General News
SANWO-OLU URGES YORUBA UNITY AT OJUDE OBA FESTIVAL, CANVASSES SUPPORT FOR TINUBU
…Why Lagos Governor Was Invited, By Awujale
After a two-year break, Ojude Oba Festival has made a spectacular return in the ancient town of Ijebu -Ode, Ogun State, where Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu today urged the Southwest to support All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Sanwo-Olu was the special guest of honour.
The palace of Awujale, the paramount traditional ruler of Ijebu kingdom, came alive with ceremonial parades of colourful Aso Ebi. Indigenes, attired in beaded materials, led processions in batches to pay homage to the king – Alayeluwa Sikiru Adetona.
After the rite, they filed into the Royal Arcade in front of the palace to settle for the elaborate ceremony.
Sanwo-Olu’s entry into the arena literally moved the crowd of revelers into an outburst of excitement, lighting up the event as he stopped at each gallery to greet the Councils of Regberegbe (social clubs of Ijebu descendants).
The Lagos helmsman arrived in company of his Ogun State counterpart, Prince Dapo Abiodun, the host Governor.
The centuries-old festival has become the heritage of the Ijebu and has its roots in Islamic celebration of Eid-el Adha in which early Muslim reverts in the town converged on the Awujale palace on the third day to feast with the monarch.
The festival did not hold for two years, following the outbreak and spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020.
Sanwo-Olu said the Ojude Oba Festival had stayed true to its Islamic roots and had become a unifying occasion for people, regardless of their faiths, tribes and dialects.
Under the reign of Oba
Adetona, Lagos Governor said the festival had grown to become a global carnival recognised across the world by people of Yoruba origin.
Sanwo-Olu said: “The Ojude Oba Festival has, for ages, stayed true to its Islamic roots and has also expanded to become a unifying symbol and occasion for people of all faiths, tribes, and tongues; as well as a global celebration of Ijebu heritage and culture.
“We must never lose sight of this unifying element, at a time when the forces of division seem to be working so actively to undermine all that we cherish as a people. Celebrations like Ojude Oba remind us that evil will never triumph over good.”
Sanwo-Olu, who became the third sitting Lagos Governor to be invited to grace the Ojude Oba fiesta, said the festival had become an enduring platform fostering unity.
In the spirit of the unity for which the festival is reputed, Sanwo-Olu urged the entire Yoruba race to forge a common front in support of Tinubu, a Yoruba son and leading presidential candidate in the next year general election.
The Governor said the opportunity offered by the APC to Yoruba to produce the next president must not be allowed to slip away, noting that Tinubu had made several sacrifices to keep the Yoruba race relevant in the Nigerian project.
“As Asiwaju famously said, it is the turn of the Yoruba to produce the president. We need not waste this opportunity but to grab it and have our leader, who is a detribalised Nigerian, to lead the country. I urge all sons and daughters of Yoruba to come out in support of Tinubu to realise this ambition,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The Governor pointed out that his presence at the event underscored the partnership between Lagos and Ogun, which led to the establishment of Joint Development Commission in 2021 to collaborate on key areas of mutual benefit and development, while accelerating socio-economic growth for people.
He said: “The peoples of Lagos and Ogun share a long historical and cultural bond, shaped by the same forces and experiences, nourished by the same waterways, and living up to the same Omoluabi standards and ideals.
“The road network linking Ijebu-Ode, Epe and Lekki is yet another concrete manifestation of our collaboration. Ogun State has completed their own stretch, while we will complete our own end this year, opening up new commercial and logistics opportunities in that axis, and positively impacting the lives of our people.”
Gov. Abiodun praised Lagos for being a supportive neighbour, as he also used the occasion to admonish the youth against cultism and vices that could dent the image of Ogun State.
On why Sanwo-Olu was specially invited to grace the occasion, Oba Adetona, the 58th Awujale, said the Governor had become a shining star in the present class of public officers, distinguishing himself with service-centred leadership.
This, the monarch, said endeared Sanwo-Olu to the citizens beyond the boundaries of Lagos and established his name as a symbol of responsive governance in the country.
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.
