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Tag: Bishop

  • Bishop to Fed Govt: take pro-active measure on Boko Haram insurgency

    Diocesan Bishop of the Osun North Anglican Communion, Rev. Abiodun Taiwo Olaoye yesterday urged the Federal Government to take more proactive measures against attacks by Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast during the Ramadam fasting period.

    He warned that the people in the troubled region must not be caught unaware by members of the deadly sects, whom he said were bent on wreaking havoc during and after the period.

    Speaking at the weekend in Igbaye, Osun State, during the church’s Second Session of the Third Synod, ?the cleric said it was unfortunate that the group had made people their target.

    Preempting that the insurgents might devise fresh strategies during the Ramadan, Rev Olaoye urged security agencies, including the military, to be more vigilant.

    He advised the Federal Government to intensify efforts by empowering the army to continue hostilities against the group until the battle was finally won.

    The cleric also called on Nigerians’ support for the government and the troops by being more vigilant and security-conscious by reporting any suspicious movement and strange personalities within their immediate environments and neighbourhoods to the security agencies.

    In order to win the ongoing war against insecurity, the cleric also urged government to provide employment for the youth to checkmate the rising spate of kidnapping and armed robbery attacks in different parts of the country.

    He assured that with God’s ultimate support, all the different forms of menace facing the country would soon be over.

    Lamenting the biting economic hardship, Rev. Olaoye called on the government to implement the 2016 Budget.

    He also urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to give up in his battle against corruption but advised that the recovered funds should be   injected to stimulate the economy.

    The cleric commended the President for his doggedness and commitment in the battle against insurgency and terrorism as well as the high magnitude of successes so far recorded.

    He warned that the battle was not yet over and asked the military not to give up yet.

    His words: “It is not yet uhuru as there are still cases of bombings in the area. Aside from that, pipeline vandalism and militancy in the Niger Delta have been on the rise. The menace of kidnapping, armed robbery and cattle rusting have not also abated. All these must be checked.”

  • Bishop weds 109 couples

    Most Rev. Mathew Audu, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Lafia, Nasarawa State, on Saturday in Masaka wedded 109 couples and urged in-laws not to interfere in their affairs.

    Audu, who was on his third pastoral visit to St. Martin`s Catholic Church, Masaka, appealed to relatives of the new couples to allow them to build their marriages.

    “As newly wedded couples, you must love each other just as Christ Jesus loved the church and died to set souls free.

    “You must respect each other’s feelings; care for each other, share views and reason together in peace and unity.

    “You must not allow a third party to come into your matter; always invite God to intervene in your case.

    “Ensure that you are coordinated in all your dealings and make the word of God your standard, your pillar, your faith and your hope.

    “If you can keep these entire commandments, your marriage will be perfect and other couples will want to copy from you,’’ he said.

    The Bishop, who also confirmed 1,390 faithful, blessed 56 Eucharistic Ministers and 76 lectors, saying the blessing would strengthen their faith.

    He said that the confirmation and the blessings the members received would energise them to evangelise to people and win more souls into the kingdom of God.

    Audu said that confirmation in the Catholic Church was the sacrament which reaffirmed a person’s status in the church.

    He advised the members who were confirmed to keep doctrines of the Catholic Church and ensure that they carried out responsibilities given to them diligently.

    “The Catholic Church sees confirmation as a rite in which grace falls on the person confirmed as they announce their commitment to God and the Church,’’ he said.

    Earlier, Rev. Fr. Jude Maigari, Parish Priest of the parish, said that the mass wedding was a culture imbibed by the church to enable couples with little finances wed in the church.

    He encouraged the couples to heed the advice given by the bishop saying it would help them to live in peace and harmony.

  • Economy: Bishop seeks international help

    The Chairman, Southwest zone of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Magnus Atilade, has called for sincere and transparent intervention from the international community to solve Nigeria’S economic challenges.

    Atilade spoke at a news conference on a seven-day  Universal Day of Prayer for Nigeria holding between April 29 and May 5 by the Christian Welfare Initiative (CWI) held in Lagos.

    According to him, there is an urgent need for the international community to focus its attention on Nigeria “as we seek for ways to get out of the quagmire of economic woes”.

    He said: “The end of our problem is not in the hand of President Buhari who is doing all his best to make Nigeria work but in the hands of Nigerians and the world to make it work. The thefts of our common wealth are the highest in the world and retrieving those stolen wealth require sincerity and transparency of the world.”

    He lauded the anti-corruption fight, adding that “catching the thief is not the end but how we outdo corrupt people and reorganse the system to make stealing difficult locally and internationally is key.”

