Gather25, a trailblazing global gathering of Christians founded by Jennie Allen, has unveiled the first of its contributors for the upcoming event in 2025.

Featuring a multi-denominational, international line up of Christian teachers, storytellers and prayer guides from six continents, Gather25 aims to showcase powerful stories of how God is transforming communities and hearts around the world.

The event, with a schedule that will circumnavigate the globe over 25 hours, celebrates a line-up of individuals who bring a unique perspective of how God is moving in their context.

Together, they are partnering with Gather25’s mission to mobilize Christians everywhere to reach the 5.5 billion people on earth who have yet to encounter Jesus.

Through live-streaming technology and AI, Gather25 will connect with Christians in homes, in churches, in stadiums, or on their phones, across six continents, with each continent hosting a portion of the 25 hours.

The teachers, storytellers, and prayer guides include:

●        Jennie Allen – Founder & Visionary of Gather25, Bible teacher, author, the visionary behind IF:Gathering.

●       Pastor Charles Mugisha – Founder and President of Africa New Life Ministries.

●       Matt Maher – Gospel artist and songwriter, known for favorites like “Lord, I Need You.”

●       Mark Varughese – Founder and Senior Leader of Kingdomcity.

●       Matt Redman – Double GRAMMY®-Award winning worship leader and songwriter.

●       Priscilla Shirer – A New York Times Best-Selling author and actress featuring in movies like War Room.

●       Sinach – Gospel artist and songwriter, known for favorites like “Way Maker.”

●       Tasha Cobbs Leonard – GRAMMY® Award-winning singer/songwriter.

●       Rorisang Thandekiso – A multi-talented media personality and musician, and the founder of “Jesus This Jesus That.”

●       Rick Warren – Author of The Purpose Driven Life, his books have been translated into 200 languages.

Gather25 is a global collaboration of Christians who are instrumental in connecting the global church from the ground up. Pastor Charles Mugisha said, “Gather25 gives, for the first time in history, Africa a voice to share the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ more than ever before.”

“I have a feeling in my heart that (Gather25) is a God thing. The Bible commissions us to go and take the Gospel to all nations and for the first time, I see that we can actually take the Gospel to all the nations in 25 hours. That’s exciting for me!”

The event will kick off in the United States at 01:00 UTC on Saturday, 1st March 2025, and will journey around the globe, concluding in Peru at 02:00 UTC on Sunday, 2nd March 2025. This continuous broadcast is designed to empower Christians worldwide through inspiring stories and testimonies of God’s work across nations. Each session will be hosted from a different country, featuring teaching, worship, stories and prayers from various locations within each session. The event will also unveil never-before-heard accounts from the underground church.

Join us for this global event to connect with believers from every corner of the world. Find out about Gather25, and sign up for more resources at: gather25.com 

The true quality of a leader reflects on the standard they set for themselves and their followers – Ray Kroc

“An Adage from my village says ”Asesile nla bowaba” meaning “good deeds begot favour” and probably that is what we are all enjoying today in the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) family and The Eagle Online, where Mr. Dotun Oladipo is the Publisher; having shown and exhibited quality leadership both in season and out of season.

It will be recalled that Maureen Chigbo, Publisher of Realnews Magazine Online who is the president of GOCOP took over the office from Mr. Oladipupo of the EagleOnline who led the Guild successfully from 2018 till 2021.

I recalled that Dotun took over from Musikilu Mojeed of the Premium Times who is the current President of the International Press Institute (IPI), while Mojeed took the mantle from the pioneer GOCOP President, Dr. Malachi Agbo of The Citizen News who is serving presently as the Honourable Commissioner for Human Development and Poverty Eradication under Governor Emeka Mbah of Enugu State.

As at the time of filing-in this report, GOCOP has over 119 online professional publishers who have excelled in their past field as journalists and editors before establishing their own online platforms.

The key purpose of establishing the Guild is to ensure that members uphold the tenets of online journalism.

History has it that the much talked, anticipated, reliable and respected GOCOP of today started directly inside Oladipo office in Ogba Lagos which was situated on 27, Joseph Odunlami Street, off Thomas Salako Street, which eventually became the registered address of GOCOP.

Another great selfless service Oladipo rendered the Guild, include the building of GOCOP official website, among others.

Not only that, Oladipo as a team builder, a successful career counsellor and foremost touch bearer of digital journalism in Nigeria.

