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COVID-19: Adeboye Blasts FG, CAN For Restriction Of Crossover Services

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General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has lampooned the Federal Governments for putting restrictions on crossover services.

He also lashed the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for supporting the decision.

The cleric, in a sermon titled ‘Divine Lifting’ at the Church headquarters in Lagos, yesterday, expressed displeasure over the restrictions on worship places on December 31 by the federal and some state governments which made it impossible for various Christian denominations to hold the traditional vigil, called cross-over nights, to usher in the new year.

Adeboye who spoke at the celebration of the 2021 First Sunday Service at First Born Parish, Ebutte Meta, Lagos State, said rather than close prayers and usher in the New Year on December 31, 2020, at about 10-11 pm being the time suggested by governments, he instructed members of his church to observe the cross over in their homes.

“The authorities in the government and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said the cross over services should be held at different times. Some said we should close by 10 pm while others said we should close by 11 pm. I said we should agree and close in our homes because it is funny to me to cross over by 10 pm on December 31. That means we are crossing over to 2020, God forbid. So, rather than cross over by 10 pm or 11 pm, I said we would stay in our houses and cross over at 12 midnight which will be a proper cross over.

“I found it funny because nobody has told us yet that Coronavirus attacks people at night. Nobody told us that Coronavirus is a witch because it is only witches who fly at night, and if the virus is a witch, then it means it can hear. If I am a witch and I hear that the people I want to kill would have run away to their houses by 12 midnight, then I would kill them by 11 or 10.

“But I’m telling you this so you won’t be afraid. There is fear in the air and fear is a killer. The way things are going, some people would die of hypertension just because they are afraid. When I say relax, I don’t mean you should be careless.”

He said he would comply with every rule laid by the government to curb the spread of coronavirus but would not refuse to perform his duty as a pastor and husband.

“Obey the government by wearing your masks, washing your hands, and observing social distancing as much as possible. In the church, the ushers put a big stool between me and my wife, but I removed the stool because no one can put a distance between me and my wife. Social distancing wouldn’t stop me from laying hands on the sick so that they can recover, that’s my duty and I would continue to do it.

“There is nothing wrong in complying with the rules, as you can see I am also wearing the mask and washing my hands regularly because the government is trying to save us all and we have to comply at all cost.

“As a church, we have put all in place to make sure we comply with the government but as for me, I will not allow social distance to keep me from my wife and healing the sick by laying hands on them, it is my duty as a man of God.

“God called me and said that Redeemed Christian Church of God is his church and he has vowed to protect his church. We are under the protection of God and there is no need to be afraid.

“We will survive this period. Ebola came, we survived, Coronavirus has come and we will survive as long as we keep on praising God.”

CAN President, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, had urged churches nationwide to adhere strictly to existing COVID-19 protocols and additional guidelines relating to crossover on December 31 services.

He advised that in states where embargo was placed on night worship, Christians should gather much earlier to praise God for sparing their lives and that meetings must not go beyond 11:00 p.m. to enable worshippers to return home on time.

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Two Brothers In Police Net For Alleged Gang-Rape In Ogun

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Olamijuwon Noibi and Lukman Olatunbosun, two brothers, have been taken into custody by the Ogun State Police Command on charges of gang rape at Oke Eri, Atan Ijebu Area, Ogun.

A trustworthy law enforcement source, on Thursday, revealed that Noibi had tricked Aminat Yakub into coming to his flat, where he then allegedly sexually abused her while plotting with Olatunbosun, his younger sibling.

Yakub was allegedly invited by Noibi to visit his mother on Saturday, but when she got to his residence, she didn’t get to see her.

After making her consume an alcoholic beverage called “Bullet,” he allegedly physically attacked her before raping her.

According to The Punch, Noibi was also coerced his younger brother, Olatunbosun, with a knife so he could join him in the act, and filmed both of them while they were having sex.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Ogun Police Command, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident and said that the suspects had been arrested and would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for a discreet investigation.

“On the 24/4/2024, at about 13:00hrs, one Aminat Yakub ‘F’, Aged 21 years, of Main Estate Oke Eri Area, came to the station and reported that on the 21/4/2024, at about 12:30hrs, she went to the house of one Olamijuwon Noibi ‘M’ at Oke Eri on invitation to come and greet his mother. When she got there, she discovered that his mother was not at home.

“Juwon forcefully pushed her into his room, then forced her to drink Black Bullet and forcefully had sex with her twice after a serious beating. He later invited his younger brother, Lukman, to come and have sex with her but when his younger brother refused, he took a knife threatening to kill both of them. In the end, his younger brother ended up having sex with her after a serious beating and equally took a video of them.

“Upon the receipt of the complaint, the team of patrol led by Asp Ayoola Alidu at the station and went to the scene of incident. The two alleged suspect was arrested one Olamijuwon Noibi, ‘M’, Age 27 Yrs and one Lukman Olatunbosun, ‘M’, Age 20 yrs,” a police statement.

