General News
Nigeria registers 1,683 COVID-19 cases in 3 days
Nigeria has recorded more than 500 COVID-19 cases in daily figures for the third time on Friday as the government struggles to deal with a new and more infectious variant of the virus.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said figures on Saturday morning showed another 590 cases were reported.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in July 28, some 535 cases were reported, July 29, 558 were registered and on July 30, 590 cases were logged, which is now the biggest daily increase in the country since March 4, 2021, when 708 cases were registered.
According to the NCDC, the number of cases is rising, so is the country’s testing capacity since the peak of the first wave last year.
The NCDC said that the new daily tally of 558 on Thursday has now been overtaken by Friday‘s 590 cases and these have raised the total infections in the country to 173,411.
It said the country also registered eight new deaths from COVID-19-related complications on Friday, keeping the death toll at 2,148.
The NCDC stated that the 590 additional infections were across registered across 17 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to it, Friday’s figures are higher when compared with the 558 cases reported 24 hours earlier and ranks highest daily tally since March 4 when 708 cases were reported.
The Public health agency said that Lagos State reported 306 new infections, Akwa Ibom, 54 more cases, Katsina, Oyo and Rivers had 40, 39 and 26 fresh infections respectively.
Other states were Niger-23, Gombe-19, Ogun-16, Ekiti-15, the FCT-10, Nasarawa-10, Delta-9, Bayelsa and Plateau-5 each, Imo-4, Ebonyi and Jigawa-3 each and Kano-1.
The NCDC said Friday’s report includes cases reported for Niger state for July 28 (12) and July 29 (11).
It noted cases reported for Delta state for July 10 is (1), July 11 (1), July 13 (3), and July 29 (4).
It added that zero cases were reported from Ondo and Osun States.
The agency said that 48 people have recovered and were discharged from various isolation centres in the country on Friday.
It added that till date, 164,978 recoveries have been recorded nationwide in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The NCDC said that a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at Level 2, continues to coordinate the national response activities.
The Public Health agency noted that the country had also tested more than 2.4 million samples for the virus out of the country’s roughly 200 million population.
The agency added that the country’s active cases stood at over 5,000.
NAN quoted the agency as saying that it would continue to monitor all variants closely, paying particular attention to the impact on hospitalisation and deaths which would help the country to understand the protective effects of vaccines.
It said that it was important for Nigerians to wear masks indoors to curb the Delta variant, especially when “you don’t know everyone’s vaccination status”.
It added that vaccinated people should still wear masks, given the incredibly fast transmission of the Delta Variant and its unique severity.
It noted that vaccines alone won’t stop community transmission. Nigerians need to use masks consistently, be in ventilated spaces even if they were vaccinated.
“People cannot feel safe just because they have been vaccinated. They still need to protect themselves,” it stated. (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.
