Members of Adoration Ministries, Enugu are currently protesting the closure of the church presided over by Father Ejike Camillus Mbaka.
Mbaka’s Church was shut down following the massive outcry that followed his condemnation of the Presidential Candidate of the Labour party and Former Anambra Governor, Peter Obi. Mbaka got into hot water after branding obi a ‘cursed’ and ‘Stingy’ man.
Catholic faithful were barred from attending services at the church by the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev Callistus Onaga.
Onaga, in a statement made available to POLITICS NIGERIA wrote; “in the light of the happenings in the Catholic Adoration Ministry Chaplaincy Enugu; capable of undermining the Catholic faith and teachings; and after several fraternal corrections and admonitions to Fr. Camillus Ejike Mbaka, the Chaplain of the Ministry; and after having given him pastoral directives and guidelines for the Ministry Chaplaincy, which he persistently violated; and in fulfilment of my pastoral duties as the Chief Shepherd with the obligation to promote and safeguard the Catholic faith and morals in Enugu Diocese, I hereby prohibit all Catholics (clergy, religious and lay faithful) henceforth from attending all religious and liturgical activities of the Catholic Adoration Ministry until the due canonical process initiated by the Diocese is concluded.”
“My decision is based on the fact that some of the teachings and utterances of Fr. Camillus Ejike Mbaka at the Catholic Adoration Ministry are not consistent with the teachings and faith of the Catholic Church.”
However, in defiance of the Prohibition, hundreds of Mbaka’s admirers thronged the Adoration ground in protest against the bishop’s directive.”
Most of the followers who were with green leaves matched round the Adoration ground. They could be heard calling for the removal of Bishop Onaga.
One of them said, “It is Bishop Onaga that should be suspended and not Fr Ejike Mbaka.”
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun has confered honorary chieftaincy titles on Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje and his wife, Prof. Hafsat Ganduje as Aare Fiwajoye of Ibadanland and Yeye Aare Fiwajoye of Ibadanland respectively.
As the Governor called on Nigerians to continuously promote national integration toward engendering a united Nigeria.
He made the call on Saturday at the ancient Mapo in Ibadan after he and his wife were honoured with chieftaincy titles by Olubadan of Ibadanland.
Two hours after their cultural title, the league of Imams and Alfas Yorubaland, Edo and Delta States also conferred Aladeen Yorubawa on Governor Ganduje at a colourful ceremony held at the palatial Palace of Onimalu, Asiwaju Mutiullai Oladejo, the Asiwaju Adinni of Ibadanland.
The ceremony was attended by the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Alhaji Aminu Ado-Bayero, the Emir of Kano, and National Assembly members.
Also in attendance are Oyo state APC gubernatorial candidate Sen. Teslim Folarin, Sen. Kola Balogun as well as Chief Bayo Lawal, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Ganduje said Nigerians needed to collectively encourage and promote national integration toward achieving national unity.
He recalled the age-long friendship between Kano and Ibadan, saying the two old cities would sustain the friendship and extend to other parts of the country.
According to him, “We are grateful to the Olubadan, Olubadan-n-Council and Ibadan people for honouring us with these prestigious titles. This gives us motivation and encouragement to do more in promoting unity.
“You made history today in terms of promoting national integration. This is a topical and very important issue we must always discuss as well as promote to achieve peaceful coexistence among Nigerians,” he said.
The governor thanked Tinubu for gracing the occasion, expressing confidence that Tinubu would promote the concept of national integration.
Tinubu, a former Lagos Governor, said that giving out such chieftaincy title to a non-indigene was a rare privilege.
He described the honour bestowed on Ganduje and his wife as well deserved, saying it was a demonstration of unity between the North and South.
The former Lagos governor appreciated the traditional ruler as well as Ibadan Indigenes for honouring his friend with a chieftaincy title.
The APC presidential aspirant urged the people to always promote national unity, saying such would engender national growth and development.
Prof. (Mrs) Elsie Adewoye, the President, of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association, described the honour bestowed on Ganduje, who is an alumnus of UI as well deserved.
“It is a deserving honour. It is no fluke or propaganda. I have been to Kano and saw all these dividends of democracy,” she said.
Earlier, Oba Balogun, said that Ganduje and his wife were detribalised Nigerians, adding the honour was well deserved.
The traditional ruler narrated how Oba Yoruba Kano, Alhaji Muritala Alimi, introduced the Gandujes to them as detribalised Nigerians.
“We were made to know how supportive our guests were to the aspiration and eventual emergence of our brother as Oba Yoruba Kano about two years ago.
