The Police in Igando Division have discovered a shrine in the bedroom of Godwin Adiele, the pastor of a new generation church in Lagos.

The discovery followed the involvement of the 39-year old pastor in the kidnap of another pastor, Chidi Ebube, and the allegation by his wife, Anthonia Onyinye Adiele, that her husband was a ritualist.

P.M.NEWS gathered that the police acted on the information that he had a shrine in his house which he consults without his members’ knowledge.

When the police raided his house at 1, Bishop Godwin Adiele Crescent, Isheri-Idimu, they found the shrine in his bedroom.

The discovery of the shrine has confirmed the claims of Anthonia, his wife, that her husband was involved in rituals.

Anthonia made the allegation in an affidavit she filed at a Lagos court while seeking divorce from her husband of 11 years. She is now in hiding with her nine-year old son after she escaped from the pastor’s house.

She claimed further that the pastor attempted to use her and their only son, Gospel Ozioma Adiele, for money ritual.

Mrs. Adiele claimed that one day, her husband called her and told her that he had vowed that he would be a billionaire and live in his own house before he clocks 40 years. The pastor is now 39 years old.

“Since then, he had been behaving strangely and as his wife, I have no access to his bedroom which is always shut,” she stated in her affidavit.

Pastor Adiele is currently facing trial at the Ejigbo Magistrate’s Court for alleged kidnapping.

He and Pastor Joseph Atoyebi, 51 of Anointed Word Ministries, Lagos, were alleged to have kidnapped Pastor Chidi Ebube for leaving the church “after knowing too much.”

The victim was abducted on Igando road and imprisoned at Pastor Adiele’s house for three days.

Narrating his ordeal to P.M.NEWS, the victim said he joined the church thinking that the mode of worship and doctrine was in line with the teaching of Jesus Christ, but discovered that the church was into rituals, and he did not like it.

He decided to leave the church quietly but they kidnapped him and compelled him to take an oath not to disclose what he had seen and learnt about the church. He was, however, lucky as he escaped and reported his abduction to the police.

Former Managing Director of Oceanic Bank Plc, Mrs. Cecilia Ibru, is to lose 28 properties in Dubai, the United Arab Emirate, to the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged financial impropriety.

P.M.NEWS learnt that the EFCC has uncovered the houses, though there was no confirmed report of when Mrs. Ibru acquired the properties.

A source close to the EFCC informed P.M.NEWS that the agency was able to trace the properties located at the Al Warsan region of Dubai, along the Dubai-Hatta Road, between Interchange 5 and 6 of Emirates Road, Opposite the Dubai Central Fruit and Vegetable Market.

The anti graft agency has vowed to mount surveillance on Mrs. Ibru who last Friday won a legal battle to travel abroad.

Ruling on a motion filed by Mrs. Ibru, the presiding judge, Mr. Justice Dan Abutu said the former Oceanic Bank boss could travel to the US for medical attention but she must return to the country and appear in court on 26 January, 2010.

Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, had in an interview with the influential Financial Times of London, accused Mrs. Ibru of contributing immensely to the problems of the bank.

Sanusi disclosed that Mrs. Ibru and members of her family cornered about 70 per cent of the total loans the bank granted to customers, before her removal from office.

He added that Mrs. Ibru and her family obtained loans from Oceanic Bank to purchase property in Lagos Island, Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Dubai.

“About 70 per cent of the loan in the bank is non accrual. At least, 70 per cent of that is somehow or other tied to the Chief Executive Officer or her family,” Sanusi said.

Sanusi said the EFCC was mandated to go after the properties and assets acquired by the former bank CEO, adding that the EFCC was cooperating with the CBN in locating the properties and assets which will be forfeited to the government.

Mrs. Ibru, 63, and four other banks chief executives were sacked by the CBN on 14 August, 2009 when the five banks failed the audit exercise conducted by the apex bank.

By Masterweb News Desk

The handwriting is gradually appearing on the Nigerian wall of state of affairs. Multinational companies are gradually moving their headquarters out of the country, and in some cases the entire business outfit. Indications have emerged that Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Plc, producers of Coca-Cola, may be on its way out of Nigeria, heading to Cote d’Ivoire. NBC manufactures and distributes over 33 brands of Coca-Cola products in Nigeria. If this comes true, NBC Plc which began production in Nigeria in 1953 would join the long list of multinationals and other companies relocating to neighbouring West African countries in the last few years.

NBC according to reports blames the poor state of Nigerian roads, insecurity and erratic power supply and bank crisis as reasons for its planned relocation. They attribute the economic downturn from bank crisis as a multiplier effect on bad business climate in Nigeria from worsening insecurity and poor infrastructure.

The soft drink giant according to sources, has written major stakeholders about its intention to leave Nigeria. This according to the source, they attributed to the poor state of Nigerian roads, insecurity, erratic power supply and bank crisis resulting to dry up of commercial loans. First Bank reportedly, is the only bank out of a total of 24 in the country that is still granting commercial loans. ( Continues below…, )

Coca Cola Products - 24 can case, single can & single bottle

Photos Above: Coca Cola Products - 24 can case, single can & single bottle

A NBC spokeswoman speaking on condition of anonymity, denied plans of the company leaving Nigeria. She said NBC would not easily leave the country as she still maintains 13 production plants in the country hiring about 6,000 workers with 200,000 distribution outlets. She questioned: “Where will we go to?” Mr. Clem Ugorji, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Corporate Communications Head, in a press statement denied relocation plans out of Nigeria by the company. “It is absolute falsehood, without any basis,” Ugorji said.

In what seemed to buttress its rebuttal of alleged plans of relocation, Coca-Cola embarked on its traditional Nigerian Christmas tree lighting ceremony started in 2007. On December 10, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, lighted Coca-Cola Christmas tree, described as the tallest Christmas tree in Africa. The event took place at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, where Coca-Cola Nigeria set up the presumed tallest African Christmas tree. The Christmas tree has over one thousand branches adorned with over 7,500 ornaments and illuminated with 40,200 bulbs and light-emitting diodes.

The colourful tree-lighting ceremony was attended by dignitaries from across the country, including media executives, news reporters, music and Nollywood celebrities. Coca-Cola Nigeria Managing Director, Islay Rhind, speaking at the event explained that the idea to grow the tallest Christmas tree in Africa was conceived in 2007. He said: “We have started a tradition by introducing something different in Africa. The tree is not just a tree. It is a reflection of Nigeria’s cultural heritage and tonight we would be recognizing some Nigeria’s great cultures.” ( Continues below…, )

Coca Cola Nigeria Xmas Tree

Photos Above: Coca Cola Nigeria 2009 Xmas Tree presumed the tallest in Africa

Coca-Cola has over the years raised its investment profile in Nigeria. In 1999, shortly after the swearing-in of Obasanjo as President of Nigeria, NBC led a delegation to Aso Rock to register support for the new administration. The delegation during it’s meeting with Obasanjo promised to support Nigeria’s economy through increased direct investments. NBC invested over N10 billion naira in the country between 2000 to 2007.

In 2005, the company made an investment of $150 million in manufacturing and new agricultural initiatives in the country. The investment was said to be the largest single injection of foreign funds in the country for some time by a private sector company. In 2007, NBC summed up their promise with the building of the Abuja plant. The Abuja plant was commissioned by President Umaru Yar’Adua in September of that year.

Welcoming guests to the commissioning event, NBC Managing Director, Mr. Roland Ebelt, said: “The commissioning of this facility is the culmination of a commitment made about eight years ago. In 1999, the Coca-Cola System in Nigeria made a commitment to the then newly elected President, Olusegun Obasanjo, to invest over $50 million in the economy. Over the past years, we have fulfilled more than this commitment in several ways, beginning with the commissioning of our ultra modern plant in Benin, we have also invested in modernizing and upgrading all of our production lines as well as our electricity and water supply across the country. Our total investments over years- 2000 to 2007 have amounted to more than N10 billion.”