The PPRO noted that both brothers confessed to the alleged crime, and the victim was taken to the General Hospital Ijebu-Ode for examination, saying that the suspects would soon be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for “discreet investigation and further development will be communicated.”

Earlier report had it that the operatives of the Rivers State Police Command had arrested a 30-year-old man identified as Jeffrey for allegedly defiling the teenage daughter of his landlady in an estate in Abuloma, Port Harcourt Local government Area of the state.

It was learnt that the suspect, who had a tailoring shop at the estate, lured the 13-year-old girl to his business place one evening under the guise of showing her clothes.

But Jeffrey ended up locking the shop, overpowered the girl, and allegedly had his way with her.

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Lagos Government Pays N1.5bn WASSCE Fees For 58,000 Students

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58,000 pupils will be registered for the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination this year, with the state government spending N1.5 billion, according to Tolani Alli-Balogun, Commissioner of the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.

In announcing the ministry’s efforts to mark the first year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office, the commissioner made this statement on Thursday.

On May 29, 2023, Sanwo-Olu took the oath of office for a second term as governor, vowing in his inauguration speech to disappoint the people of Lagos.

The commissioner, who spoke at the state secretariat, said, “The administration of Babajide Sanwo-Olu has never defaulted on the payment of WASCCE fees of all public school SS3 students in the four years of Governor Sanwo-Olus’s first term in office. The state government paid over N4.2bn between 2020 and 2023 to keep our promise of full payment of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination fees.

“In the current school year (2024), the governor has approved the sum of N1,571,076,000 as registration fees and other cost for 58,188 SS3 students writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination.”

Last year, the West African Examination Council, which conducts WASSCE, noted that it had concluded plans to begin computer-based examinations in 2024.

It released the results of the first-ever CBT exam, 2024–First Series, in March this year.

The analysis of candidates’ performance showed that out of the 8,139 candidates that sat the examination, 3,424 candidates representing 42.07 percent obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects (with or without English Language and/or Mathematics).

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Dana Air Has Been Flying With Unhealthy Status, We’ll Audit All Local Airlines — Aviation Minister Keyamo

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Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, says Dana Airline has been flying with an unhealthy status for a while now.

In an interview on Channels television on Thursday, Keyamo said that an audit report completed by his predecessor verified the airline’s unhealthy status and that internal reports from two years ago demonstrated that Dana Air was unfit to operate.

He also stated that the airline’s repeated incidents prompted him to call for a suspension.

Replying to the criticisms that trailed the suspension, Keyamo said he never wrote to the airline but instructed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to do so.

“Before I came into office, I am sure you have heard consistent incidents involving perhaps Dana Airline, to mention a few of them. I am sure you heard that, at a point, on approach to the runway, the door flew open,” the minister said.

“I am sure you know that popular incident. Who are the engineers that are supposed to look at this? Who are the engineers that are supposed to check for the safety of the aircraft and its parts?

“There are also incidents involving one or two of its aircraft at different times, consistent. Of course, after the fatal crash of Dana, the other time that killed Nigerians.

“There were internal reports before I came in under my predecessor about a series of infractions by Dana Airline and the conclusion was that they were not healthy enough to fly but they went into the skies after such a report. What they did, how they did it before they told them to start flying again, we don’t know.

“While we argue back and forth about who has power and who doesn’t have power, the point is that the flying public is at risk, and if any tragic incident happens, it is the minister that would be called to resign. Nigerians will not spare the minister.

“For me, the last thing I want to happen to me as minister of aviation is to have blood on my hands. I mean the blood of innocent Nigerians as a result of either the negligence, deep complicity or corruption of those who are supposed to be regulators of the aviation industry.

“As minister, my job is to supervise them and to ensure that they carry out their duties. My duty is not to regulate. For those quoting the law, they should know that I know the law more than them.”

Speaking on the irregularities in the aviation sector, Keyamo said “there is deep complicity within the system”, stressing that the cleansing process would start and continue until they are resolved.

The minister said if the aircraft in the country’s aviation sector are not properly checked, then there will be “flying coffins” in the air.

He said beyond the suspension of Dana Air, the NCAA would carry out a comprehensive audit of all local airlines in the country to guarantee the safety of passengers and the health of the civil aviation industry.

On April 24, Keyamo directed the NCAA to suspend the operations of Dana Air after one of its aircraft veered off the Lagos airport runway on April 23.

Reacting to the suspension, the Aviation Safety Roundtable Initiative (ART) said it was unlawful for the minister to direct the NCAA to suspend an airline, urging the minister to respect the autonomy of the regulator.

Describing the directive as “external interference”, the aviation group advised the minister to focus his efforts on policy issues that positively impact the airline industry.

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