“We recall how Ganduje came down to Ibadan when there was a clash between Hausa traders and the people of Sasa at Sasa Market to calm the frayed nerves and peace was restored.
He said that Ganduje was currently building an auditorium for the university, adding that the project has reached 70 per cent completion.
Balogun said that the conferment would further cement the bond of friendship that had long existed between the Ibadan and Kano people.
The traditional ruler said that it would go a long way in maintaining handshake across the Niger and engender the much sought-after unity which has turned fragile over the years.
“The Gandujes, being our in-laws in Ibadan through their daughter that got married to our son, Idris Ajimobi have done it all.
“Bestowing a befitting Chieftaincy title on the hardworking and amiable governor with his wife will be a reward for a man who has been compassionate to us as a people.
“And who believes that any Nigerian can stay and work in any part of the country without molestation or denial of basic things of life”.
A mild drama was witnessed at Ward 10, Unit 9, Ilupeju, in Ikere Ekiti on Saturday when some security operatives allegedly escaped with money collected from suspected party agents.
Residents of Ekiti State on Saturday (today) trooped out to fulfil their civic rights by voting for their preferred candidates in the 2022 gubernatorial election.
Among other chaotic events that reportedly happened during the exercise today was the alleged snatching of money meant for vote-buying by one of the participating political parties.
Reports had it that scores of angry electorates engaged security operatives to retrieve the money, and almost caused a stampede in the process.
A participant who spoke with newsmen on the incident at the polling unit said the security operatives overpowered the voters and succeeded in carting away the money.
The source according to PMNewsNigeria pleaded not to be mentioned in the print as he identified the security operatives as men of the Nigerian Security and Safety Defense Corps (NSCDC).
He said: “The money was supposed to be used to settle the voters, but the NSCDC men just went there and snatched the bag of money from them.
“Some of the people have voted and have not collected their money before they came to snatch the bag of money from us.
“Some of us challenged them and tried to collect the money back from them, but they overpowered us and ran away with the money,” the source added.
A party agent at the polling unit alleged that the Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Funminiyi Afuye was invited to resolve the issue and queried the presence of the lawmaker with his security operatives at the unit.
Afuye, however, denied knowledge of the money snatching, describing the event at the polling unit as a stampede.
“I’ve voted in my unit and I was just going round to see if there is one problem or the other, but there is no crisis, no violence. People can just stampede because they want to vote, instead of them to line up and spending less time, but they will crowd at a place, you know that is part of our culture. But, by and large, the people have been conducting themselves well,” he said.
Speaking further about the alleged snatching of money from suspected party agents, Afuye said nobody snatches money from his party people.
He said: “I am not aware of that, I wasn’t here then, and, if they are snatching money, they are not snatching from my party. There’s been no violence that has been reported to me.”
The Speaker however justified the presence of his security operatives at the polling unit. He added: “You want me to go about without my security agents? Are they harassing people? They are not. They are on their duty, just as you are on your duty as journalists.
“By my position as the chief lawmaker of the state, the moment I don’t go and tampered with whatever they are doing, I’m observing.
“The only time I went there is when they said they wanted to confirm the number of the machine, that’s all.”
When contacted about the event, the Spokesman for Ekiti NSCDC, Afolabi Tolulope, said he was not aware of such an incident, adding that he was not yet at the office to know if any NSCDC officials on patrol made a report about money at voting centres.
Zamfara State government has declared a one-week public holiday for civil servants to enable them obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC).
Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle‘s led government made the announcement on Saturday, June 18, 2022.
A statement issued to newsmen in Gusau, the state capital on Saturday, outlined that the work-free day starts from next Monday to Friday, (June 20th to 24th, 2022).
This according to the government would allow the state’s public and civil servants to be able to fulfil their civic rights in the 2023 general elections.
Governor Matawalle in the statement, directed all the commissioners, Special Advisers, Permanent Secretaries, other public office holders, party officials and traditional rulers to monitor and supervise the ongoing Voter Registration exercise.
The statement signed by the State Commissioner for Information, Hon. Ibrahim Magaji Dosara noted that every citizen above the age of 18 is expected to be part of the exercise, saying that it was their constitutional right to elect their leaders.
Governor Matawalle appealed to the general public to participate in the exercise so that they would not complain later.
Meanwhile, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), has charged its members across the country to obtain permanent voter cards (PVC) before the expiration of the deadline to enable them to vote for competent and credible leaders in 2023.
This was contained in a statement signed by the IPMAN chairman Kano chapter, Alhaji Bashir Danmallam, a copy of which was made available on Friday to pressmen in Kano.