Ebelt continued: “We are proud today that we have made good our commitment, culminating with the commissioning of the Abuja plant, a state-of-the art facility that can compete with any modern bottling facility in the world. The commissioning of this plant, our 13th in the country, further re-affirms our commitment to the Nigerian economy and to all our stakeholders- the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the more than 50,000 stakeholders who are vital to the sustainability of our business, our customers who have made our products the most popular in the country, our customers whose support and enthusiasm for the business is much appreciated, our suppliers who provide the needed service on time, associates of other companies, and last but not the least, the Coca-Cola Company and the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, whose partnership and substantial technical support are so vital to our continuity as well as our staff who strive each day to ensure the success of the business.”

On a different note, a Nigerian industry source speaking on condition of anonymity with regards to Coca-Cola’s reported relocation bid, said: “Repeatedly, the macroeconomic and micro-economic conditions in the country are failing companies, as they become very uncompetitive. Though the closure may not affect adversely the availability, pricing and bottling of the company’s beverages, it is again sad to note that some jobs will be lost. The fact remains that some employed Nigerians would be out of jobs not for incompetence, fraud or retirement but again, because of the failure of the government to provide an enabling business environment. It is clear that Nigeria may have the large market to absorb products, but it does not have the business environment to nurture the production of these products. This probably accounts for why manufacturing companies are considering going to the neighbouring countries to produce and eventually return to Nigeria to sell the products.”

Most consumer goods in Nigeria today, are no longer produced in the country. A look at the labels on these goods would confirm this. This means that Nigeria, ‘The Giant of Africa’ with a population of 150 million, relies on goods from abroad for survival.

HOPE of early end to the current fuel scarcity across the country was yesterday dashed as members of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), began an indefinite strike over alleged extortion, harassment, brutality, arrest and detention of eight of their members by men of the Nigerian Navy at the Naval base, Apapa, Lagos.

But the Naval authorities have dismissed the tanker drivers allegations, describing tankers drivers as a group of unruly, undisciplined and people who have constituted a menace to other road users especially around the base.

Chairman of Western Zone of Chairman, Comrade Tokunbo Korodo, told Saturday Vanguard that members would not return to work until Naval authorities not only guaranteed the safety of members but also stop their men from extorting tanker drivers.

“For over a month now, men of Nigerian Navy, at the Naval Base Apapa, have been extorting tankers drivers before allowing them to pass through to NIPCO Plc depot to load products. Since the fuel scarcity started, they have been demanding between N5,000 and N30,000 from tanker drivers before allowing them to pass. Because of this, yesterday (Thursday), we held a meeting with their leaders who told us that if it is true that the tankers drivers are being extorted, we should take the identities of those involved and that if possible, we should take their photograph and get back to them.

So, this morning (yesterday), when they started, our members challenged them and resisted. The Chairman of NIPCO unit of PTD, Alhaji Ambali, who led others to challenge them was beaten to a coma. Eight of our members were arrested and detained at the Naval Base, Apapa, while many others were seriously brutalised. Other members had to run away to prevent the Naval personnel from brutalising and arresting them.

The Naval personnel were threatening to deal with any tanker driver seen around the vicinity. Because of that, members have decided to withdraw their services until further notice. So, members have since morning stopped lifting products.”

But the Naval authorities dismissed the tanker drivers allegation, describing them as a group of unruly, undisciplined and people who have constituted themselves into a menace on the road.

Speaking to Saturday Vanguard on telephone, Director of Naval Information, Commodore David Nabaida, said neither was any tanker driver arrested nor brutalised, stressing that even the allegation of extortion was unfounded.

He noted that contrary to the tanker drivers’ claims, “a tanker driver used his tanker to block the road and caused a heavy traffic. When our men came down to find out what was happening, the tanker driver abandoned the truck and ran away.

Our men had to tow the tanker to Naval dump site. This incident happened in the morning. Nobody was arrested or brutalised.

You know how these people behave. They are a group of unruly and undisciplined people who like to constitute menace on the road. Immediately, they started saying they would go on strike. Because they transport an important community needed by everybody, does that give them the right to block the road and prevent other road users from using the road?”

He challenged the tanker drivers to provide evidence of any extortion by his personnel and see if such officer would not be disciplined.

David Terrel, writing in his website, www.angelfire.com stated:
“All authorities agree that the customs surrounding Christmas, the Christmas tree, mistletoe, holy wreaths, Yule logs, stockings on the hearth, exchanging gifts and so on were practiced in connection with pagan religious celebrations centuries before the birth of Jesus.

None are of Christian origin. Anciently, December 25, was the date of the pagan Roman Brumalia, the final day of the popular week-long Saturnalia celebrations, celebrated in honour of the god Saturn. It was the day of the ‘‘invincible sun’’–– a winter solstice festival.

It is general knowledge that Christmas has great significance mostly for businessmen and bacchanalians. Richard Hole in the article, “Is Christmas pagan” published on the Internet, stated: “Christmas and Easter have to a great extent lost their true meanings and are largely about buying unnecessary products from multinationals.

This is giving multinationals more profit and power and causing financial misery for poor people. The commercialization of Christmas and Easter and the buying of Easter eggs and gifts which people don’t need are a way for the world system to focus people away from what they should be using their money and time for.”

The level of licentiousness, debauchery or depravity to which some descend in the name of Christmas do not give honour to God and Christ and this is no doubt due to its pagan origins.

A national daily of Sunday December 23, 2001, page 7 carried a shocking headline: “Sex gift for Australian Business men This Christmas” The story stated that “sex romps are being given out as Christmas bonuses by some of Australia’s biggest retailers.

Sales staff are increasingly being offered sex parties at brothels instead of cash. One brothel madam told BBC News Online she was struggling to keep up with demand from customers “December is our busiest month” said Mary ––Anne Kenworth, who runs a business in Perth, Western Australia.

“We increase our turnover by at least 25% during the festive season” It added that one salesman told the BBC “these sleazy incentives were made available to staff and customers on a regular basis, especially at Christmas.” But is that what Xmas really means? Saturday Vanguard asks men of God.

Christmas delivers us from eternal condemnation —Bishop Mike Okonkwo,
Presiding Bishop of TREM

Christmas signifies the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. The birth of Jesus is so significant because if not for his coming, man would have continued to slaughter goats and rams to cover sin and we would have never had the privilege of being called the sons of God.

Put on your imagination, can you imagine how many goats we will be slaughtering today for atonement? Can you imagine the cost of going all the way to Israel where the High Priest resides?

We would have been eternally damned. Can you imagine the agony of eternal separation from God? That is what the coming of Jesus delivered us from. I have heard many people arguing about the date: whether it is 25th of December or January or February. Beloved, it is not about the particular date that He was born.

It is sufficient to know that He was born. He came to earth to pay the price and gave us access into the very presence of God. That is what Christmas is all about. If there was no Christmas, there would have been no Easter.
Jesus was born to carry our burden —Apostle Hayford Alile Spiritual leader of St Joseph Chosen Church of God

THE significance is that we had the Garden of Eden in the first earth that God created for man. And God wanted Adam and Eve to be in kingdom on earth”. And God sent Jesus, the Christ, to be the chief gardener on this earth. Jesus had to come as a stainless person. Christ, through a virgin came with a direct objective and mission.

Not only did he carry our burden, he also made us good citizens of that kingdom; this new kingdom called the earth. You will be shocked that heaven should not be our first priority.

Our first priority to accept is the kingdom of God and his righteousness because every other thing that you and I want God has already created them. So, this Christmas a kind of reminder of this new covenant and new agreement by God with you and I.

Jesus died to save Human kind—Bishop Leonard Umunna
General Overseer, Bible Life Church
LET me give some clarification before answering that question, when I was a little younger I realized that Christmas was not in December, but in October. But why then does it have to take place in December?. The religious leaders of old looked for a way to pull the crowd.