    Atilade, who is also the National President of CWI, said: “President Buhari means well for Nigeria and is working hard at providing the dividends of democracy but he needs the goodwill of the world to succeed.”

    He added that the situation in Nigeria is “not only physical but spiritual and it is our duty to tell the world that we are facing peculiar problems. It involved individuals and collective will and action for our problems to be solved”.

    He also appealed to Nigerians to continue to pray and lift Nigeria to God.

    “With prayer, we can move the hand of God. It is the will of God for Nigeria to be peaceful, prosperous and progressing and God will make it happen when we pray to him in faith,” he said.

  • Bishop laments incessant kidnapping of clerics

     

     

    The president/founder of the Sword of the Spirit Ministries, Bishop Francis Wale Oke has condemned incessant kidnapping of clergymen in the country.

    Bishop Oke spoke Wednesday when he paid a courtesy visit to new Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji (Aje Ogunguniso 1) at his palace.

    Part of his entourage include; Bishop Dapo Ogunsola, Pastor Henry Otoibi, Pastor Sola Ogundeji, Pastor John Fagbemi, Pastor Lekan Akindele and Pastor Bisi Adetifa.

    He said: They have turned kidnapping into a business to extort huge money from people. For instance, I read in the Newspaper today that three clergymen in Kaduna were kidnapped and their kidnappers are demanding for N100 million ransom. I appeal that they should be released immediately.

    “The nation is degenerating to the extent that people no longer fear God. The other time it was a bishop of the African Church in Lagos that was kidnapped; now they kidnap school pupils.”

    According to him, In the Bible death penalty was recommended for kidnapping and with the way things are going now, it will be better if the government adopt this method.

    Bishop Oke said government at all level must rise up to the occasion and tackle this menace by making kidnapping a capital offence, adding that:” if you kidnap anybody and you are caught, then you are gone.”

    On the reason for his visit, the clerics said he was in the palace to congratulate the Olubadan and to pray for longitivity and sound health for him.

    In his remark, Oba Adetunji thanked Bishop Oke for his visit, appealing to him to join him in prayer for the creation of Ibadan State and upgrading of Ibadan airport to an international standard.

     

  • Scrap JAMB, says Bishop

    IN light of the corruption that has eaten deep into the fibre of most universities in the country, a cleric in Anambra State, Chris Abraham Udeh, has called for the scrapping of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

    Again, Udeh, the General Overseer of Mount Zion Faith Global Liberation Ministries, (a.k.a By Fire By Fire) in Nnewi, urged President Mohammadu Buhari to beam his anti-corruption searchlight on universities.

    The cleric lamented the level of hardship that JAMB candidates are subjected to yearly, especially as many do not gain admission despite having good results.

    He said that the situation had led many young girls who were frustrated to go into prostitution and their male counterparts join robbery gangs.

    While speaking to reporters in Nnewi, he gave an example of a girl who complained to him that she had tried the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) six times without success and decided to travel to the city.  He was worried about her fate and others like her.

    The Bishop noted that to make matters worse, candidates who passed the UTME were still subjected to post-UTME, which he said could not be the true test of knowledge.

    Even when the “lucky” ones passed all these examinations, Udeh said they still faced the admission racketeers, including lecturers, who took advantage of their desperation for admission to milk them dry.

    “If you pass the UTME and post-UTME, people in the corridors of admission at the universities sometimes demand from N200, 000 to N500, 000 to give admission otherwise the chance of the candidate would be sold to another.

    “Education in Nigeria is now for the highest bidder. What a corrupt system,” the Bishop decried.

    He described the quota system in admission as marginalization, saying it should be dropped.

    He claimed that some Federal universities, especially in Anambra, charge as high as N500,000 to give admissions to students who did not pass, while those who got up to 70 per cent in Post-UTME would not be given admission.

  • Be shepherd to all, Okoh tasks new Bishop

    Be shepherd to all, Okoh tasks new Bishop

    The Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Revd Nicholas Okoh, has urged the newly consecrated Bishop of the Diocese of Igbomina West Venerable Timothy Adebayo to be shepherd of all.

    He spoke at the service of consecration for the new bishop at the Cathedral Church of Christ Marina, Lagos last week.

    Okoh stated that the church is in need of devoted leaders conscious of the mandate given to them by God to be Shepherds of the flock of Christ under their care.

    Turning to the new bishop, the Primate said:”Be a shepherd and not a wolf to the flock.”

    The consecration was performed by the Primate and other Anglican Bishops in solemn sentences blended with melodic musical renditions by the Cathedral choir.

    The new bishop was administered with Oaths of consecration and canonical obedience to the Primate, Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion.

    The Bishop of Kwara,  The Rt. Rev. Olusegun Adeyemi, in his sermon, called on all Christians to live up to their calling.

