News
Protesters invade the house of God in Lagos
The crisis rocking the Diocese of the Lagos Anglican Communion deepened with a serious protest during the Good Friday Easter service at the Church of Christ on Marina, Lagos.
The information was said to have caused serious tension in all the parishes of the church in Lagos.
The church service had started at about 9:00 am with the hymn and followed by the prayers.
The Bishop of Lagos Diocese and Dean Emeritus of the Anglican Church at the Marina, Most Rev. Adebola Ademowo, as a statutory duty, was to deliver the day’s sermon.
However, as he was entering the church, Ademowo was greeted by a serious protest by some elders and members of the church who were against him and his role in the succession plan.
They protested against the election and translation of the Rt. Reverend Humphrey Olumakaye as the new Bishop of the Lagos Diocese, overseeing the Church of Christ, Marina.
The protesters promised their anger on the fact that Olumakaye was recently translated from the Osun East Diocese to Lagos and was billed to take over from Ademowo.
The protesters were led by a popular Lagos politician, Chief Yomi Finnih, who also doubled as their Spokesperson.
The placards bore inscriptions such as “Enough is Enough . . . no to looting of Lagos Diocese”, “No to Bishop looter”, “No to women organisation looting”.
An Indication that something unusual was in the offing was noticed early in the morning through the condoning off of the Marina Road which was occupied by several members of the Lagos security outfit, the Neighbourhood Watch and the unusual huge presence of policemen in and around the church premises.
Shortly after Ademowo delivered his sermon, an unidentified member of the church walked towards the altar and angrily threw copies of a published document detailing Ademowo’s alleged sins and walked out.
The Marina Road stretch was closed to traffic for several hours while the protest lasted.
The protest also affected proceedings at the church as members were seen discussing the development and the way forward.
Many of the elders and members of the church had through several letters to the Primate of the Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh, rejected Olumakaye’s election on the grounds that it was an imposition by the outgoing Ademowo to “cover his tracks” in an election they also criticised to have been influenced by distribution of huge sums of money.
They have also accused Ademowo in a letter to Primate Okoh dated February 26 2018, alleging that his tenure was “a period of disaster filled with economic and financial recklessness.”
The protest letter was signed by eminent elders including Asiwaju Fola Isibo, Mr. Modupe Alakija, Chief Femi Adeniyi Williams and Chief Layi Ajayi-Bembe.
Others are Mrs Laide Sasegbon, Mrs. Dupe Sagoe, Mr. Ade Abisogun, Mr. Bukola Meadows and Ms Molara Otuyelu.
News
Niger State Prisoners Run From Facility After Rainstorm Brings Down Part Of Fencing
Many prisoners serving time at the Suleja Correctional Centre, located in Suleja Local Government of Niger state, fled the facility after a rainstorm brought down a part of the inner fencing.
This incident happened as a result of the heavy rainfall which fell on Wednesday night. This led to a cell being torn down, providing incarcerated individuals with a chance at freedom.
Reporters gathered that security forces fired many shots in the air, attempting to scare the inmates out of hiding.
While the State Comptroller of Prisons declined to speak to the press, it has been noted that security has been beefed up on the Minna-Suleja and Suleja-Kaduna roads, including the Madalla axis to Abuja road, which is a likely escape route out of the state for the inmates.
News
EFCC: Former Governor Of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello Fails To Show Up In Court, Says He Is Scared Of Arrest
The embattled immediate past Governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello, says he would have appeared at the Federal High Court in Abuja to answer to the 19-count charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, but is afraid he would be arrested.
Though Bello was absent for his arraignment today April 23, His team of lawyers addressed the court on his behalf.
A member of his legal team, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, had this to say on his behalf;
“The defendant wants to come to court but he is afraid that there is an order of arrest hanging on his head,” Adedipe, SAN, submitted.
Adesipe then appealed to the court to set aside the exparte order of arrest it earlier issued against the former governor. The lawyer contended that as at the time the order of arrest was made, the charge had not been served on his client as required by the law.
He argued that it was only at the resumed proceedings on Tuesday that the court okayed substituted service of the charge on the defendant, through his lawyer.
“As at the time the warrant was issued, the order for substituted service had not been made. That order was just made this morning. A warrant of arrest should not be hanging on his neck when we leave this court,” counsel to the defendant added.
According to him, the Federal Government did not consult the 36 States of the federation before it enacted the EFCC Act through the National Assembly. He argued that section 12 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, required the various Houses of Assembly of states to ratify the Act before it could become operative.
“This is a very serious matter that borders on the constitution and the tenets of federalism. It has to be resolved because as it stands, the EFCC is an illegal organization,” Bello’s lawyer added
However, EFCC’s lawyer, Mr. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, urged the court to refuse the application, insisting that the warrant of arrest should not be set aside until the defendant makes himself available for his trial.
News
Nigeria Has Secured $2.25B World Bank Loan With An Interest Rate Of 1% – Minister Of Finance
The minister of Finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Wale Edun has announced that Nigeria has secured a $2.25bn World Bank loan with a 1% interest rate.
While speaking at the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group on April 20, Edun disclosed that the loan was approved by the board of directors of the World Bank, and offers a 40-year term, a 10-year moratorium, and a one percent interest rate.
He said;
“If you look at the fact that we have qualified for the processing, just this week to the board of directors of the World Bank of a total package of $2.25 billion.
“There is no such thing as a free lunch but it is the closest you can get to free money. It is virtually a grant. It is about 40 years, 10 years moratorium and about one percent interest. That also is part of the flow that you can count.”
He added that Nigeria also secured similar budgetary support and low-interest funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB). Edun said;
“Clearly, there are also ongoing discussions with foreign direct investors. Some of these things take longer than you expect but they are relatively advanced discussions on major foreign direct investments flows into the country, specific transactions with specific companies, institutions, and authorities.”
This news has however stirred different reactions from citizens as not everyone agrees with the idea of Nigeria borrowing money.
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