Swansea City comfortably defeated fourth-tier underdogs Bradford City 5-0 in the English League Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday to claim their first major title.
Nathan Dyer and Jonathan de Guzman each claimed a brace, with Michu also on target, while Bradford had goalkeeper Matt Duke sent off early in the second half as Swansea romped to a record League Cup final victory.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Amb. Lawrence Obisakin, Nigeria Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, said that a new identification card would soon be issued to prospective investors in order to boost economic activities between the neighbouring ECOWAS countries.
Obisakin said this on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Badagry, Lagos State. “We are making plans to create a new identification card, which would facilitate human movement across the border. Priority should be given to Nigerians because we are close to Benin Republic; so, we want to create an identification card that would be issued from the Nigerian Embassy. It would be on the same footing with that of all Francophone countries.
“The card would be bilingual —in French and English— so that security agencies of the two countries can read the details and the database would be made available to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The creation and use of the card would help ease so many problems that Nigerians encounter at the border, “ he said. Obisakin said that the major challenge faced by Nigerians was the non-completion of the construction of Seme border.
“We hope that the Seme Border would be completed as soon as possible, as this would help the security agencies perform their duties more effectively. Because the construction work has not been completed, some Nigerians believe that with any kind of identification card, they can cross the border.
Every country has its rules and guidelines; if you want to go to Benin, you must have a valid Nigerian passport and valid document, and ordinary card cannot get you through, “ he said.
The Ambassador advised Nigerians not to travel with large sums of money, and to always register themselves at the Nigerian Embassy. “People who travel to other countries must be knowledgeable about the place and must be cautious about their health. The first thing to do when you land in another country is to go to your country’s embassy to make your presence known, so that, in case anything happens, you can be easily traced.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
By the year 2020 the Warri Industrial Business Park (WIBP) would have generated about a hundred thousand jobs in the country, especially in Delta State.
Project Director WIBP Ms. Helen Emore said this during the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce (N-SACC) breakfast meeting held in Lagos.
WIBP is a project conceived by the Delta State Government in partnership with Arco Petrochemicals and Engineering Limited, as part of the administration’s strategy to implement its infrastructure and economic development agenda.
According to Emore, “The impact of WIBP in Delta State as a sub-national, is that there is direct job for people working on the park, we expect that it should create up to 50 thousand jobs, when you look at the size of our park, we have done and extensive study and we anticipate that upon completion, we should have well over 60 thousand people working on that park and leaving on that park, that is the immediate impact.
“When you add the impact on the ecosystem of Warri and Delta State, we will be looking at creating about one hundred (100) thousand fresh jobs within the next seven years in the state.”
She added that the park will further enhance the country’s image, stating, “There is a global misunderstanding of what Nigeria is all about, the world does not understand us and the only way we can change that story is to present to the world specific project and opportunity and that is what WIBP is all about. It now behooves on us as Nigerians to educate the world what Nigeria is about what the opportunities are, how we are going to emerge as a nation, how we are going to accommodate businesses as a nation.”
She hinted that mobile-money is another place to exploit, given that over 50 million Nigerians are potential phone users, which will further drive the financial inclusion plan.
Meanwhile, the park is expected to provide the ideal business environment for stakeholders in the industrial and commercial sectors while providing excellent high-end residential dwellings.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
NINETY-year-old Professor Adetokunbo Lucas, former lecturer at the Harvard School of Public Health, and front line researcher and high profile board member of the world’s most respected health agencies was one of Nigeria’s youngest professors. His commitment to the eradication of tropical infectious diseases such as guinea worm, polio, as well as the Neglected Tropical Diseases, NTDs, is legendary. In this piece, the renowned medical practitioner writes about the giant strides Nigeria is making against the menace of NTDs.
By Professor Adetokunbo Lucas
Lymphatic filariasis. Onchocerciasis. Schistosomiasis. We may not all recognize the names of these neglected tropical diseases, NTDs, but for the more than one billion people affected around the world, including roughly 800 million children, the human toll is all too familiar. Survivors of NTDs are often left permanently disabled, disfigured or blinded, and many face a lifetime of health complications.
Here in Nigeria, many of us know these diseases well. Elephantiasis and river blindness are more common in Nigeria than any other African country, and no country anywhere has more cases of schistosomiasis.
Although these diseases affect the world’s poorest and most vulnerable populations and drive people even deeper into poverty, global and national responses to NTDs have been inexcusably lax. Instead of being neglected, these devastating diseases should be at the top of health agendas in every affected country.
