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2019: N500m Naira ‘falls’ on pastors in Ebonyi, courtesy Gov. Umahi

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Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi State on Tuesday, empowered pastors under his divine mandate campaign platform and members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state, with N500 million.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the divine mandate pastors received N250million, with each of the over 2, 500 members, receiving N100, 000 each while the five blocs of CAN shared N250 million.

Umahi said during the disbursement, that he decided to empower them in realization that pastors and other members of the clergy were not exempted from the harsh challenges of life.

“One of the pastors sent me a text message that though they receive stipends to help in their monthly prayers, they were not Okada (commercial motorcycle) riders.

“I told him that I didn’t know they get stipends and cautioned that he may be one of those who graduated from school, didn’t secure a job and believe that ‘pastoring’ was an easy way of life,” he said.

The Governor noted that temptation, poverty, idleness and lack of knowledge do not know who a pastor is, as human challenges are products of the environment.

“It is, therefore, important that every pastor must be doing something because when you get involved in business, you will get more experience and training to mediate among brethren.

“Let this fund be a mustard seed and if it is too small to start something, aggregate it as I believe that the over N500 million we are disbursing presently would yield over N4 billion in two years,” he said.
He recalled that the pastors have been praying for his gubernatorial ambition.

“Your prayers are not debts unto us, don’t feel that you worked for me and got no reward but realise that your rewards are of compound interests before God.

“Money is, however, highly needed in the present day evangelism because if you are preaching to a hungry person and is not properly dressed, he will not believe you.

“He will say if God can do what you claim, why hasn’t he done it for you and people disbelieve native doctors because they would claim to make one rich yet dress in rags,” he said.

Umahi noted that the pastors, CAN members, over 5, 000 empowered widows, government officials among others, would participate at the flag off of his campaign rally on Nov. 18, at the Pa Ngele Oruta stadium.

“We would fast from 8.am to 6.pm on that day with the divine mandate pastors from the 13 Local Government Areas of the state, subsequently fasting and praying for election successes in the state and country.”

Mrs Eunice Oyeyemi, Coordinator of the divine mandate pastors, said that the prayer team was born out of the governor’s initiative and absolute trust in God for wisdom and direction.

“The governor is like the biblical King David who will not go into any battle until he has heard from God as he believes in the prayers of genuine men of God.

“These pastors devote their time and pray across the 13 LGA for the government while mobilising their faithful to regular praise nights and other activities of the government,” she said.
She noted that the empowerment would bring smiles and encourage the pastors who have been interceding for the government since its days of struggle till now.

“The governor believes that we should not depend on our churches and people around us for survival as we have our Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) to deliver on our mandate,” she said.

Rev. Fr Abraham Nwali, the Chairman of CAN in Ebonyi thanked the governor for the gesture and pledged the continued prayers and support of the church to his administration.

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The Peruvian Government Has Officially Classified Transgender, Nonbinary And Intersex People As “Mentally ill”

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According to the country’s ministry of health, the controversial decision was made to ensure the country’s public health services could “guarantee full coverage of medical attention for mental health” for the trans community.

It also categorises “dual-role transvestitism,” “fetishistic transvestism,” and “other gender identity disorders” under the same bracket of mental illness.

The new law will change language in the Essential Health Insurance Plan (PEAS) to reflect the view of trans and intersex people as a mental health disorder.

Trans groups across Peru have loudly condemned the decision as a step backwards for the country’s already complex relationship with LGBTQ+ rights.

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Math Teacher Accused Of Having Sex With 2 Students And Getting Pregnant For One Tearfully Reveals The Baby Was Taken Away From Her

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The UK teacher who had a baby with an underage student while on trial for having sex with another teenage boy broke down in court after revealing her newborn baby girl had been “taken away” from her.

Manchester math teacher Rebecca Joynes, 30, sobbed to jurors over how her baby was taken “24 hours after being born” this past January — and now she only sees her for nine hours a week, Joynes told jurors on Monday, May 13, according to the Manchester Evening News.

“At the moment I have contact with her three times a week for three hours and that’s it,” she said through tears.

Joynes was arrested and released on bail on orders not to have unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 after allegedly grooming her pupil, known as Boy A in court, by buying him a $430 Gucci belt before bringing him to her apartment for unprotected sex.

She was suspended from school and eventually fired, but soon after, she began having a relationship with a 15-year-old boy, known in court as Boy B, whom she had a baby with in January.

Joynes, who has denied having sex with either boy when they were underage, told the court that when she learned of the allegations against her she had gone to the second boy in a “panic” and he deleted all of her phone’s content.

The former teacher denied having a sexual relationship with the second boy until after he turned 16 and she was already suspended from teaching.

According to her narration,

She said he had added her on Snapchat twice, which she only accepted the second time because she thought he “wanted to tell her something.”

Joynes said a friendship developed and he quickly became her “best friend” even though the boy would make flirtatious and sexualized comments toward her when he was drunk.

She told jurors that it wasn’t until after his 16th birthday that he messaged her saying “I’ve left school now” with a winky face.

After she received notice that she had been dismissed from her job, he went to her apartment, where following an emotional conversation, they had sex.

The two then entered a relationship that Joynes described as “quite toxic” telling the court how the teenager was “very controlling.”

After discovering she was pregnant, Joynes hid love notes for the boy to find around her apartment.

The notes eventually led to a piece of baby clothing that had the words “I love my daddy to the moon and back” written on it.

The court was told that she gave birth to their baby girl in January, but following an emergency court hearing, the newborn was taken away from Joynes.

Joynes has denied two counts of sexual activity with Boy A; two counts of sexual activity with Boy B; and two counts of sexual activity with Boy B while being a person in a position of trust.

Her trial is ongoing.

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First Man To Receive Pig Kidney Transplant Has Died

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The first Man to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the operation.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), which carried out the procedure in March, announced Sunday, May 12, that Richard “Rick” Slayman, 62, has died.

They said there was no indication his death was a result of the transplant.

Transplants of other organs from genetically modified pigs have failed in the past, but the operation on Mr Slayman, who was suffering with end-stage kidney disease, was hailed as a historic milestone.

In addition to kidney disease, Mr Slayman also suffered from Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

In 2018, he had a human kidney transplant, but it began to fail after five years.

Following his pig kidney transplant on March 16, his doctors confirmed he no longer needed dialysis after the new organ was said to be functioning well.

“Mr Slayman will forever be seen as a beacon of hope to countless transplant patients worldwide and we are deeply grateful for his trust and willingness to advance the field of xenotransplantation,” MGH said in a statement.

Xenotransplantation is the transplanting of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another.

MGH said it was “deeply saddened” at his sudden death and offered condolences to his family.

Mr Slayman’s relatives said his story was an inspiration.

“Rick said that one of the reasons he underwent this procedure was to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive,” they said.

“Rick accomplished that goal and his hope and optimism will endure forever.

“To us, Rick was a kind-hearted man with a quick-witted sense of humour who was fiercely dedicated to his family, friends, and co-workers,” they added.

While Mr Slayman received the first pig kidney to be transplanted into a human, it is not the first pig organ to be used in a transplant procedure.

Two other patients have received pig heart transplants, but those procedures were unsuccessful as the recipients died a few weeks later.

In one case, there were signs the patient’s immune system had rejected the organ, which is a common risk in transplants.

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