The yuletide season makes it also very vital and these two things have overtaken the real significance of the coming of Jesus Christ to this world. Christ came and died a painful, shameful dis-humanizing death, I don’t know how else to describe a man who is fully blooded.

Thirty-three and half years yet he suffered for twenty four hours in agonizing ways after he had prayed throughout the years.

The Roman leaders of then said he should be released but the religious leaders said no, that he must be crucified whether he was right or wrong. But because it was a divine will of God, he laid down his life.

Am trying to draw our minds to what happened then to now and the reason why we have to go for the spiritual or true religious Christmas and not the way we are celebrating it now.

If we can all remember his crucifixion, then we will understand the fact of what we are celebrating because without understanding the purpose of his coming, then celebrating his birth is profitless. But instead of sharing out the word of God, showing out the salvation that has been brought to us, we are busy drinking, eating, womanizing and from there, abortion will follow.

And nine months from now, you will see many children born into the world. All these and many are happening because they have failed to take into cognisance the full significance of Christmas.

So, anybody that did not accept Christ as his Lord and Savior should certainly forget about it.

The significance of Christmas is supposed to be :I am celebrating Christmas because Jesus Christ came ,died for me and saved my life.

The secret of Christmas—Very Rev. Msgr. Gabriel Osu
Director of Social Communications, Lagos Catholic Archdiocese

THE greatest event in human history is Christmas; it’s the greatest festival which all people – Christians, Muslims, Pagans (atheists) and non-conformists enjoy and observe, also the holidays that go with it.

To know and enjoy the secrets of Christmas, let me share with you the thoughts of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, India, (as it was shared in the Messenger of Saint Anthony) – who was canonized at a record speed of just six years in 2003. She gave us the most beautiful thoughts on Christmas – this most important feast, we should do well to study it in great depths.

“The Virgin Mary was the first Daughter of Charity, However, before assuming that role, she emptied her soul completely of herself, and offered herself as a servant of the Lord.

“A t Christmas, Christ appears as a small child – helpless, and in great need of all that love can give. Are we ready to receive Him? If Mary and Joseph were looking for a place in which to deliver Him, would they choose your home with all its material comforts?

“Our desire is not to receive Jesus in a heart which is, at times, like a cold manger but in a heart which is overflowing with love and humility, in a pure, immaculate heart filled with love for one’s neighbour.

“Think about it! It is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and sister and offer them your hand, every time you listen to them in silence, every time you share your hopes with those in bondage1 (those who are oppressed by physical, moral and spiritual poverty), every time you own up to your defects and weaknesses. It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you.

Mother Teresa was essentially a very simple person; someone who at Christmas sang “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. Her secret therefore lies elsewhere. She was simply in love with Christ.

She was a woman whose heart had been pierced by Jesus, in whose face she saw the face of love. She felt the thirst for God as the thirst for love. And she said “yes” to that call of love!

She went our in search of the poor in order to love them with the love of God, and to console them with the only truly comforting words we can hear – “God loves you”. Her untiring words to everyone were always “God is Love.”

Mother Teresa’s whole secret lies in these words, but these words are the essential secrets of Christianity. To celebrate Christmas worthily means to transform our hearts into warm and cosy mangers so as to receive the poor and the destitute.

Let us therefore make our own Mother Teresa’s prayer: “Mary, Mother of Jesus. Please give us your exalted, immaculate heart filled with love and meekness. Please help us to receive Jesus as the Bread of Life, to love Him with the same love with which you love Him, and to serve Him when He appears ,disguised in the sorrow-laden poor.”

May the Christmas season remind you always of Jesus Christ, and bring you a happy and healthy New Year.

Christmas has nothing to do with Christ, it has significance mainly for businessmen
—Oseghale Emmanuel Aighalua, President, GKS

SPEAKING spiritually, December 25 has no significance for true Christians in that it is not the date of Christ’s birth. Rather, it is the date of a notorious pagan festival which the orthodox Churches took on and baptized. Scholars very well know that it was in order to win gentile converts to the Christian faith that the Roman Catholic Church, more than three centuries after the apostolic era, adopted this ancient pagan festival in honour of the sun god and renamed it Christmas with the mind of winning them to Christianity.

The Bible, ecclesiastical and profane history and the geographical features of Palestine show that Christ could not have been born in December.

According to the book, The True Bible Code published in Britain in 2000: “There is nothing ‘Christian’ about Christmas. Christmas is basically and essentially Pagan Christmas as well as Easter, Halloween, and Mardi Gras.

Each of them has come to us from ancient Babylon, through Rome. It was for this very reason that in Calvin’s Geneva, you could have been imprisoned for observing Christmas.”

It is on record that at the request of the Westminster Assembly, the English Parliament in 1644 passed an act forbidding the observance of Christmas, calling it a heathen holiday.

The General Court of Massachusetts decreed punishment for those who kept the season stating that, “anyone who is found observing, by abstinence from labour, feasting or in any other way, any such days as Christmas Day will pay for every such offence five shillings.”

The Holy Bible shows clearly that Jesus Christ was born in the month of October.
The fact that the churches of Christendom observe the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in April, confirms that his birth could not have taken place in December.

Of a truth, he was killed in April, which is Nisan or Abib, the first month of the Jewish year, when the Feast of Passover or Unleavened Bread was celebrated. We all agree that Jesus Christ lived for 33 1/2 years.

Now let us admit that he was born in December as the churches teach, it will mean, therefore, that his 33rd birthday anniversary fell on December, and six months later, which was June, he died.

If it was so, why then are the churches celebrating his death in April and not in June? The plain truth is that he was born in October. His 33rd birthday then fell on October, and six months later, that is, in June, he was slain.

Also, Zecharias the Priest officiated in the eight course which falls in the fourth monthy of the Jews known as Tammuz which answers to be latter June and early July.

He finished his officiation in early July after which his wife conceived. In the sixth month of her conception, the Angel announced to Mary that she will conceive and bear Jesus Christ and her cousin Elizabeth acknowledged in her inspired declaration when she visited her in early January that she was pregnant, calling her “the mother of my lord”.

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months, from January to March, meaning that Elizabeth’s pregnancy was then nine months, and went back to her house. Since the span of foetal life is nine months with delivery taking place in the tenth month, it follows that by the tenth month, April, Elizabeth was due to deliver and she brought forth John.

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has revealed that the former Managing Director of Oceanic Bank PLC., Dr. (Mrs.) Cecilia Ibru and members of her family cornered 70 per cent of the total loans the bank granted to customers before she was removed.

In an interview with the Influential Financial Times of London, the CBN governor accused Mrs. Ibru of contributing substantially to the problems of the bank.

He also revealed how Mrs. Ibru and members of her family took loans from the bank to buy choice property in Lagos Island, Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Dubai.

“If you take a bank like Oceanic, which is the one we are talking about, about 70 per cent of the loan is non accrual. At least, 70 per cent of that is somehow or other tied to the CEO and her family,” Sanusi said.

The CBN governor disclosed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was mandated to go after these properties and assets.

He disclosed that the EFCC was cooperating with the CBN in identifying the locations of these properties and assets, adding that once they are identified, they will be forfeited to the government.

Sanusi also revealed that the Federal Government was not taking chances about his security, adding that since he moved against bank directors who mismanaged their banks, his security has been beefed up.

“From the very beginning, the President decided that there was no point taking chances. From 14 August, he asked that the security around me be increased,” he disclosed.

Ibru, 63, and four other top bank CEOs were sacked by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, on 15 August this year, after the financial institutions failed an audit exercise conducted by the apex bank.

The CBN’s examiners revealed that the banks had accumulated margin loans of N500 billion, among other loans, that had gone bad and eroded their shareholders’ funds.

Ibru, on 26 August surrendered herself to the EFCC, after days of playing hide-and-seek with the anti-graft body, which had declared her wanted, following her sacking by the CBN.

Ibru was later arraigned on 31 August at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, by the EFCC.