Nigeria has made progress in recent years, notably by eliminating guinea worm. The federal government and states have also launched community education programmes and bolstered drug distribution, which has led to improvements in the control of other NTDs, including leprosy.
Yet despite promising gains, efforts have been stalled by a persistent funding gap and imperfect national coordination that have kept the best solutions away from those who need them most.
Today, we have reason for hope. Nigeria is standing up against this scourge of terrible diseases. On 19 February, the government launched a robust and fully integrated multi-year national plan to control and eliminate 10 of the most common NTDs.
Earlier this month, more than 100 participants from Nigeria’s 36 states came together in Abuja to finalize the overall strategy and make specific plans for each state. Guided by the plan’s emphasis on mapping disease burdens, local leaders helped devise state-specific plans to determine priority locations, identify those most at risk, and most efficiently deliver treatments.
With an approved budget of N49 billion to treat more than 60 million people annually over the next five years, the national NTD plan lays the groundwork for historic progress.I am proud of my country for taking such decisive action. I am also pleased that Nigeria’s NTD plan was built with a strong spirit of partnership.
Nigeria is acting in concert with a broad group of national and global partners who are committed to sparing people from these terrible diseases. Nigeria worked with partners such as the World Health Organization, the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, DFID, and the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, to obtain technical support and secure necessary funding. And closer to home, philanthropist General TY Danjuma has led the engagement of the private sector in the cause.
For this intensified programme, we must make good use of lessons from our past. The best outcomes are achieved when key stakeholders collaborate effectively. The public sector, including health authorities and local, state and federal governments, has developed partnerships with the private sector. Non-governmental organizations make valuable contributions through their close working relationships with local communities, and pharmaceutical companies and other commercial enterprises provide massive drug donations.
However, we need to pay more attention to the role of regular people in responding to the new programmes. The general public must be treated as partners, not passive recipients. We should make more effective use of Nigeria’s expert sociologists, political scientists, medical anthropologists and other social scientists to enhance our understanding of popular beliefs and close the gap between health workers and the communities they serve. This is our best hope of preventing the sort of disputes and misunderstandings that sometimes break out in relation to major health interventions such as polio.
A recent development points the way to closer interactions with communities. Rather than use health workers to distribute ivermectin, a drug for river blindness, a new approach was developed which involves empowering communities and enabling them to take responsibility for distributing the drug. The success of this Community Directed Treatment with Ivermectin, CDTI, has been adapted to facilitate other community-based programmes such as the mass drug treatment of schistosomiasis and the distribution of vitamin A and bed nets.
In recent years, we have witnessed a global awakening about the burden of NTDs. Just over one year ago, a group of global partners came together to launch the London Declaration on NTDs. A year later, their report cites Nigeria as a model. By setting out its national plan and by inviting support from global partners, Nigeria is taking advantage of this unique moment and setting a powerful example for other countries. I have dedicated much of my career to fighting NTDs. I have seen the effects first hand – and some days, it has been hard to look past the heartache. But today, with Nigeria on the march toward success, I am more optimistic than ever.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
RESIDENTS of Kula Kingdom in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State have been thrown into mourning following an outbreak of cholera that lhas claimed the lives of at least seven children.
The development which has been recurrent in the oil-rich kingdom is due to lack of potable water and paucity of decent sanitary system. Kula Kingdom is dotted with oil wells and flow stations and is host community to five multi-national oil companies.
Oni, a resident of the affected community alleged in Port Harcourt that series of logistics challenges was inhibiting the general welfare of the inhabitants who now believe they may have been abandoned to their fate.
“Government has forgotten us in developmental matters. This is not the first time there would be an outbreak of this ailment and other diseases in the vicinity and each time it happens, we report to the relevant authorities to come to our aid, but it has been to no avail,” he asserted.
Yet another resident named Pauline, noted that the multi-national companies exploring oil in the community are doing nothing to improve lives of the indigents. She lamented the horrors pregnant women and the sick undergo to obtain healthcare.
“Big as Kula is, there is no hospital, no potable water, or good roads. Expectant mothers have to travel to the local government headquarters at Abonnema or Port Harcourt before they can access health care services.
“In most cases, women in labour die in the process of going to the LGA headquarters and question the rationale behind the exclusion of building a primary health centre in the Kingdom since the Rivers State government embarked on building health centres in the communities,” the source lamented.