    Adeyemi noted the erosion of moral values in the world especially among Christians.

    “Today, there seems to be no difference between the church and the world even though the Bible said that we are in the world but are not of the world.

    “There seems to be no difference in the actions of the church and the world with acts of dishonesty, fornication prevalent among other vices,” he stressed.

    Adebayo thanked the leadership of the church for his election and consecration.

    He promised to be a leader with shining example.

     

  • Eschew primordial sentiments, Bishop advises elite, interest groups

    A retired clergy, Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, has urged the political elite and interest groups to eschew primordial sentiments and support the policies of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

    Ladigbolu gave the advice today at a sensitisation programme in Oyo town.

    He said despite the fact that the country is abundantly resourced, there has been an absence of real development in terms of the quality of social existence and social relations of majority of the populace.

    He said: “The first prerequisite of good governance is that the average citizen must have an assurance or at least a near assurance of justice, fairness and equity in most of his or her relationships in the society, be it in the economic, political or social realm. It is in this kind of situation that the average citizen will have a stake in the stability and progress of the society as a stakeholder.”

  • Bishop urges patronage of hospital

    Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has announced the establishment of the church’s hospital in Kubwa to cater to its members.

    The church also urged members to patronise the facility.

    The church made the call in its Bishop’s Charge delivered during the first session of the 3rd Synod at Abuja, with theme: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”

    He also reported to the faithfuls that the commencement of the Anglican University, Pegi also in the Federal Capital Territory has been suspended because the National University Commission (NUC) refused to approve the 25 hectares of land of the proposed site in Pegyi.

    Akamisoko noted that the commission has insisted that the church acquire 100 hectares of land but getting such a large expanse of land in Abuja is a difficult task.

    The cleric noted that that Nigeria needs good leadership to harness and have proper administration of all the God’s given natural resources in the country.

    Presenting the charge, Rt. Rev. Duke Akamisoko sought the rebirth of every Nigerian, stressing that the United States of America has a very strong institution that no President can manipulate since the system would simply send the leader packing.

    He said: “Nigeria needs good leadership to harness and have proper administration of all the God’s given natural resources on our land. This has to start from you in your offices to the presidency.

    “American…has a system set up in such a way that no President can mess America up. The system will throw him out. If you take President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to America as President, he will perform.”

    The US institutions at all levels, according to the cleric, are too strong so they always make their leaders sit up.

    Continuing, Akamisoko added:  “Then bring President Obama to Nigeria, he will be corrupted by the Nigeria system and will not be able to perform as a good president.

    “We all have roles to play in the issue of our country.”

  • Submit to God, bishop advises

    The President of Synod and Bishop of Ekiti West Diocese (Anglican Communion), Bishop Samuel Oludare Oke, has advised Christians to submit themselves to the God.

    He spoke at the diocese’s synod held at St. Michael’s Anglican Church, Okemesi, with the theme “Authority over Nations and Kingdoms”.

    In a communiqué at the close of the session, the synod praised President Goodluck Jonathan for accepting the result of the presidential election.

    It congratulated President-elect Muhammadu Buhari for identifying 10 major challenges facing the country and his resolve to tackle them.

    The synod called on him to appoint people of integrity to his cabinet to join him to bring about the desired change in the socio-economic and political life of Nigerians.

    It lauded the bravery of  local hunters in Esure,  security agencies and the government in the liberation of 11 people abducted  in the state.

    It called on politicians to close ranks and resolve their differences peacefully.

  • Bishop charges govt on job creation

    The Bishop of Ogbomoso Diocese of the Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. Titus Babatunde, has appealed to the incoming administration to make job creation a top priority.

    This, he said, will address youth restiveness and other crimes associated with unemployment.

    Olayinka stated these while delivering his opening address to delegates at the third synod of the church in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

    The theme of the synod was “the cost of Christian commitment.”

    He described Nigeria as a great nation stalled by blood politics, corruption and bad governance.

    He expressed optimism that the incoming administration will address these anomalies and deliver dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

    Olayinka congratulated the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Abiola Ajimobi, while urging them to deliver on their campaign promises.

    On the theme, he said being a Christian calls for being a disciple of Christ.

    This, he said, may cost them changing their relationships, lifestyles and possessions.

    On the consequences of not counting the cost, he said many churches are so reluctant to present the demands of Christ to new converts and would- be disciples because “we fear that it will put them off Christianity.”

    In his goodwill message, The Most Rev. Dr Joseph Akinfenwa, commended Olayinka, for being a spiritual strategist, a bridge builder and concrete mixer, who mastered the art of using men and materials to achieve God’s ultimate purposes and glory within a very short time.