She was charged with fellow former MDs, Okey Nwosu (FinBank), Sebastian Adigwe (Afribank), and Barth Ebong (Union), accused of committing economic crimes by granting loans worth billions of naira without collateral.

Ibru was arraigned on a 25-count charge, among them for allegedly granting N100 billion bad loans, including non-performing ones to seven companies, and another to Edesiri Onateji Ibru without security.

She also allegedly granted over N25.5 billion loan without the approval of the CBN, contrary to banking regulations.

She was, however, granted bail on 15 September, alongside other accused bank directors, by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

Ibru and other accused persons were each admitted to bail in the sum of N100 million and two sureties in like sum.

www.sunnewsonline.com, Wednesday December 16, 2009. Please check today

A 35-year-old housewife who mindlessly hawks human parts in Port Harcourt has been arrested. The suspect simply identified as Modina, an indigene of Agbolo Town in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State but resident in Port Harcourt, was picked up from her shop at the Mile 3 Market in Diobu area of the Rivers State Capital.

Police detectives acting on a trip-off had approached her, feigning to be prospective buyers of her weird goods.
Unknown to her that she was hosting the wrong guests, the suspect was said to have haggled with her ‘customers’ who had approached her for a human skull for quite some time before she finally fixed the ‘last price’ at N45,000.
It was in the process of producing the skull that the housewife- from- hell was arrested.
It was gathered that several human parts and the parts of some special animals and birds were later recovered from her home during a search conducted by the police.

The suspect who had her primary and secondary education in Port Harcourt allegedly later confessed that she had been on the filthy trade for more than 11 years. She was alleged to have told her interrogators that a penis goes for N60,000 while a female breast attracts N30,000.

Similarly, a human tongue and hand cost N40,000 and N25,000 respectively at Modina’s shop.
The suspect who said she arrived in Port Harcourt in 1985, was said to have made useful statement to the police on how she gets her supply of human parts.

When contacted, Police spokesperson in the state, Mrs Rita Inoma-Abbey (DSP) confirmed the arrest and told Daily Sun that investigation was still in progress.

Two pastors of a new generation church in Lagos have been arrested by the police and charged to court for allegedly kidnapping their colleague.

The two pastors, Godwin Adiele, 39 and Joseph Atoyebi, 51 of Anointed Word Ministries, Lagos were alleged to have kidnapped Pastor Chidi Ebube for leaving the church “after knowing too much.”

The victim was abducted along Igando Road and imprisoned at Pastor Adiele’s residence at 1, Bishop Godwin Adiele Crescent, Powerline, Isheri-Idimu, Lagos for three days.

Narrating his odeal to P.M.News, the victim said he joined the church, thinking that the mode of worship and the doctrine was in line with the teaching of Jesus Christ, but he discovered that the church was into rituals and he did not like.

He explained that he told the wife of the General Overseer, Pastor Adiele, what he discovered and decided to leave them quietly. But they kidnapped him and compelled him to take an oath not to disclose what he had seen and learnt about the church.

He was, however, lucky as he escaped from where he was chained and ran to the Igando Police Station where he reported the incident.

The police arrested Pastors Godwin and Joseph Atoyebi who reside at Plot 80, Collins Elebede Avenue, Lari Bus Stop, Igando new town estate and charged them with kidnapping and stealing at the Ejigbo Magistrate’s Court.

The police accused the two pastors of conspiring and unlawfully imprisoning the victim.

The second charge accused them of tying the hands and legs of the victim with an iron chain, beating and macheting him all over his body to compel him enter into an undertaking.

The offence is contrary to sections 355, 365 and 390 of the Criminal Code, Cap.17, Vol. 2, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

They pleaded not guilty to the five-count charge and the magistrate, Mrs. Maimunat Folami granted them bail in the sum of N100,000 with two responsible sureties.

The court ordered that one of the sureties must be a blood relation and another a religious leader. They must also show evidence of payment of tax.

The matter has been adjourned till 28 December, 2009

The Lagos State Government, in a statement last night, denied speculations that there is rift between Governor Babatunde Fashola and his predecessor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In a statement issued by the state's Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Opeyemi Bamidele, the state government has dismissed media reports, innuendos and speculations that a rift exists between Fashola and his illustrious predecessor, Asiwaju Tinubu.

The commissioner insisted that the relationship between both men is on sound footing.
According to Bamidele, "Tinubu has never mounted any pressure on the State Governor and Government and any such report is mischievous, wicked and malicious.

"It is also not true that Governor Fashola had twice nearly resigned following illicit demands and indecent pressure and harassment on him. This is totally baseless, unfounded and a figment of warped imagination.
“Governor Babatunde Fashola, would like to dissociate himself from these ugly speculations and this diabolic scheme of dreaming up conflicts where there are none.

“He claims no exclusive credit for any achievement. Whatever credits he claims are to the extent that he was lucky among other talents to have been chosen to continue whatever schemes and programmes his illustrious predecessor started ñ and that is about everything, including the BRT and Waste-to-Wealth programme, which meticulous planning and clinical execution could not have been a product of less than six years.

Continuing, the state government said it was not aware of any move to impeach Governor Fashola by the members of the State Assembly, adding that ìthose who are bent on creating a conflict where none existed have their own agenda.
“But Governor Fashola will not be party to such plots as he told the media on Tuesday, December 8, 2009, there is nothing to these ugly rumours.

“For emphasis there is no, and there will never be any, conflict between the governor and his predecessor”.
While the Governor gives Asiwaju Tinubu his due regards, the former governor has treated his successor and protÈgÈe with utmost courtesy, befitting his exalted office."
Bamidele asked the public to disregard these wicked and ugly rumours, calling them ìdistractions that we as a people cannot afford, in our march to build a new Lagos."

I used young girls as baits

“Crocodiles are lovers of girls, so I used young girls to trap the crocodile and bring it out of the water.”

Those were the words of 32-year-old fisherman, Benjamin Abu, as he narrated how he killed a man-eating crocodile that had terrorised a community in Niger State for months. Abu shared his story with an audience, including the Governor of Niger State, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu, at Government House Minna. However, the crocodile hunter assured that the girls were placed at a great distance from the crocodile and their lives were never in danger.

The crocodile, which roamed Sheeta community in Munya Local Government Area for years, killed no fewer than six people and several cows belonging to Fulani herdsmen in the area. As the news of the crocodile’s capture filtered into the community, friends and reations of those that had been killed by the wild animal as well as the Fulani herdsmen who lost their cattle to it stormed the Government House with cudgels to vent their anger. They hit the animal persistently until it could hardly breathe.

Abu, a native of Makurdi, Benue State, said he was born into a family of fishermen, adding that he had lived in Sheeta community for more than 20 years. He said he inherited from his late father the mystical power with which he drew out the crocodile and rendered it powerless.

He said, “My father told me before he died that if I had to capture a crocodile, there must be a complaint against the crocodile. Without a complaint, there cannot be an arrest. I am not supposed to do it for money or as a means of livelihood. I captured it because of the complaints leveled against it by the community, particularly the havoc it had wreaked.”

Abu said the charge to capture the more than 40-year-old crocodile came in the form of a plea by the councillor of the area, Mohammed Kilichi, who approached him and pleaded with him to come to the aid of the community and save the residents’ lives by ensuring that the crocodile was captured.

He recalled that he asked the councillor to give him two weeks to capture the crocodile, revealing, however, that he captured it exactly one week after he was given the assignment.

He also recalled that while monitoring the crocodile, he prevented it from attacking a Fulani woman who was busy washing clothes at the riverside. He said he had to advise the woman to leave the place.

He said he caused the crocodile to move to the bank of the river by rendering certain incantations his father had taught him, while he engaged some young girls to stay at the bank of the river and make a particular sound.

Asked whether using young girls as baits to capture a crocodile did not amount to endangering the lives of the girls involved, a human rights activist and Director General of the African Centre for Human Rights and Justice, Dr. Aliyu Adegbesan, said there was nothing wrong in the fisherman using the girls to get the crocodile out of its enclave. He said, “We are Africans and we don’t need to deceive ourselves. We know that some of these things happen. I see nothing wrong in what the fisherman did, as long as he did not say he told the girls to enter the river with him to bring the crocodile out.