The aggrieved residents are urging government at all levels as well as multi-national companies operating in the area to come to their rescue by providing potable water, good sanitation and other basic amenities of life.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Senator Clement Annie Okonkwo, who represented Anambra Central Senatorial District in the Sixth Assembly, led the delegation of a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the merger talks with other opposition parties to form the All Progressives Congress (APC). In a chat with reporters, Okonkwo said it was in the interest of the South-East to join other regions in the push to rescue Nigeria from the shackles of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
You were quoted as saying that your party, APGA was dead following the formation of APC. What informed that view?
I was misquoted. I made my point clear that the major political parties in the country are surrendering their party to form one strong platform and that if the merger works the political parties involved will cease to exist and this is what the law says. This is the first time that this has happened. What we use to have is alliance and not merger. I never said that APGA is a dead party. But the truth of the matter is that if the merger talk is successful there won’t be anything like APGA. Some people on their own have destroyed the party.
To be specific, a sponsored court order by the governor of Anambra State has kept APGA in an impotent condition from the national to state level. Today it has become very difficult for somebody to do anything that will yield good result in APGA. Most of them are in PDP but are still pretending to be in APGA. I will like to thank the Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha as the only governor from the South-East that supported the merger of the major opposition parties into one strong platform, APC because there is no way this country can be rescued from the hands of the greedy and selfish PDP members.
So, to ensure that this does not continue, the people of the North have surrendered their major opposition parties, the oldest political party, the All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP and the leading political party in the area, the Congress for Progressives Change, CPC; the South-West has also sacrificed their own party, the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. So, I don’t see any reason we in the South-East should not support the merger talk. I commend Okorocha for his courage to support the merger and this will make APC a strong political party because it has received the support of all the zones in the country. And each zone also has a governor.
The North-Central has a governor; the North-East has a governor, the North-West also has. In the South-West, there are governors, South-South, there is a governor and the South-east cannot be left aside, we also have a governor. So, people who are thinking that the merger will not work will be disappointed at the end of the day. I see APC as a party that is going to rescue this country from the problem of insecurity, corruption and others that the PDP government has failed to solve because of their selfish leadership system.
Do you think Ndigbo stand a chance of producing the president on the banner of the APC?
When we were talking of the Igbo president, a lot of people thought we weren’t serious. As far as I am concerned, I believe that APC is the only party that can compete and defeat the PDP in any election. So, the opportunity is that as time goes on, we are going to contest the presidential primary election and if we win, we will have the opportunity of producing the president. One of the policies of the party is that internal democracy must be maintained and once it is maintained we will progress.
In PDP, there is no hope for the Igbo nation. Presently, from the president, vice president, Senate President and the Speaker there is no Igbo representative. The Vice President, Namadi Sambo is from the North, the Senate President, David Mark is from the North and the Speaker of the House of Representatives is also from the North and they are all PDP members. Tell me, is that how we will achieve the Igbo dream of producing the President?
APC is dominated by the South-West and North. With APGA already divided, don’t you think the South-East would be a minority in the party? As the President of C21, how do you hope to convince the Igbo to buy into it?
Our people find it very difficult to believe in reality. The truth is that it will be difficult to convince people to move in at the same time but when they start seeing result, they will be convinced to join the movement. What we want to do is to put an enlightenment programme to enable them understand our plan. I believe that by the time we are through with that, the Igbo will understand that the only political party where we can achieve our vision is the APC.
How are you tackling the problem of logo facing APC, which was occasioned by the crisis in APGA? Everybody is aware that for the past six months, there have been crisis in APGA which has also witnessed several court cases. So, it will be very difficult for any merging political party to accept an APGA logo because they will believe that it will attract a lot of litigations. But we are still making our case very clear to ensure that all the parties are accommodated.
With APC merger talk still in progress, are you still going to contest for Anambra governorship under its platform?
The major thing we are doing is to build the party. For me, I am still in still contesting the election but it is not a do-or-die affair. The most important thing is to make sure that APC wins the next election in Anambra State. So, if the party supports my ambition I will fly the flag of the party.
APC fielding candidates, how do you think the 2015 election would look like? This is the kind of election that Nigerians have been waiting to witness. A lot of unimaginable things will happen. PDP will lose a lot of states. For 14 years of PDP leadership at the federal level, the masses have been suffering one problem or the other. You can imagine how many families that have lost their loved ones either through Boko Haram attacks, Niger Delta militants’ attacks, kidnapping or plane crash. It means that something is wrong somewhere. With the birth of APC, the country will witness another style of leadership that will end the sufferings of the people. A leadership that will provide jobs for the people, a leadership that will provide security for the people, a leadership that will provide electricity for the masses of this country and of course, a leadership that will develop this country in all aspect.