Danmallam then disclosed that the directive followed a meeting with the National President of the association, Mr Chinedu Okoronkwo with the mandate for him to ask members to obtain their PVCs.
He added that the association had also resolved and directed its members not to give salary to any staff working under them until such staff present their PVC.
Heritage Bank wins Lagos Environmental Sustainability Award, commits to nature protection
R-L: Kehinde Olugbemi, Ag. Chief Risk Officer, Heritage Bank; Captain Babangida Zakari, Deputy Director of Coordination, Armed Forces Settlement Centre, Oshodi; Prince Ademola Docemo, MD, Lagos State Signage and Advertising (LASSA); Gaji Omobolaji Tajudeen, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Government Representative; Brigadier General Maxwell Ejike, Director of Training, Armed Forces Settlement Centre, Oshodi, as Heritage Bank wins Environmental Sustainability Award at the 2022 World Environment Day event held in Lagos State.
For its contribution and support towards Environmental Sustainability, especially, in Lagos, the state government, awarded Heritage Bank with its 2022 Environmental Sustainability Award.
The bank joined other corporate organisations and schools within the State, awarded for their efforts towards protecting nature and limiting the impact of climate change on Earth.
The Award was given to the bank by the state government through the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State in the commemoration of 2022 World Environment Day Celebrations in which the bank was also a major sponsor.
Speaking at the year 2022 World Environment Day finale held at Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos at the weekend, the managing director/CEO, Heritage Bank Plc, Ifie Sekibo, commended Lagos state government and its ministry for the efforts exuded during environmental sustainability to protect ecosystems in supporting health and wellbeing of all creatures.
Sekibo, who was represented by the Chief Risk Officer, Heritage Bank, Mr. Kehinde Olugbemi, said: “as this year’s World Environmental Day Celebration theme implies, we have ‘Only One Earth,’ and truly, only one earth to protect. The fact is that human well-being is closely linked to the health of the environment. And our planet is reaching a breaking point. We are beginning to see the consequences of global warming on ecosystems and communities.”
Today, he said, industrialisation, though positive for human well-being on the flip side, has raked lots of havoc on human existence.
Quoting the World Health Organisation (WHO), he said, 24% of deaths can be traced back to avoidable environmental factors, adding that, Heritage Bank Plc has continued to prioritise and make huge commitments to environmentally sustainable practices to help build thriving communities and secure future growth potential.
R-L: Ozena Utulu, Ag. Group Head, Corporate Communications, Heritage Bank; Kehinde Olugbemi, Ag. Chief Risk Officer, Heritage Bank; Dr. S. Olayiwole Onasanya, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASEIC) and Titilola Docemo, Regional Head, Lagos Island 2A, as Heritage Bank wins Environmental Sustainability Award at the 2022 World Environment Day event held in Lagos State.
“We realized that our people and other dwellers need clean air to breathe, fresh water to drink, and places to live that are free of toxic substances and hazards.
“So, as a part of our sustainability drive in the Corporate social responsibility space, we have continued to put sustainability at the heart of our decision-making for the sake of humanity and the bank’s own bottom line because a healthy planet is the backbone of nearly every industry on Earth,” he pointed out.
Earlier at the event, Lagos state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu stated that, there is an urgent need for everyone to focus on the need to live sustainably with nature for the benefit of mankind, adding that, this has become necessary to shift to a greener lifestyle through both policies and individual choices.
He added that sustainability of the environment is among the most pressing issues in the world today out of which the Earth faces triple planetary emergencies namely, Climate change, loss of biodiversity and Environmental Pollution.
The governor, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Dr. Omolaji Gaji, added that, the impact of the challenges has negatively made the achievements of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) less successful.
“With nature in emergency mode, the #OnlyOneEarth campaign for World Environment Day 2022, wants us to celebrate the planet through collective environmental action”, he said.
The governor commended Corporate Organisations, such as Heritage Bank for ensuring that the persistent drive of the State’s policy towards entrusting the legacy of greening and restoration of indigenous trees to the citizen is sustained.
Similarly, the commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello said, government through the ministry of the Environment & Water Resources has implemented several programmes to mitigate these challenges through Tree planting, Climate change summit, Environmental bees’ clubs in schools, waste to wealth and ban on open defecation.
Speaking through the Director of Sanitation Services Department, Dr. Hassan Sanuth, the PS added that, the government keyed into this call in 2021 by commencing the greening of Abraham Adesanya setback, together with restoration of some historical plants in specific locations like Agege, Idi-Mangoro where Mango trees were planted, Idi-Agbon in Ifako-Ijaiye where coconut trees were planted and in Lagos Island where breadfruit trees were planted at St. Paul Anglican Primary School, Breadfruit Lagos as part of this year’s celebration.