“The role he said the girls played in the whole exercise was to stay at the bank of the river and make a certain sound that would draw out the crocodile. I believe the girls were at a safe distance, so I see nothing wrong in it.

The role of the girls was just to make certain sounds that would draw the crocodile closer to the river’s bank where the fisherman could have access to it. I see nothing wrong with that at all.” The Police Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Command, Mr. Richard Oguche, denied knowledge of the development. He declined further comments on the issue when he was pressed further on the position of the law on the fisherman’s action.

Asked why he brought the crocodile to the state governor if he did not capture it for pecuniary reasons, Abu said it was at the prompting of members of the community who felt that the governor deserved to see it.

He said, “I won’t ask the government for anything, but if the government decides to give me anything, I will collect it.”

Abu alerted the state government that the captured crocodile had a female partner, which he said was still in the river and also had the capacity to cause havoc. He, however, promised to act on the governor’s request that he should help the community to capture the female crocodile alive. But he requested the governor to plead with the elders of the community to prevail on the people not to kill the female crocodile when it was captured.

Abu said the crocodile he captured at Sheeta was the eighth he had captured in different parts of the country in response to pleas by besieged communities.

He said the exact age of the crocodile could be determined if it was slaughtered and its bowel examined, adding that a crocodile swallows a stone at the end of each year it spends on earth. But he said considering its size and state, the crocodile he captured at Sheeta could not be less than 40 years old.

Kilichi, who spoke to our correspondent, said the community had been at the mercy of the crocodile, which repeatedly attacked the people.

“We were aware of the destruction the animals had done in the community even before my appointment as a councillor. But with my coming on board and as the complaints of the crocodiles’ attacks on the people persisted, I met with the elders of the community and we came up with the idea of seeking Abu’s help,” he stated.

He disclosed that he could not come up with solutions to the menace of the crocodile earlier because he was not in a position to do so. He said his election as a councillor gave him an opportunity to address the problem.

Responding to why the community failed to intimate the state government about the the threat posed by the crocodile, he said the community feared convincing the government about the threat the crocodile constituted might be difficult, hence they resorted to self help.

He said, “I have not paid the fisherman a dime. I only approached him for assistance as a friend and a member of the community. I pleaded with him following the number of lives that had been lost to the crocodiles.

The Niger State Governor commended the fisherman for the feat and for coming out boldly to defend the community against the crocodile.

According to him, “The task of ensuring safety of lives and properties is the responsibility of all. It should not be left in the hands of the government or security agents alone. This is what you have just demonstrated with this feat. I want you to see this as your own way of contributing to the well being and welfare of the community you live in.”

Aliyu pleaded with the fisherman to assist the people of the community to bring out the female crocodile, but pleaded with the fisherman to ensure that the female crocodile was not killed, saying that the animal could be kept in one of the relaxation gardens being proposed by the state government.

Admiring the huge frame and size of the crocodile, the state governor requested for its skin, noting that it would be good for quality shoes.

Investigations by our correspondent revealed that the fisherman, who came together with other fishermen and leaders of the community were miffed by the amount of money the Niger State Government paid in appreciation of their efforts. The people believed the sum of N80,000 given to them by the government was too meagre.

Our correspondent reliably gathered that N80,000 was paid to Abu through Kilichi, who collected the money from one of the governor’s aides delegated to effect the payment.

In an interview with our correspondent, the Serkin Ruwa, Alhaji Isa Saidu, confirmed the amount as what was given to Abu and others for their efforts.

The 72-year-old man, who had being the Sarkin Ruwa (head of fishermen) of the community for more than 20 years, also expressed joy that the community would enjoy some respite with the captured crocodile and commended the state government for assigning Abu to capture the female crocodile.

Three prominent fishermen in the area: Audu Bako, Abu Momoh and Salihu Umar, in separate interviews, frowned at what they described as the greed of officials of the Niger State Government whom they claimed did not declare the actual amount given by the governor. They insisted that the money said to be released was far more than the amount given to them, accusing the government official of shortchanging them.

Bako, Momoh and Umar are heads of the Junkun, Igalla and Nupe communities in Sheeta.

Bako said the N80,000 was too meagre, adding that a big live crocodile in the market could sell for as much as N1 million.

He disclosed that the fishermen and the members of the rural community would share the crocodile, but he expressed doubt about the preparedness of the fisherman and the members of the community to release its skin to the state governor as requested because of their belief that they were shortchanged by officials of the state government.

According to him, “We feel shortchanged because we are fishermen and we know the worth of a crocodile, the skin of a crocodile as big as this one will not cost less than N500, 000 in major hotels in Abuja and Kaduna.

“With only N80,000 paid, Abu did not make anything out of it as he had to pay N4,000 for each of the four vehicles that were chartered to take the crocodile and members of the rural community to Government House in Minna. Each of those that followed him collected between N1,000 and N2,000. So the N80,000 did not go to him, even though he collected. He had to share it in the spirit of communal living.”

However, officials of Munya Local Government Area, have promised to attend to the community’s complaint that it was shortchanged. The Secretary of the local government, Alhaji Sulaiman Kato, who confirmed this in an interview with our correspondent, also said the council had concluded arrangements to collect the crocodile skin from the fisherman for onward transfer to the governor.

He said the council would take it upon itself to ensure that Abu’s efforts did not go unappreciated.

A tradomedical practitioner in Lagos has claimed that a 20-year old woman delivered a tortoise and a baby girl in his clinic.

The woman, Rasheedat Raimi, said she had carried the pregnancy for 10 months before she eventually delivered the baby girl and the tortoise at a trado-medical clinic on Mutairu Street, Off Ijegun Road, outskirts of Lagos.
•Rasheedat Raimi, 20 yr old, mother of tortoise and the baby. Photos: Olatunji Obasa.

The owner of the clinic, Shehu Daudu Oseni, said the woman gave birth to the tortoise and the baby girl at 9.49 p.m on Wednesday.

Many orthodox doctors and traditional doctors contacted by P.M.NEWS on the strange delivery quickly dismissed the claim as impossible. Dr. Lawrence Akinsanya said “it is not possible, never, ever”. He said the claim has no basis in the science of reproduction. “It is just not scientifically possible”, he added.

P.M.NEWS gathered that Rasheedat had gone to Yakafi Trado-medical Nigeria Limited to observe Tahajjud (night vigil) with other pregnant women without any premonition that she was due for delivery.

When P.M.NEWS got to the trado-medical clinic, yesterday and this morning, Rasheedat was found looking pale and tired. She was sleeping on a bed in the clinic while her grandmother, Alhaja Taibat, who sat beside her fanned her.

She was in pains as she talked to P.M.NEWS about the strange delivery. “I came to Yakafi for prayers because of the terrible pains I was having in my stomach. Immediately I got here, prayers were offered and immediately there was a burst of water and blood under me. The tortoise came out with the placenta and the baby came out later. I couldn’t believe my eyes, but I was very weak. I was happy the pain left me. I felt relieved after the delivery. I thank God,” she told P.M.NEWS slowly.

On whether she attended ante-natal clinic before the delivery, the young woman said: ”I carried the pregnancy for 10 months. I did scans several times and nobody told me that I was carrying tortoise in my womb. What they always told me was that I am alright and would deliver at the right time,” she added.
•The tortoise.

Attempts by P.M.NEWS to know the hospital or the diagnostic centre where she claimed she had several scans proved abortive as she could not remember the name or address of the centre. She could also not mention the names of the doctor or nurses who attended to her at the clinic.

But corroborating her story, the owner of Yakafi Trado-medical Nigeria Limited, Shehu Dauda Oseni, described the delivery as “amazing”.

