, Science and Technology, Health Management Agency, and Office of Sustainable Development Goals and Investment were on hand to educate participants on programmes of government including Bursaries and scholarship opportunities, low-interest loan packages of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, innovation funds, among others.

Representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were equally on ground to enlighten participants on how to participate in the voting process, while various prizes including laptops, phones, cash rewards and other gift items were won through raffle draws personally supervised by Mr Governor and the First Lady.

The highpoint of the programme was special appearances by Nigerian star actress and producer, Funke Akindele-Bello (Jenifer); as well as hip hop musicians – Humblesmith and CDQ.

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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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Anglican Church logo

…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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