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Tag: leaders’

  • Kumuyi charges leaders to imbibe love

    Kumuyi charges leaders to imbibe love

    Celebration

    General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Kumuyi has called on Nigerians to imbibe the virtue of love, care, patience as demonstrated by principal stakeholders in last presidential elections in the country. He spoke at the just concluded National Easter Retreat of the church held at Deeper Life Conference Centre, Km 42, on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Lagos.
    He said Jesus is the essence of Easter because ‘He paid the prize and sacrifice so that mankind would experience salvation which comes with peace in the heart. He noted that as the nation celebrates the Easter in one part ‘we have seen the coincidence that Easter brings as we are enjoying peace as against the reign of violence as anticipated in some quarters after the election in Nigeria.’
    Kumuyi, who was represented by the Church Secretary, Pastor Jerry Asemota said:  ”We can experience peace internally, and in our nation when we embrace the sacrifice that Christ has made and key into the requirements of salvation, which include confessing our sin, forsaking them and asking God for grace to live for him”.

     
    Kumuyi who commended the courage displayed by President Goodluck Jonathan for conceding defeat to President-elect General Muhammadu Buhari said that the pronouncement of  President Jonathan to concede defeat is significant and would be written in the book of records not just in Nigeria but in the whole world.
    He said “Nigeria has gone through election that makes so many apprehensions and many relocated because of what they felt would be the outcome of the election but the sacrifice of one man paved the way for peace which should be emulated by all of us”.
    He appealed to the incoming President to continue to display the values of love, sacrifice and selfless leadership which are key elements for any leaders who hope to succeed in our world today.
    Kumuyi challenged the President-elect to brace up to the challenges ahead as he would be given time ‘though success will not come overnight but we will pray and be patience and we will see results.’
    He however asserted that President Jonathan has come to fulfill the assignment God has given to him which we believe he has fulfilled. Kumuyi said: “Nigeria is plagued by so many problems and we believe as express by the seriousness of the President-elect that he would tackle them headlong”.
    He pledged the continuous support of the church in praying for the needed wisdom for the President-elect to handle the task ahead urging him to roll up his sleeves and be ready to work and God will help him.

  • African leaders meet on Boko Haram

    African leaders meet on Boko Haram

    Leaders of central and West African states will hold a summit next week to draw up a joint strategy against Nigeria’s Boko Haram militants, a statement from organisers said yesterday.

    The April 8 summit will be the first of its kind since Nigeria’s election a week ago which was won by Muhammadu Buhari, a former military leader who has vowed to rid his country of the “terror” of Boko Haram.

    “In the face of the mounting and increasingly bloody attacks by the fundamentalists against Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad and the series of consequences for these countries, and the real reask of destabilising western and central Africa, the two organisations have decided to take action,” a statement from regional bloc ECOWAS said.

    A coalition involving troops from the four countries has been waging offensives against the Islamists in a bid to crush the insurgency, which has now spread across borders from Boko Haram’s stronghold in Nigeria.

    The meeting in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea, is being jointly organised by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

    It was not immediately clear if Buhari would be attending as he will not be sworn in as president to succeed incumbent Goodluck Jonathan until May 29.

    The Boko Haram insurgency has led to the deaths of more than 15,000 people dead since since 2009, UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said last week.

    “Countless more children, women and men have been abducted, abused and forcibly recruited, and women and girls have been targeted for particularly horrific abuse, including sexual enslavement,” he told the

    “This despicable and wanton carnage, which constitutes a clear and urgent menace for development, peace and security, must be stopped,” Zeid said.

  • Cleric urges leaders to be godly

    Cleric urges leaders to be godly

    Archbishop, Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos/Bishop, Diocese of Lagos Mainland, the Most Revd, Prof. Adebayo Akinde, yesterday urged politicians to be godly.

    He said the only agenda  for the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, “is God’s own agenda, which is in Leviticus, 11, 44”.

    The cleric said: “Every incoming leader must be holy because God is holy.”

    He added: “When our leaders are holy, they will seek to please God. Let the leaders live a holy life, work for the interest of Nigerians, secure the present and prepare for the future.”

    Bishop Akinde, who spoke on his Easter message to Nigerians at the Cathedral of St Jude in Ebuta-Meta, Lagos, said politicians should read  Leviticus, 11, 44, “because the scripture demands that we live a holy life because God is holy”.

    The cleric said his message for the nation “is that God is set to do a new thing in this country”.

    He added:  “God, because of his love, gave us free gift of victory. By the shedding of the blood of Jesus on the cross of Calvary on Good Friday, he paid the ransom for our sins. For every believer, who confesses and puts his trust in God, our sins are forgiven and by his resurrection, he is offering a new victory.