What gives you the confidence that APC will beat PDP at the presidential and state elections? PDP is a failed party. They don’t care about the masses and with the kind of people in APC, PDP is going nowhere.
What is responsible for the problem that Chief Victor Umeh is facing in APGA? Everybody is aware that the crisis is sponsored and masterminded by Governor Peter Obi who believes that he has nothing to do with APGA again and thinks the best way to pay the people of APGA the good thing they did for him is by destroying the party. Unfortunately for him, we have moved on.
Obi will be rounding up by next year, how would you assess his achievement so far? I don’t like discussing people. But honestly, people are scared of going to Anambra State because the insecurity there is too high and it was caused by unemployment in the state. We have thousands of graduates roaming the streets of Anambra and the state government is not doing anything about it.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Barring any last-minute change of plans, state governors are set to meet with a view to resolving the lingering crisis of succession in Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) at a time a segment of the forum has threatened to quit the association.
The situation was hazy last night as the pro and anti-Governor Rotimi Amaechi forces dug in.
Even in the midst of the controversy surrounding the succession agenda in the NGF, there were indications that some governors are set to pass a vote of confidence on Amaechi at a meeting of the body that may hold tomorrow in Abuja..
Late last night, Codewit was told by the camp of one of the governors opposed to the incumbent chairman of the forum, Amaechi, who is also the governor of Rivers State, that “if the right thing is not done, some of us are ready to pull out of the NGF in the next meeting. That is given already. And they know.”
Upon further enquiry about what the right thing is, Codewit was made to understand that the “things which stalled the meeting of last Thursday can be broken down into two:
“some of us said ‘give us the score-card, the achievements for the tenure’, which was a legitimate demand and a normal thing to do at the end of the tenure of every executive of any association.
“The second demand was that elections should not be by affirmation. Open the space for interested candidates. Let’s conduct this election as it should be. Let there be democracy or even semblance of it. These are our minimum demands. On these grounds, at least 13 of us are speaking with one voice. This has nothing to do with any rumoured presidential ambition or whatever.
“Do we look like people that could be sponsored? At how much? You have a rash, arrogant and overbearing situation in your hand and then you need to be flogged to assert your independence. In NGF we are all equal. Nobody is the boss. “We were selectively invited to meeting (NGF meeting).
“At the meeting, the Secretariat claimed they sent out all invitations accordingly. However, when some of us got wind of the meeting, we dashed in to attend. Even those that got ‘invitations’, election was not on the agenda but suddenly it found its way into the agenda”.
However, sources said the basis for the reform which some governors are seeking is embedded in the report of the Governor Raji Fashola Committee.
The report of the committee sought to reform the NGF, just as it made some recommendations.
Codewit gathered that the recommendations, some of which have to do with tenure of office and terms of office, are yet to be ratified by the body.
Meanwhile, some governors are also speaking for the Forum as a body.
In two separate interviews, some governors insist that what is happening now could be likened to a storm in a tea cup. One of them said: “This is not the first time that the NGF would be having issues to resolve. Every time governors face issues that threaten to tear the body apart, we have always found a way to resolve our differences.
“This one would not be different. We would find a way to stick together and resolve whatever differences that exist. Mind you, some of the states have never had it so good in terms of revenue accruing to them.
“Some of the things people misconstrue to be acts of confrontation with the Presidency on the part of our chairman are products of decisions collectively taken by all of us and agreed to”.
Of importance in this tango is the cold water being poured on the on-going good governance tour, a project reportedly instituted by the NGF but which some governors are now dissociating themselves from.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
In April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was crowned Pope Benedict XVI after the death of much-beloved Pope John Paul II, observant followers of events in Vatican City knew that the new pontiff had a lot on his plate. To start with, the Pope himself was well aware that he had to work extra hard to match, and if possible surpass, the achievements of his predecessor who was selected despite criticism from some disgruntled highly-placed Italian Catholics opposed to the election of a non-Italian Pope.
Again, halting the rampaging global march of secularism which threatened the very core of religious belief (including Catholicism), expansion of the Knowledge of Jesus Christ, revival of the faith, and defense of orthodox catholic doctrines on life and family were top on the new pontiff’s to-do-list right from the very start. During his tenure, Pope Benedict XVI dealt with specific problems and scandals that rocked the pillars of catholic ecclesiastical authority and constituted a formidable obstacle for him to effectively execute his quiet evangelical mission.