For instance, during one of the lecture he delivered at the GOCOP 6th Annual conference in Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, he shared insights with members on how to spread their ‘site wings.’

No doubt, Oladipo is one of the few GOCOP members who have a verified Google adsense website and another 2 Google accredited YouTube Channel, which are EagleOnline TV and Pop News with its trending regular ‘Erotic Monday night with Tiwa.’

Oladipo did not just find himself at the top of affairs of the Guild, he has really paid his dues and that is why many would attest that he also served as the chief scribe of the Guild during Musikilu Mojeed tenure. His excellent performance then made all members of the Guild to vote him in to continued to steer the wheel of the association.

Many will be asking where I came up with the name Dotun (Mr. Magic) Mr. Magic was not fabricated by the writer but was given to him publicly on the GOCOP Loop when Mr. Olumide Iyanda of QEDNG commended him for the great role he played during the successful outcome of the Kogi Conference.

Oladipo, a handsome, ebony, huge, clean shave father of three is no doubt a silent achiever, an orator with clear and loud voice is a leader, with open door policy to his media colleagues and any body that comes his way.

Recently, Oladipo was elected as the President of Innovative Media Partners Cooperative Multipurpose Society (IMPCMS), which beckons on him to bring his wealth of experience to bear on the group.

Permit me to state my personal experience with Oladipo, starting with the popular saying that behind every successful man there must be a woman and the woman beside Oladipo’s success story is Ayanba to those who know him very well .

Some of his close associates who can testify to Ayaaba humility and humanitarian services are Mallam Sakibu Olokojobi of Frontpage Online and our own legal luminary, Ayo Odeyemi of YouNews will quickly grab that name, the woman is truly a woman of substance, a caring and highly supportive wife.

My experience started the day we were asked to converge at Oladipo’s office for the just concluded Kogi conference, I got to the venue as a visitor getting to the area for the first time, the respect and accolades the woman was earning from both young and old on that building and street was what prompted my curiosity to ask the security man who is this beautiful woman? and he quickly told me joyfully, “habaa, walai that naa oga wife oo, her name na Ayabaoo” adding that her humility is second to none, I started given her close marking so as to truly know her very well but she was busy looking after us, her husband’s GOCOP guests because our then Coordinator who was Sakibu Olokojobi of Frontpage Online came late from his Ijoko Ogun State resident due to traffic and the poor stage of roads.

So when Sakibu arrived, he quickly put a call straight to Ayaba and she drove down immediately from Oladipo house and took us home, during the ride home the fun and comic between Sakibu and Ayaba was overwhelmed as the woman inculcated us into the discussion, but that is a story for another day.

On getting home, Immediately, we were served chill table water, she called out all her 3 beauty queen to come and honor the visitors which they all did politely, the air condition was switch on to reduce the stress we had gone through ,she also switched on the plasma TV for our relaxation asking what channel we would like to watch either sport or News due to our profession.

As that was going on, a delicious meal full of chicken and wine was served. in spite of her three grown up girls Ayaba still took it up upon her self to serve us in a proper way of a well culture Yoruba woman setting and manner, asking if we still care for more, after the dinner, she went into the visitors room to bring out mattress to the parlour for us to sleep and some souvenir of her hubby’s 50th birthday stressing it was kept for us since we did not show up during the celebration, she now engage us in a well constructive discussion before we all departed to bed, the most surprising thing was that at around 11:45 pm another GOCOP member, Mr. Felix Douglas of Energy Focus called to be at the gate when Ayaba had Already slept off.

hmmmmm, The ever energetic Ayaaba still stood up with enthusiasm to go down and received her husband guest simply because he is a GOCOP member, at around 5.am the following day as we were set for the trip Ayaaba had woke up and still drove us to the office where the Luxurious bus that would pick us to the kogi conference. (kudos to you Ayaaba).

Oladipo, is just a man full of blessings and unique styles, let us also look at the good character, simplicity, honesty, Love and Respect he Portrait during the mixed up of luggages between his humble self and Our 2006 Award winning CNN Journalist who is the publisher of Crestng.com Mr. Shola Oshunkeye after our return from the kogi conference, Honestly Oladipo worth celebrating.

Dotun Oladipo is an enigma that whenever he talks everybody cares to listen, he is a cynosure of all eyes on every occasion, he is truly a prince of hope many would want to associate with due to his humility and ability to serve humanity.

Even the Writer of the piece Mr. Ajagbe Adeyemi Teslim of August24news.com got the news about GOCOP during Oladipo tenure as president and eventually got inducted thereafter.