    “Christians should be aware of the fact that Jesus is risen and that the power that God used to roll away the stone is still available to God to roll away whatever problems, difficulties or challenges that may be facing our country, but God wants us to love one another.

    “This is not the time for us to say ‘I am Igbo, or Yoruba or Hausa’; we are Nigerians and there should be unity because God is love. Christians must show love to one another and to everybody.  Nigerians must ensure unity and love.

    “We must be prepared to make sacrifices. Jesus Christ made sacrifice; without his sacrificial death, none of us will have salvation. We must be able to make sacrifice for the coming generation. Our leaders must make sacrifice just as Jesus did by dying for our sins. We should leave a good legacy and Nigerian must be an avenger of good news.”

  • Church leaders refresh for greater impact

    Hundreds of ministers drawn from converged on the Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju Lagos penultimate weekend to refresh and brainstorm on how to achieve greater productivity in the vineyard.

    This was at a leadership retreat organised by senior pastor of the church, Taiwo Odukoya.

    Odukoya said the retreat, in its 15th year, was convened for the mutual edification of leaders in an atmosphere of accountability. Speaking on “ethics in ministry”, Pastor Clem Esemowei of Triumphant Church International, London urged the church leaders to maintain their integrity when facing temptation.

    He said they cannot afford to lose their standing before God and the people who they serve.

    Pastor Godman Akinlabi of The Elevation Church facilitated the session on “the virtual church”.

    He taught on practical guides to leveraging on the platform of social media for greater efficiency in ministry.

    According to Akinlabi, the content is king in the virtual space and the church is a repository of relevant content.

    “Our voice should be the loudest,” he said.

    Speaking at an all-night that rounded off the conference, Odukoya said: “God will always give you more capacity for your assignment. We often use less.”

    He also answered myriad of questions on issues in the church in a no-holds barred way.

  • Students elect leaders

    Students elect leaders

    Students of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ago-Iwoye have elected their Students’ Union Government (SUG) leaders.

    The election, conducted by a committee led by Uthman Quadri, followed a debate for candidates and manifesto. The post of the president was keenly contested between Ayoola Faranmi , a 300-Level Philosophy student, and Adenola Adegbesan, a 400-Level Law student.

    After the election, Adenola was announced as president.

    Ayoola conceded defeat, saying: “It was a privilege to have this opportunity to contest SUG election. It was an interesting experience for me.”

    Adenola said: “The electioneering was not an easy task. I sincerely appreciate all students for their support and I promise to serve well.”

    Speaking with CAMPUSLIFE, Uthman, a final year Animal Production student, said the election was challenging, but hailed the contestants for conducting themselves peacefully throughout the process.

  • Press Club gets new leaders

    Press Club gets new leaders

    The Press Club of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) members have sworn-in new leaders.

    The event, which started at 4pm, held at the Common Room of  Jaja Hall.

    The former president of the club, Oluwatosin Adesile, represented the club’s Staff Adviser, Mrs Rita Joy, at the event.

    The Chairman, Electoral Committee, Adeyemi Olalemi, described the ceremony as a new beginning for the association. He advised the new officers to embrace the principle of openness and truth in discharging their duties.

    He said: “This is not a destination, but a journey. You input today will determine your output tomorrow. You must imbibe the principle of truth and transparency to promote the ideals of the club.”

    The outgoing president, Modiu Olaguro, said his administration recorded unprecedented successes, saying the group was able to reach out to students in all faculties through its press statements.

    Modiu advised his successor to amend the club’s constitution to encourage members in discharging their duties.

    Adesile hailed the outgoing executive for their efforts to deepen the foundation of campus journalism in the school. He advised the new leaders to increase the membership of the club to make improve its activities and create more awareness.

    The oath of office was administered on members of the new executive by the Electoral Committee chair, after which they received certificates of return and copies of the club’s constitution.

    Temitope Ojedele, a 400-Level English student, is the president; Taiwo Ekeleme, general secretary; Ifeoma Nwalisi, public relations officer and Anselem Anonyuo, welfare secretary.

    In his acceptance speech, Temitope sought members’ support to achieve the objectives of the club.

     

  • Nations don’t change war time leaders, says Wogu

    Nations don’t change war time leaders, says Wogu

    The former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu has said that the activities of Boko Haram in the Northeast is worrisome. For one whose infanthood was laced with the severity of the civil war, the bestiality associated with the group was one thing that he did not really want to befall the people of the Northeast.

    “What is happening in the North-East now demands full military action against the Boko Haram group. A group that has gone the length of carving out some portion of Nigerian land for itself, and has declared war on our sovereignty,” he said should not be treated with kid gloves.

    The former minister noted that the Federal Government had launched a full scale war against the group.

