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Yiaga Africa tasks NASS on gender, equal opportunities bill

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Director of Programmes, Yiaga Africa, Ms Cynthia Mbamalu
Director of Programmes, Yiaga Africa, Ms Cynthia Mbamalu

Yiaga Africa, has urged the National Assembly to pass the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill within the shortest possible time.

The Director of Programmes, Yiaga Africa, Ms Cynthia Mbamalu, at a Stakeholders Workshop to Review Legislation on Women and Girls Rights in Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja said the passage of the bill would guarantee more protection and inclusion for women and girls.

Mbamalu said that Nigeria recorded high rate of sexual gender based violence in 2020 as reports indicated that many girls, babies and women were sexually abused.

She said that the passage of the bill was necessary because the current legal framework in the country was weak and not sufficiently enforced and implemented.

She said that the national outcry for a State of Emergency on Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) led to the adoption of Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law in states like Adamawa recently.

“We need states to actually give priority to legislation that enforces and protects the rights of children in Nigeria.

“Beyond having the laws is the question of enforcement, implementation is the question of justice, but the essence of this law is to ensure the survivals of violence actually access justice in due time.

“This conversation supported by the spotlight Initiative is to first bring us as stakeholders to the table to look at the existing law, the VAPP Act, to interact with actors and non-state actors.

“It is time to build support to ensure that the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill currently before the Senate is finally passed by the 9th Assembly.

According to Mbamalu ,National Assembly will resume on Sept.14,so one of the considerations of the Senate should be the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill.

“This is because Nigeria can no longer take the last position within the continent on addressing issues on gender equality and the rights of women and girls,’’ she said.

Mbamalu called on President Muhammadu Buhari to speedily assent to the bill once it was passed by the 9th Assembly, as part of the legacy he would leave behind because of its strategic importance.

She expressed hope that before the next general elections, progress would have been made on the amendment of the Constitution to ensure protection and guarantee on the rights of the women as well as the passage of the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill.

Mbamalu said that the workshop was aimed at ensuring that the VAPP law was domesticated at state levels and the passage of the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill.

Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, represented by Illiyasu Omar ,an Assistant Director in the ministry commended Yiaga Africa for the initiative .

Tallen reiterated the ministry’s commitment for partnership to tackle the menace of SGBV in Nigeria.

VAPP Coordinator, FCT,Dr Ene Ede, said that she was not happy that some states were yet to domesticate the VAPP Act.
“It is not that it is a foreign law, it is our own law,just to adopt, what is the problem with that?

“ We have yellow colour indicating that seven states that have passed the bill, but their governors have held their assent to themselves,’’ he said

The Assistant Chief Legal Officer, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Ms Mariam Kadiri, said the commission had set up a special panel to investigate cases of SGBV in Nigeria.

She said that the panel consisted of experts in women and gender based violence adding that they were to investigate cases and make appropriate recommendations to government.(NAN)

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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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…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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