“This is amazing, but true. She did not register with my clinic for ante-natal. When she came here with her people, she was in pains, we didn’t know she will deliver here. She only came here for Tahajjud prayers (night vigil). We were praying when suddenly she started wriggling. She was in pains.

“I touched her stomach and observed something strange moving inside her. It was a strange thing. I thought it was a lizard but it turned out to be a tortoise. The tortoise tore the placenta into pieces and came out. The baby came out afterwards.

“She fainted after the delivery and we have to revive her with prayers. This is what God can do. She had several scans but nobody told her that he was carrying a tortoise in her womb. God is great,” he declared.

Rasheedat who is still in the hospital has been visited by her husband, in-laws, relatives and neighbours who trooped to the clinic to catch a glimpse of the strange occurance.

In interviews with P.M.NEWS this morning, however, many orthodox and traditional medical practitioners described the claim as impossible.

Dr. Banji Filani of Sound Health Centre, Lagos, described the claim as untrue. “It is not possible. I don’t believe the story. How can a baby and a tortoise co-habit in a woman’s womb? Medically, it is not possible. Traditionally, it is impossible,” he stated.
•The baby girl.

In his own reaction, Dr. Aberuagba of Aberuagba trado-medical centre countered that the strange birth is possible. “It can happen. It can be done by spiritual manipulations of the foetus. It is the work of dark forces who want to scuttle the birth of the baby but God in his infinite mercy prevented their evil design,” he said.

Another medical doctor, Dr. Rotimi Adesanya said: “The claim is not feasible. More investigations should be conducted on the strange delivery. It is difficult to believe. I don’t believe it can happen,” the Ogun State-based medical practitioner said.

Claims of strange deliveries are common in Nigeria. But such claims have never been verified by the scientific community, allowing beliefs in such miracles to fester.

In 2005, a Russian woman gave birth to a cyclop child ( a cyclop in Greek mythology is a one eyed giant). The cyclop, a female was covered with thick hair; an eye in the center of the head and a trunk that was growing on the head above the eye. Doctors in Russsia then explained that the incredible mutant baby, born pre-term could have arisen from complications during the preganancy, some of them traceable to the use of antibiotics such as tetracycline. Said Dr.Ivan Rylchikov, a specialist: ‘‘The medicine affects the developments of the fetus’ bone and teeth; even a small dose can be dangerous for an unborn child. A cyclop is not viable—they do not live longer than one week. In addition, nature has its own regulator. If the development of the fetus takes an unusual mturn, the probability of a miscarriage increases a lot. This is the way that Mother Nature uses to kill mutants in the womb”.

Doctors in Nigeria are making the same comment on the alleged strange births in suburban Lagos, that the nature has its way of protecting a woman’s womb, with the cervic being shut down once a conceived baby has embedded itself in the mother’s womb. “There is no way the woman would have carried the tortoise in her womb, along with the baby. Because with the cervic closed, there is no way a foreign body would have entered the womb’’, said Dr. Akinsanya.

But Oseni’s nurses who claimed they witnessed the birth affirmed the strange occurrence.

A staff nurse at the clinic who witnessed the delivery, Olaponmile Ajani, said she was there when the delivery took place. She disclosed that Rasheedat had been complaining of severe pains and discomfort in her womb before the delivery.

“The tortoise came out before the baby. It was after several minutes later that the baby now came out.

“Her private part was torn seriously as the tortoise came out. Before then the doctor tried to put his hand into her but the tortoise pulled his hand. By the time it eventually came out we could not believe it, but it was real.”

“The baby was so healthy when she came out because she cried by herself. The baby has no wound or mark. It was a miracle. The tortoise had been feeding on the placenta as it was all torn when it came out.

Other staff of the hospital who witnessed the delivery are Mr. Saheed Soyemi, Mrs. Rasheed, Mrs. Fatimat Useni, Mrs. Aminat

Meanwhile, the hospital has turned into a sort of Mecca to thousands of residents of Ikotun who now throng the clinic to view the strange delivery.

In the aftermath of the blistering criticism of leaders of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye; Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Kumuyi and Bishop David Oyedepo of the Winners Chapel, by Pastor Tunde Bakare, the Pentecostal Christian community has been polarized.

While some church members and pastors have described the radical preacher’s comments as a function of his rabid desire to be in the limelight, even at the expense of others, others said that the fundamentals he raised should be addressed.

Speaking with Saturday Sun, a visibly agitated Deacon Okpara, Media Officer of Winners Chapel, said: “Whatever Pastor Tunde Bakare of Latter Day Assembly says remains his own personal opinion and he is entitled to it. As for us in Winners Chapel, we are too busy to be featuring in such drama. As far as I am concerned, my church is not occultic.

Over 100,000 worshippers come to worship here. Do we bring them by juju? Whatever he said does not change anything. We are busy preparing for Shiloh 2009 with the theme ‘The Hour of Restoration.’
“Whether the devil likes it or not, it shall be successful. Bishop Oyedepo is not occultic and cannot teach occultic doctrines. He is a renowned man of God. He is a man of integrity, who has affected lives within and outside the country. You should know the kind of pastor that Pastor Bakare is if you have been in the media for long.”

Okpara refused to have his photograph taken, threatening hell and brimstone.
When Saturday Sun visited the international office of the RCCG, at the Redemption Camp, on the Lagos-Ibadan Express way, our reporters were asked by one Mrs. Olawole to see a woman heading the legal unit of the church. On the door that leads to her office is written Coordinating Centre.
However, when asked to react to the burning issues raised by Bakare, she retorted: “It has been the tradition of the Redeemed Christian Church of God not to comment on any issue brought from the media. We are mandated not to speak to the media on any issue. However, you can write an application for an interview and address it to the General Overseer (G.O) and take it to Ebute Metta, where our headquarters is.”

Indeed, the bespectacled, dark complexioned and robust woman of average height rebuffed every question, saying: “No comments”.
Saturday Sun wanted to know her name and designation but she said: “Look young man, I cannot tell you my name or my designation because I know you people at The Sun can say that so and so said something that is scandalous. Don’t even describe me. I have told you people what you should know. Good day.”
Efforts to get the official reaction of the Deeper Life Bible Church, at its international headquarters, Ayobo, Lagos, was unsuccessful, as Kumuyi and his key men were said not be available.

However, one of the pastors, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “We should pray for him (Bakare). This shows that he’s not following what the holy book says; he’s derailing from what he is preaching. But people should call him to order and bring him back to what we knew to be. The Deeper Life Bible Church is known for truth; people know that the church stands on the truth. Moreover, he did not catch any Deeper Life pastor committing adultery or stealing or doing anything wrong. But even Christ passed through trying period. It will fizzle out in due time.”

Reacting to Bakare’s interview, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said the pastors involved should be warned. Speaking on behalf of CAN, Engr. Samuel Salifu, general secretary said: “The Bible says it is not by our power but by the Grace of God. So, whatever position we are today, you should always remember that it is not by our works or making, but by His Grace. All this unnecessary bickering and arrogant show of wealth is not the way of Christ. Christian leaders especially, should stop playing God and refrain from unnecessary squabbles and work together for the interest of the church.

“Christians in Nigeria should always remember that they are Christians under the Grace of God and that they would give account of their stewardship when they appear in Heaven. It is, therefore, unnecessary to engage in petty issues when there is God’s work to be done. The stories in the papers between Pastor Tunde Bakare and Pastor Oyedepo are unnecessary. Whether it is T.B Joshua, Oyedepo or Tunde Bakare, all of them are doing great exploits by the Grace of God. It is not by their works because anything outside the Grace of God will end up to nothing.

“Christians must be humble and remained focus on the work of God. It is not by bragging on the pages of newspapers. A Christian is expected to do what is right, transparent, humility and honesty. Unfortunately, brethren dwell so much on prosperity.”

The CAN secretary said that the association does not impose doctrine, adding that churches are free to choose their doctrines. He said: “We don’t impose doctrines on churches. Churches are free to choose whatever doctrine they believe in. But at the end of time, everybody will appear before God and give account of himself. We cannot say one church doctrine is better than the other. It is the business of the church and its members.

