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National Prayer Altar Organizes Colloquium to Address Ethnic Conflicts in Nigeria

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National Prayer Altar

The National Prayer Altar, an interdenominational and international platform of Christians who pray for Nigeria, has expressed concern over the ethnic conflicts that followed the 2023 governorship election in Lagos State.

The group organized a colloquium on Saturday, 8th April 2023, where Yoruba and Igbo leaders, as well as other citizens of Nigeria, discussed the issue and proffered solutions.

Over 200 people in Nigeria and the diaspora attended the virtual meeting hosted via ZOOM. The meeting featured three key speakers from the North, East, and West of Nigeria.

At the end of the meeting, the group issued a communiqué. It stated that Nigeria is a country made up of hundreds of ethnic nationalities living in peace and harmony with each other. The communiqué noted that the Yorubas and the Igbos, the two major nationalities in the south of Nigeria, have never fought each other in over one thousand years of shared history but only traded.

The group expressed concern about the tension deliberately fermented between the Igbos and the Yorubas, which resulted in the ethnic conflict that erupted during the Lagos State governorship election of 18th March 2023. Some agents of a particular political party, claiming to represent the Yoruba race, openly and aggressively profiled the Igbos and criminally denied them the opportunity to exercise their civic right to vote. This action was strongly condemned by the group.

The communiqué urged Nigerians not to accept the intimidation by those members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its agents, as any political party that bullies any people cannot mean well for the country. It also called on the judiciary, as the last hope of the common man, to be circumspect in handling the election cases in court to prevent a perversion of justice and its disastrous consequences on the country.

Furthermore, the communiqué urged Christian leaders to be more outspoken in promoting peaceful co-existence amongst citizens of the country. It called for Christian leaders of Igbo and Yoruba origin to come together and address the issues publicly, in the promotion of peace and mutual goodwill. It reminded Igbos and Yorubas that divide-and-rule was a major policy of the colonial powers, and has been adopted as an internal ethno-political colonialist strategy.

The National Prayer Altar urged Igbos and Yorubas to remember that the major actors in the civil war of 1967 – 1970 were mostly Christians who ended up decimating one another across ethnic lines under manipulation by their cleverer religio-ethnic colonialist dividers. The doctrine of hate and the supremacist ideology of one ethnic group in Nigeria have been major factors hindering the unity and progress of Nigeria, especially as the unity of the Igbos and Yorubas is integral to resisting local colonization.

In conclusion, the National Prayer Altar called on all Nigerians to embrace peaceful co-existence and shun any form of hate and divisiveness. The group urged Nigerians to promote national unity and resist any attempt to divide the country along ethnic or religious lines.

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IPOB Declares May 30th As Sit-at-home Day Across The Southern East States To Honour Biafran Fallen Heroes

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The Indigenous People of Biafra has declared May 30, 2024, as a sit-at-home day across the South-East to celebrate Biafran soldiers.

The pro-Biafran group said that day is set aside annually to celebrate the men and women who died in the Biafran war between 1967 and 1970 and beyond and even until now.

This was made known in a press statement by the group’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, on Thursday, adding that every Biafran in the South-East is expected to sit at home and reflect on the war.

He cautioned South-East residents to avoid loitering about on this day, adding that those who intend to travel to and fro Biafra land must do so before the evening of May 29.

The IPOB statement also directed that all the residents of “Biafra Land” are to stay indoors from 6 am to 6 pm on May 30, 2024.

He also called on christians and traditionalists to pray to Chukwu okike abiama for the fallen heroes, And also for the independence of Biafra from Nigeria.

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Anambra State Government Arrests Man For Marrying Off His Underage Daughter

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The Anambra State Government has arrested one Uzochukwu Okoli, for marrying off his underaged daughter.

Okoli was apprehended after his daughter reported to the State Ministry of Women and Social Welfare about the alleged ill-treatment being meted out to her by her father and the man he forced her to marry.

The daughter, Chioma Okoli, who is currently 16 years old, said after the death of her mother, her father took her and her sister out of Edo state and brought them to Anambra.

She alleged that she was first forced to live with a 70-plus-year-old man at the age of 14 but after some time, she ran back to her father’s house before he finally gave her out to a 34-year-old Chinedu Nweke as husband.

Chioma who was in the company of her sister, explained that life with Chinedu has been a living hell because he allegedly beats her and sometimes pees in her mouth.

She said this act made her run away with their 9-month-old baby. Her father, Uzochukwu Okoli, on the other hand, claimed her daughter is 18 years old and, at some point, said she is 20 years old.

After he was handcuffed, Mr Okoli threatened to deal with the daughters if he made it out of prison. He also urged Chioma and her sister to pray he dies in prison because he would make life more miserable for them.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Hon Ify Obinabo, has instructed that the case be charged to court so that the girl can get justice.

Both Mr Okoli and Chinedu Nweke were arrested and will be arraigned in court.

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Nigerians Seek Woman Who Spoke Out Eloquently Against Fuel Scarcity In Viral 1994 TV Clip

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April 30th 1994, 30 Years Ago, And Till Today Nothing Has Really Changed.

Netizens have gone in search of a beautiful and well-spoken woman who spoke out against fuel scarcity 30 Years Ago.

A user on X.com, Jackie, who identifies as #JWEZEE had shared the video yesterday with the caption, “On this day April 30 1994, same day same time, only difference 30years ago.

“Nigerians in long fuel queues lamenting, 30years later they are still lamenting. And In another 30years will still lament, why? Because patterns don’t lie.”

In the video, which has since gone viral, Nigerians were seen queuing to purchase fuel and lamenting their predicament as citizens waiting in long queues with their gallons to buy fuel.

The woman passionately addressed the unfairness of soldiers skipping queues to resell fuel, highlighting a longstanding problem.

She said in part, “You have the soldiers that come, they buy petrol, they put it in jerry cans they sell it right in front of these people, it’s ridiculous.

“They get the fuel themselves, why do they have to come here, they don’t join the queue, they just buy and they sell right in front of people, it’s ridiculous. Something has to happen.”

The 30-year-old video which recently surfaced coincides with the current fuel price hike across the country.

Here is the viral video from 30 years back.

Currently, the country is facing fuel scarcity and price hike, with fuel being sold at N900 per litre in some states. This has affected the price of goods in the nation.

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