Having said all this, kindly join me to celebrate a senior Colleague, a mentor, a a professional media icon, a strategist, as every 19th day of December remains your day sir, Mr. Dotun Oladipo a.k.a Mr. Magic.

Felicitating with Dotun is his predecessor and Editor of Premium Times, Mr. Musikilu Mojeed “I have always known you to be a loving, hardworking and resilient person who is ever focused on achieving desirable results in everything. As you add another year today, I pray that God in his infinite mercy guides and elevates you to a greater height and makes you someone that successful people will always be eager to associate with.

On the heels of celebrating Dotun 55th Birthday, over 200 publishers across the globe both from GOCOP, NUJ, NGE, IMPCMS and  beyond sent congratulatory greetings to him on different notes which cannot be published on this edition alone.

First on the list is Dotun’s successor, the incumbent president of GOCOP and publisher of of Realnews magazine Online, Ms Maureen Chigbo, who said Oladipo is just a gift to GOCOP and Nigeria media.

Second is the Publisher of Freedom Online, Mr. Gabriel Akindewon describe Dotun as a phenomenon in the journalism world, an achiever, whose footprints in the digital media space and GOCOP cannot be erased. he is a friend, a brother, an ally you can call at midnight over any issue who will reliably and confidently tell you ‘I will fix it’.

He is also a professional in the media confraternity who is, forever, breaking new grounds due to his creativity and boldness, More decades in the land of the living.

Ogbuefi Remmy Nweke, the publisher of ITREALMS said Dotun is a silent achiever, a complete gentleman and one whose open arms have forged friendship across the industry and the nation.

Alhaji Tajudeen Kareem who publishes Credible News, said Dotun is a compassionate fellow who sees GOCOP as a Nigeria Projects that must succeed and its currently succeeding.

Hassan Gimba, the publisher of Neptune online, described Dotun as a cool headed colleague, a great supporter of his platform who helps to publish his Weekly editorial feature since inception.

Speaking from another angle is one of the Oldest Publisher in GOCOP and Publisher of Greenbarge Report, Chief Yussuf Ozi-Usman npri described DOTUN in an acronym, viz “D stands for Dogged, O represents Originality, T for Talent, while U goes for Uplifting and N connotes Navigating.”

Dotun Oladipo showcases a remarkable set of qualities, values, and traits that embody exceptional leadership and character. These are words that align with the qualities of DOTUN says Ozi-Usman

Speaking further, he said Dotun is a Divine Opportunity Topics Under Nigeria and a blessing to any group who have the privilege of his membership.

In his own remarks, Tunde Abatan, the Publisher of Newdawnngr.com described him as a humble, selfless and devoted colleagues always ready to offer his service to all.

Crowning the birthday greetings is the President of the federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, through the Presidential spokesman,  Mr. Bayo Onanuga, in a statement available to August24news.com, said Dotun unwavering contributions to online journalism in the country cannot be forgotten.

On behalf of my self, my loving and dashing wife, my resourceful children and the entire management of August24news.com and it’s sisters YouTube Channel August24news TV, we are all very proud to join other millions of Nigerians to celebrate and to felicitate with your humble personality as you just add another feather to your wing today sir.

hip!
hip!!
hip!!!
hurrayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

kindly, keep the ball rolling sir!!!(Uncle D.O)

Ajagbe is the Publisher of August24news.com, a Senior Special Assistant to Lagos Island East Council Chairman on Media and Digital Communications and a bonafide member of GOCOP writes from Lagos

GrassRoots.ng brings to you highlights from the SIFAX Group’s recently concluded Thanksgiving and Night of Praise 2.0, held on Thursday, December 12, 2024.

The event, themed “I Will Rejoice”, brought together a multitude of attendees for an evening of vibrant praise, worship, and celebration, featuring top gospel artists, comedians, and performers who created unforgettable moments of joy and gratitude.

In light of the successful event, we are publishing select photos and highlights from the program.

Held amidst an atmosphere of gratitude and celebration, the 2024 SIFAX Group Thanksgiving and Night of Praise was more than just a celebration; it was a time of reflection, worship, and communal joy.

The event brought together SIFAX Group staff, management, and guests from various subsidiaries to reflect on the year’s blessings and end the year on a high note. As the night ended, the echoes of gratitude, laughter, and worship lingered, leaving attendees with a renewed spirit and an eagerness to embrace the coming year with faith and rejoicing.