The guest lecturer, Dr. Ayo Tella while delivering his paper, noted that, Anthropogenic effects caused by human activities such as the felling of trees have altered the earth’s natural systems and survival of many species.
Heritage Bank had earlier donated plastic bins to Navy Town Secondary School, Ojo, Lagos, to mark the World Earth Day even as it has embarked on a project to address water crisis, whilst contributing towards making clean and potable water accessible to all.
Similarly, a global open-source movement known as Liter of Light Nigeria partnered with Heritage Bank Plc to provide sustainable solar electricity for Itomaro community in Lagos State while the bank, in 2020, had been on the move to distribute over 10, 000 mosquito nets to rural dwellers.
The Kaduna State Command of the Nigeria Police Force has apprehended a woman allegedly supplying firearms to terrorists in the state.
The suspect, Naija News understands was captured by the operatives of the Special Tactical Squad Force Headquarters, Abuja (STS) in a recent raid where it worked alongside Operation Yaki of the Kaduna State Command.
The police command in a statement on Thursday evening said it was on a trail of suspected armed bandits on June 15 when the operatives encountered the targets along Saminaka–Jos expressway in a Sharon vehicle.
The Kaduna State Police Command’s spokesman, DSP Muhammad Jalige who gave updates on the development said the suspects on sensing an unavoidable danger “posed in their way to deliver some dangerous weapons to their cohorts engaged the operatives, firing sporadically. However, the operatives with tactical precision were able to terminally injure four suspects.”
Jalige explained that the injured suspects were immediately evacuated to Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital Kaduna where they were pronounced dead by a medical doctor.
The encounter according to him lasted about 30 minutes as the firepower of the Police forced them to retreat into the forest with bullet wounds.
He added: “When a search was conducted in the vehicle and around the vicinity, the following exhibits were recovered: one AK-$9 rifle loaded with six rounds of live ammunition, AK-47 rifle, one empty magazine, 134 rounds of different calibre of live ammunition and operational motor vehicle.
“The operation led to the arrest of a female accomplice, who during the investigation, confessed to supplying arms and ammunition to bandits within Kaduna State.”
The Lagos State Government has inaugurated an anti-Okada squad to enforce the ban on commercial motorcycles in six LGAs and nine Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).
The squad will join the police to maintain the ban in line with the Transport Sector Reform Law (TSRL) 2018.
The ban on Okada in the affected LGAs and LCDAS took effect on June 1, 2022. The affected LGAs are Ikeja, Surulere, Eti-Osa, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island and Apapa.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, explained that the anti-Okada squad would report to the police, and urged Lagosians to collaborate with the state government to combat the Okada menace across the state.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Mr Kamar Olowoshago, also urged the anti-Okada personnel to be diligent and honest in the discharge of their duties.
Priest and founder of Adoration Ministry of the Enugu Catholic Archdiocese, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, has unleashed fresh attacks on the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, describing him as “a stingy man that will never be president.”
Mbaka’s preaching was released by the BBC Igbo, showing his relentless attack on Obi, denoting that he’s busy spreading poverty while stashing billions of his money in foreign land.
The fiery Catholic priest questions Obi’s thought processes in a renewed unprecedented attacks coming against the backdrop of the rising profile of the former Anambra State Governor, since his defection from the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
Mbaka warned those supporting Obi to stop wasting their money as the man is not prepared to be president going by the life austere life he lives.
He lamented that Obi is not concerned about the plight of the people around him, declaring that he’s under a curse and only an apology can undo the curse.
Mbaka said, “A stingy man, that cannot give people his money, with this hunger ravaging the land, and you are saying he is the one you want. Do you want to die of hunger? Are you people insane? Where is the Holy Spirit?
“It is now that Atiku is seriously contesting for President; now that he is contesting without Peter Obi; it is now that he is serious? We want somebody that is serious. Unless Peter comes here to kneel, if he becomes President, he will close down this ministry. What we are doing is spiritual,” he said.
Mbaka who once delivered scathing attacks on Obi in the run up to the 2019 presidential election, when Obi was Atiku’s running mate, further declared, “Listen, a good old man is better than a young wicked man; Peter Obi is going nowhere as far as God lives. If Igbos want a representative, it is not someone like Peter Obi.
“I should not have talked but I saw my video going around everywhere as if Fr. Mbaka wholeheartedly came out and apologized. No, I didn’t apologize wholeheartedly, it was out of duress. I had to obey my Bishop, in obedience I had to, it is not of my volition. I did it because I am a Catholic Priest, my Bishop said, do it, my own is ‘Yes my Lord’.