    Noting the import of the administration’s action, he had said:

    “The ongoing war in the Northeast is undoubtedly a sore point in the nation’s history. Just as Nigeria is making progress in its economy and has been certified as Africa’s biggest economy, Boko Haram surfaced to test the capacity and content of the Nigerian leadership. The challenge of the insurgency is one that no Nigerian leader has ever had to confront.”

    “Despite the multifarious distractions, nearly all Nigerians across tribe and tongue can now confidently assert that the Nigerian military is now roasting the insurgents after taking the war to them.”

  • Tedder Hall gets leaders

    Tedder Hall gets leaders

    Residents of Tedder Hall at the University of Ibadan (UI) have elected leaders for the 2014/2015 academic session. The election was conducted through electronic voting.

    Babafemi Falayi, a 400-Level Law student, emerged as the hall chairman. He scored 175 votes to beat Temitope Ajibola, who had 153 votes.

    Kehinde Odanye, a 400-Level Statistics student, is the Hall Affairs’ Minister; Sunday Ukaeje, a 300-Level Human Kinetics and Health Education student, is legislative leader.

    Others elected are Tioluwani Opajobi, Vice-Chairman, Joseph Adebanjo, General Secretary, Bemiwo Agbo-Adediran, Information Minister, Damilola Bada, Health Minister, Mubaraq Oyedele, Defence Minister and Jude Adeleke, Finance Minister.

    At the swearing in held at the Common Room, the Hall Warden, Dr Kehinde Popoola, congratulated the new leaders, assuring them of management’s support. He advised them to be responsible leaders and advocates of better welfare for their colleagues.

    In his acceptance speech, Babafemi thanked residents for giving him their mandate. He extended the hand of cooperation to his opponent, saying members’ welfare was paramount to him.

    He said that Literary and Debating Society of the hall would compete with other halls and become the best.

     

     

  • Nigerian leaders need prayers

    SIR: Nigerians need to always pray for their leaders and the nation.  Prayer remains the only key to bring together citizens to live harmoniously in pursuit of a common goal.

    Religious organizations owe leaders prayers for divine guidance to lead the nation out of the present socio-economic and political problems. Though many would argue that there had been so many prayer conventions and programmes which are yet to make impact in people’s lives; yet we should not stop praying. Prayer is holding Nigeria and even the world together, because a prayerless world is a powerless world. Although, many Nigerians are living in poverty, God can redirect the nation and make it a more viable country that would take its rightful position among the comity of nations.

    Most of the things happening at the moment are signs of the end-time and no man can stem the tide, but God, through His infinite mercy sometimes uses the trials in our lives to test and grow our faith.

    Nigerian leaders need to eschew bitterness and look for ways out of the present socio-economic logjam the country is trapped in. There are great dangers in holding on to bitterness as it has the tendency of retarding the growth of a country.

    Nigerians should brace up for the challenges of the global economic development by looking up to God, as the author and finisher of their faith because their salvation lies in no other man.

     

    • Prophet Oladipupo Funmilade-Joel , Lagos.
  • APC candidate to students: vote out PDP leaders

    APC candidate to students: vote out PDP leaders

    The chances of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Delta State, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, has received a boost with students of various higher institutions endorsing his candidacy.

    The students, who described the technocrat and businessman as the best candidate to manage the affairs of the state, vowed to support him.

    Emerhor hailed the students for their bold step and urged youths to take their destiny in their hands and kick out bad leaders who have bogged down the progress of the country since the inception of democracy.

    The APC standard bearer said previous governments of the ruling PDP were bereft of ideas on how to aspeed up development.

    Emerhor  promised to build new industries and revive all the moribund industries in state, stressing that having succeeded in the business world, he would bring his expertise to tackle unemployment through systematic planning.

    He promised to set aside special funds that would be used to promote entertainment and sports, lamenting that millions of young talents in the country have gone down the drain because of government’s failure to support their dreams.

    Emerhor promised to build new and standard hostels equipped with modern facilities to ensure that they are comfortable and suitably motivated to pursue their academic dreams and maximise their potentials.

    The APC candidate said that if voted into power he will partner with private sectors to ensure that education is accessible to all Nigerian children, stressing that education is the bedrock of any developed nation.

    Emerhor  urged youths to use their vibrancy to vote for a candidate that will secure their future and not for those that that will make life miserable for them.

    He hailed the leadership of the various Student Union Governments for coming up with the laudable idea of interaction, noting that the choice they have made, was a sign that they were ready  to take their destinies in their hand.

    The turnaround expert reminded the students that the ruling party has led them astray for the past 16 years and that it was time for them  to stand up and kick out bad government from the state. He added that they can only do that by collecting their permanent voters cards because it is their power to make the desired change that everybody is clamoring for.