However, we will resist any noticeable act of heresy against the church.”
Equally, other pastors are reacting. Speaking on the development, Pastor Daniel Ugochukwu of Fruitful Land Ministry International, Ijegun, said: “We have been taught that we are not to judge anybody, not even our colleagues in the ministry. As pastors, God has not committed judgment into the hand of any man. Jesus said He did not come to judge. God has not made any pastor, any person a judge over anything, if we do, it means pulling the hand of God over an image of God.

“There was a time Jesus gave the parable of a farmer in the Bible: We are to leave the wheat with the chaff, that they should gather all so as not to damage the seed in the process of separating the chaff. A lot of things that are hidden to man today are left for God. There are so many things we try to know when we get to heaven.”

Ugochukwu described Oyedepo as “one of the great fathers of the gospel we have here in Nigeria.”
Pastor Folorunsho Ajao, District Superintendent of Christ Apostolic Church, said: “When we mention church, it is supposed to be a forum where people of God meet. Jesus called us to work together and share our problems. The church does not mean that people should not go out for their business and engaging in daily service. Actually, the issue of regular programmes in the church is not bad because it is not compulsory.

Anyone who attends regular programmes in the church needs it. Otherwise, they will not go. So, it is a matter of choice. Moreover, there is no programme in the church that all attend. For instance, if 1, 000 worshippers are in the church, at least 200 may have time to attend regular church programme, while others go to their businesses. For me, the important issue is to have good purpose. It is unfortunate that some pastors deviate from the godly ways and practise whatever they like.”

Ajao contended that pastors making their wives automatic pastors, even when they were not called and ordained, is not biblical. According to him, all these things started with the proliferation of churches.
Pastor Chukwudi Emmanuel Onyeari, Pastor in charge of Christ Divine Ministries, said: “My reaction to the issue of Christianity is that there is no peace among the churches. Under normal circumstances, pastors are supposed to be united, loving one another so as to make progress. But it is unfortunate that we are seeing a different thing due to selfish interests. Apart from that, there is division among Christians themselves. As a pastor, I do not believe in that ideology.

“On the issues Pastor Bakare raised against some pastors, I believe that everyone has his own calling. For instance, if one has eye problem, he would go to the doctor that treats eye and not teeth ache. Some of us say we are prophets or prophetesses, but we do not know where we are following. For me, I do not address myself as prophet. Rather, I prefer being called a pastor. It bothers me that some of us have messed the whole thing up. Sometimes, we need to ask ourselves questions. Jesus Christ, who we are following was never addressed as an evangelist, pastor, prophet or bishop.

We know Him as Jesus Christ of Nazareth, but today the story is different, everyone wants to be on top for selfish reasons.
“On the issue of pastors making their wives automatic pastors is wrong. In fact, I observed that such things are common in our churches today. Even when a pastor’s wife is called, she has to go through the right process, the Bible college in order to acquire the necessary knowledge to operate successfully. Bible colleges are not there for fun, it is to train servants of God.

There is no shortcut or sentiment. There are other things the pastors’ wives, who are not called, can do to help the church grow, not serve as pastors. The major problem is that some pastors refused to obey what the Bible says. We are expected to seek the kingdom first and then all other things shall be added unto them. But today, some us seek all other things first before the kingdom of God.”

Rev Ifembiri Eugene, President of Divine Mandate Evangelical Outreach Ministry, said: “Concerning the issue, it is a known fact that Pastor Tunde Bakare has been a good contributor to the governance of his nation, directly or indirectly. Many of his prophecies have come to pass. During Obasanjo period, it was due to Bishop Bakare’s stand that made some men of God to be invited during the swearing in.

I believe he has a spiritual insight. There is a reason and that could point on what is on the ground. You can see that till now none of the seven-point agenda has been fully implemented. That shows that the president is not having absolute power to implement his polices. In spite of that, he is there on the platform of PDP. Fifty per cent of our leaders are there for themselves and never bother about the masses.
“In the religious sector, some of our pastors are not doing well.

They deviate from the right path and decide to practise what they feel will favour them. Some of us live bogus and flambouyant lives, not minding how their followers survive. Also, the issue of some of us making our wives pastors without the due process is not in line with true Christian worship. In fact, things have to be done accordingly and there should be no sentiment or favouritism. I served under Pastor W.F. Kumuyi of Deeper Life Church for 10 years. I never knew his wife, Biodun Kumuyi, till she died. But many pastors parade their wives in the ministry. And some of them bring marine spirits into the ministry and use it to pollute other women in the church, who always like behaving like her. If a man has the vision, mission and the direction, he will not marry his ministry with his family. They are two different things.

Pastor Paul Erakhifu of the United Apostolic Church of Christ said: “What God needs from every pastor is to focus attention on their spiritual callings and not to be distracted by the earthly things. With the way some of us are going, the church of God would soon be fully commercialized. It takes total submission, knowledge of God and commitment to succeed in the pastoral duty. So, those of us in the system should not see it as an ordinary business where money is the target.”

Rev Emmanuel Aleyakpo of the Church of God Mission, Apapa branch, said of Bakare’s outburst: “I don’t believe that Bishop David Oyedepo is practising occultism. He is a man of God who preaches the word of God and believes in it. For anybody to say he is an occultist based on what he believes in or do, I disagree with it totally. As for the use of anointing oil, it depends on what one believes in, because it is optional. The oil is meant for anointing believers, which is from the Old Testament. When David was to be made a king, he was anointed and the spirit of God came down upon him. Today, many people have also embraced that part of the portion from the Bible.

“I totally agree with Pastor Tunde Bakare that it is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and not the other way round. But if Oyedepo says it is not the symbol of the Holy Spirit but the life of God in a bottle, this does not mean he is an occultic. And that does not also mean that he is right. The truth is that it is a level of people’s understanding. People must understand that it is not the oil that heals believers but their faith in God. The use of oil is a level of one’s belief. Oyedepo, no doubt, is a man that believes in the word of the Lord and preaches it.

“As for churches preaching about wealth creation, I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. Serving God does not mean one must be poor. God’s house is a place of salvation, deliverance and prosperity. If people were poor before, people expect you to be prosperous as soon as you give your life to God. He is the giver of everything, including prosperity, so a place of God is a place of wealth. Churches preach idea and knowledge to people on how to make money, which they, in turn, bring back to God. It is God that gives them the wisdom and knowledge on how to make money. So, people should not say churches don’t ask their believers on how they make their money. Nobody prays for criminals or evil-minded people to make money for them. Churches pray for people to make use of their lives and be prosperous. It is the blessing of God we offer. As you are blessed, extend it to others also.

“On the issue of a pastor’s wife becoming a pastor because of her husband’s position is dependent on their calling. Some people married people who have the same belief as them in order to move their ministry forward. It helps in strengthening the husband in the work of God. However, that does not mean that when a man becomes a pastor, his wife must automatically become a pastor. That is the truth.”

Pastor Abraham Okoyah said: “As far as I am concerned, I don’t think it is right for anybody to judge the righteousness of another man because it is expressly stated in the scriptures. Every judgment is left in the hands of God. He alone has the right to determine who is doing His will. So, Pastor Tunde Bakare has no right to judge Bishop David Oyedepo. Oyedepo is a man of God, who has advanced in the scripture and has been doing the will of God to the best of my knowledge. For Bakare to regard his preaching and practices as occultic is wrong. I will not toe that line.

I don't argue on religion but the Day of Judgement will tell,

I heard this story on AIT Mini jojo last sunday, is it true?

@MRbrownJAY: That is the ideal and best way a woman should be dressed. It is a dressing that was instructed by God and it gives a woman all the respect and modesty she deserves.

Please note that these findings are from The Africa Report ( http://theafricareport.com/ ), a bi-monthly publication of Paris-based Groupe Jeune Afrique; a separate organization from ChairmanKing.com pasted it on the website.