“I did not say he is a bad man; I said he is a stingy man. A hungry man wants someone that is generous; the man has so much money, but he is ‘I, me, myself’. But that money will not be useful to him. I am very happy now that I have spoken out. That apology is a poisonous curse against Peter Obi,” he added.
Warning Obi, he said, “If he is wise, he should have come here after that apology to say he is sorry but he waited. Anybody supporting him is wasting his money, he is going nowhere.
“He is my friend. When he was chased out of Government House, he knew the role I played to bring him back, but how did he pay me back? Night meetings we attended to bring him back, ask him, ask Eselu Uga, ask Archbishop Anikwenwa, they know where and how we did it and he was brought back,” he pointed out.
He challenged people to, “Ask Peter since then what he used to reward Adoration. If you like Peter Obi, tell him to come and ask for forgiveness. Let him come and redo what he did. There is an altar of God he blasphemed; he defiled an altar of God, the Holy Spirit.
“I called Atiku after that apology, he was in Dubai, I told him that there is a revelation on your presidential election; that you are going to be the President of Nigeria on one condition, that Peter Obi is not going to be your running mate. Peter Obi has incurred a curse to himself, which means that he is carrying a curse; if you want to be President, change him.
“Atiku responded that I cannot, Peter must be my running mate, we must win. You saw what happened. Atiku is still alive. That is why I said it is now that Atiku is preparing to be President.
“Just like Jonathan, I called him, God has shown that you are going to win this election but on one condition; Jega should be changed. If you change Jega you will win Buhari, but if you don’t, Buhari will win you. Goodluck told me, ‘Fr. I will not remove Jega, we will still win’. He held on to Jega and failed.”
The latest attack which video is making the rounds will bring back fresh memory of the pre-2019 presidential election episode, when Obi refused to make donations to the Adoration Ministry despite repeated entreaties and pleas from Mbaka, forcing the fearless yet controversial priest to declare his endorsement for Buhari/Osinabjo ticket.
He later declared Atiku/Obi will be defeated, which put him into troubled waters with the Catholic authority.
Obi is in far away Egypt in a trip he said he embarked on to understudy Egyptian electricity sector.
But he has come under heavy criticisms for it with emerging news that he lied about the purpose of the trip to score cheap political game.
The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina has accused the General Overseer of the Living Faith Church, David Oyedepo of harbouring hatred for the president.
Recall that the cleric had stated that the Buhari government deceived Nigerians with talks of fighting corruption but was not making the country better in any way.
He added that the government claims to be fighting corruption, yet its officials are also corrupt.
Oyedepo shared his disappointment with the Buhari-led administration during a church programme, Special Prayer for The Nation, on Monday.
Adesina while reacting to Oyedepo’s statement said the cleric doesn’t understand the difference between the Accountant General and the Auditor General of the Federation.
He further stated that Oyedepo can’t even get his facts right.
The spokesman in a post on his Twitter account wrote, “The bishop at Ota can’t even get his facts right. Blinded by hatred for PMB, he says Auditor General stole N80bn.
“Pity! He doesn’t know the difference between Accountant General (only alleged) and Auditor General. Like OBJ said long ago, we should begin to ordain our bishops.”
The running mate to late MKO Abiola in the 1993 presidential election, Babagana Kingibe, has revealed why he served in the Sani Abacha government.
In a chat with reporters in Maiduguri on Sunday, Kingibe said his decision to serve in Abacha’s government was due to his love for national interest and not personal gain.
He stated that he jettisoned his own personal interest to serve in the regime of the late dictator, adding that his decision was in line with the teachings of the Islamic faith.
He said: “When we think of the collective good there are times when we have to sacrifice personal interest and join hands in rebuilding society and bringing peace and harmony to our people: I have addressed this issue of why did I join Abacha’s government and so on.
“I know we won the elections on June 12, 1993, I know that injustice was done when those elections were annulled but there is always one guiding principle in my public life which is that the national interest supersedes any other consideration and all my actions have been informed by this consciousness of what is best in the national interest.”
Kingibe commended Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State for the June 12 celebration in the state to mark the new Democracy Day.
He said the celebration signifies love and solidarity towards him as a son of the soil and a key player in the events of that year.
He said, “I don’t think the celebration on the actual 12th of June 1993 was any greater than the celebration of the first democracy day on June 12; And for that I have to thank the Governor who gave the leadership, thank the people of Borno not only for celebrating June 12 as democracy day per se, but I know that they also had in mind that one of their own, their own son was also a critical player, I appreciate the confidence and love.”