Charles Soludo deceived us by making us believed all Nigerian banks were healthy until the recent take-over of Spring Bank by Bank PHB, the management and board problem of Wema Bank, the unreleased audited accounts since 2007 by First Inland Bank, Unity Bank.
Soludo covered them up against the interest of Nigerians funds.

It was one of the reasons why his term was not extended. He played politics with Nigerians funds by over looking the sharp practices of some of this banks. The manipulation of bank share prices to lure the public on buying of shares, to lure foreign investors and to pose a fake outlook.
The global meltdown is catching up with these banks because the foreign investor have ran away with their money to save their economy, the sharp practices has been checkmated with the case of Dangote-Otedole AP share manipulation which lead to the sacking of some of NSE officials.

You can deceive people for a while and not for long, please pass the message before your brothers/sisters money go down the drain.

Thank you

Fitch’s 2009 Ratings of Nigerian Banks

Fitch Ratings
National Long-Term Rating Foreign Currency Long-Term IDR
Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC AAA(nga) NR
Guaranty Trust Bank PLC (GTB) AA-(nga) B+/Stable Outlook
Zenith Bank PLC AA-(nga) B+/Stable Outlook
First Bank of Nigeria PLC (FBN) A+(nga) B+/Stable Outlook
Intercontinental Bank PLC A+(nga) B+/Stable Outlook
United Bank For Africa PLC (UBA) A+(nga) B+/Stable Outlook
Union Bank of Nigeria PLC A+(nga) B+/Stable Outlook
Diamond Bank PLC A-(nga) B/Stable Outlook
Oceanic Bank International PLC BBB+(nga) B/Stable Outlook
Ecobank Nigeria PLC BBB-(nga) B-/Stable Outlook
Access Bank PLC BBB-(nga) NR

* NR: Not Rated



Fith Ratings | Nigerian Banking Sector: Annual Review and Outlook | Summary & Outlook:
2008 marked the end of a period of rapid expansion for the Nigerian banking sector with the onset of the global credit crisis and lower oil prices causing a weakening in the operating environment. How the sector deals with the excesses built up in recent years will be a feature for the next couple of years. However, the system-wide consolidation in 2005/2006, when the banks’ minimum capital requirements were raised significantly, has better positioned the sector to absorb these risks, and a slower period of growth would be a positive development.

Share-backed lending has emerged as an important risk consideration following the collapse in share prices since early 2008 and is going to have to be absorbed in some form. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which estimates the sector-wide
exposure to be about NGN800bn-NGN1,200bn at end-2008, has allowed banks to reschedule these obligations, without classifying them as non-performing. Sector estimates vary due to different definitions but, for the Fitch-rated banks, the exposures provided by management appear to be lower. A capital sensitivity test for Fitch-rated banks that assumes a 50% provision against estimated exposures provided by management reveals that no bank would breach minimum capital requirements and all would still have Tier 1 capital ratios above 15%. The sector average total capital adequacy ratio (CAR) was 21.9% at FYE08 with most of the Fitch-rated banks having Tier 1 capital ratios in excess of 20%.

Another area of pressure has been system liquidity. Risk aversion has seen foreign funds being withdrawn (although this was not significant in the first place) and there has been some evidence of a flight to quality due to market concerns about share lending exposures. In response, the CBN has reduced the minimum regulatory liquidity requirements on a number of occasions. While some banks may be under more pressure than others, liquidity in the system appears adequate and Fitch Ratings expects loan-to-deposit ratios to moderate as loan growth slows.

The various risk concerns in the banking system have highlighted the issue of information disclosure deficiencies. While this has improved as banks have sought to access the international capital markets, the sector still has some way to go and
is lagging other emerging markets in this respect and would benefit from the introduction of IFRS and a uniform accounting financial year.

In spite of the environment, Nigerian banks continued to report strong earnings growth in 2008 due to rapid credit growth and the agency expects growth to continue in 2009, although it will be lower. Rapid growth has masked the increasing risk in the system and we expect impaired loans to rise as the economy slows. This rapid credit growth (the highest of any country covered by Fitch during 2007/08) led to Fitch’s Macro Prudential Indicator (MPI) increasing from ‘2’ to ‘3’ in May 2009, the highest risk category. The MPI aims to identify potential for systemic stress.

Given the various issues facing the sector, the following rating actions were taken during 2008: the Outlooks on Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and Zenith Bank Plc were revised to Stable from Positive; Access Bank’s National Long-term rating was downgraded to ‘BBB-’(nga); Ecobank Nigeria Plc’s IDR was downgraded to ‘B-’ from ‘B’; and Union Bank Plc’s Individual rating was downgraded to ‘D/E’ from ‘D’. Should the risks from very rapid credit growth or the exposures to share-backed lending lead to significantly higher impairments, this could result in rating pressure.

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United Bank For Africa after wowing the world with their recapitalisation exercise, Nigerian banks quickly fell into bad habits and a stock market bubble swiftly followed. However, some of them are beginning to see the light.

Strong (Thriving, may be in a position to profit from the crisis):

* Diamond Bank
* First Bank
* Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank)
* Skye Bank

Satisfactory (Some have margin lending issues but all will survive):

* Afribank
* Citibank Nigeria
* Equitorial Trust Bank (ETB)
* Fidelity Bank
* Platinum Habib Bank (Bank PHB)
* Stanbic IBTC
* Standard Chartered Nigeria Bank
* United Bank of Africa (UBA)
* Zenith Bank

Shaken (Serious governance issues need urgent attention):

* Access Bank
* Ecobank Nigeria
* First City Monument Bank (FCMB)
* Intercontinental Bank
* Oceanic Bank
* Sterling Bank
* Union Bank

Stressed (On the ropes, will either sink or be swallowed):

* First Inland Bank
* Spring Bank (pending takeover appeal)
* Unity Bank
* Wema Bank

The oft-quoted veteran investor Warren Buffet once said: “It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who’s been swimming naked.” In the Nigerian banking community, and even at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), there should certainly be some embarrassment now. Some hold the CBN governor, Charles Soludo, responsible for allowing a host of bad banking practices to go unchecked. Fortunately, a growing number of banks are beginning to equate more transparency with better returns. Nigerian banks have had a rough ride. The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has lost over 65% of its value since March 2008 and an estimated N8trn ($54bn) has been wiped off bank stocks, which represent two-thirds of total market capitalisation. The CBN believes that the sector could face up to N1trn of bad loans and has talked of setting up an asset management company onto which banks can offload their toxic assets.

Some banks are badly exposed. Wema Bank has not presented audited accounts since 2007. Unity Bank has not even released its 2007 accounts. For Latyr Diop of Afrinvest West Africa, the reasons are clear: “Most of the banks have over-leveraged their balance sheets during the boom cycle and are stuck with trillions of naira worth of bad debts without disclosing it to investors. Nigeria’s minimum reporting standards only demand the quarterly publication of gross earnings, pre-tax profit, and net profit, making it difficult for investors to estimate future trends.”

The overhaul of the banking system was an uncontested triumph of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s second term (2003-2007). New minimum capital requirements in 2005 caused a quickfire round of mergers and aquisitions, with 24 banks left standing out of 89. In 2007, with the economy booming alongside a buoyant oil price, and a sovereign credit-rating upgrade, the remaining banks found it easy to access capital markets. Several of the top-tier banks started to expand into the sub-region. The bubble was perhaps inevitable. Lending was particularly strong to government and the oil and telecom sectors. Though telecoms seem to be holding up, the other two pose greater problems. The fall in the price of oil has put several energy-related companies out of business, with repercussions for those banking them.

Just ask God to reward him accordingly, he will come back begging.

eko oni baje!!!

To be a man you have to stomach so many things to yourself. Take that secret to your grave, they are many secrets men take to their graves, Ask God for forgiveness and don't try it again, That's what called a man!!!

Pls communicate with him and ask, it is important!