These include: (1) his citation of negative comments against Prophet Mohammed which angered many muslims; (2) numerous cases of sexual abuse by catholic priests in different parts of the world; and (3) accusations that Pope Benedict himself, as an Archbishop in Germany, failed to adequately monitor and sanction a priest abuser.
Despite these challenges, the Pope was determined to forge ahead. He took bold concrete steps to reconcile catholics and muslims, and initiated respectful conversation between the Vatican and the Islamic world. The acme of his effort was in 2006 when he prayed alongside a muslim cleric inside Istanbul’s Blue Mosque.
On the issue of sexual abuse by catholic priests, the Pope tried his best to reduce the damage caused by the scandal. For instance, in a letter to Irish catholics, he personally apologised to the victims and announced measures meant to placate them and reassure the faithful that such misbehavior will be severely dealt with. Pope Benedict XVI will be remembered also for his efforts to stem the crisis of faith in the contemporary world which, according to him, was responsible for social and moral ills that plague human societies.
In his opinion, the crisis was due to people’s reluctance to acknowledge the truth that comes from God. As a panacea, the out-going pontiff insisted that Christians should see their faith as a religion of love in which believers are willing to accept God’s love and share it with others, in the full awareness that true love entails making sacrifices for peace.
Christianity, he maintained, is the path to salvation, social justice and genuine happiness. It must be remarked that Ratzinger’s ascension to the pontificate was a reaffirmation of the trend that led to the emergence of Karol Woytila (Pope John Paul II) from Poland, which vindicates the position that the papacy is not the exclusive mandate of Italians. Ratzinger was Pope John Paul’s right-hand man and confidant for over twenty years. Therefore they must have influenced each other profoundly, particularly in doctrinaire catholicism.
Their lifestyles were remarkably similar – meditative, humble, and simple to the point of asceticism. The two Popes travelled extensively, and each issued hundreds of speeches, homilies, and encyclicals in order to promote the catholic faith, peace and reconciliation worldwide. Before he died, Pope John Paul II forgave Ali M. Agac, a Turkish national who shot and wounded him shortly after his election; similarly Pope Benedict XVI pardoned his butler, Paolo Gabriele, who leaked confidential Vatican papers to the press last December.
However, in terms of orientation and style, John Paul II was poetic and intuitive whereas Benedict XVI evinces a more analytic and theoretical disposition. This might help explain the fact that in spite of his failing health, Pope John Paul II persevered to the very end, whereas Pope Benedict XVI chose to retire.
According to the retiring Pope, he had “deteriorated to the extent that I have to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.” Obviously, Benedict XVI thought deeply about his impending resignation, and must have felt the angst people feel when faced with momentous decisions that would profoundly affect their lives.
Through creative imagination, one can appreciate the heavy burden his decision to leave office entailed, especially considering the fact that the last time a Pope abdicated was about six hundred years ago when Gregory XII quit because of serious internal schism within the catholic church.
We commend Pope Benedict XVI for boldly and frankly acknowledging his inability to carry on with the onerous duties entrusted in him by his exalted position. It takes a man of wisdom, spiritual integrity, uncommon selflessness, and respect for others to step away from the privileges, pomp and pageantry of the papacy and become a monk.
So, everyone should learn some lesson from Pope Benedict’s decision. Political leaders who hang on to power at all cost, especially those incapacitated by age, disease, or severe personality flaw should realise that all earthly power and authority is transitory and that it is silly to jeopardise one’s health because of power. In Nigeria, late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua clung to power for too long despite the fact that he was physically incapacitated to discharge his duties.
More recently, according to media reports, governors Sullivan Chime and Lyell Imoke of Enugu and Cross River states respectively were absent from their duty posts for several months due to undisclosed ailments, and did not consider it appropriate to relinquish their positions. There is no good reason for clinging to power tenaciously in the face of serious health challenges. Most probably people that do so utterly misconstrue the essence of power.
But in the true sense power is a privilege to serve others. Life is too short, too precious and irreplaceable for anybody to risk one’s health for power. Thus a sensible person would never jeopardise his or her health merely to enjoy the ephemeral trappings of power. In this connection, I salute Pope Benedict XVI for his wise decision to step down from his exalted position as the spiritual head of over 1.2 billon catholics.
Even as an unbeliever strongly convinced that religion is a relic of man’s humble superstitious beginnings, I cannot but admire the audacity of his choice, which clearly shows that a decision reached after sincere and deep soul-searching contemplation should be followed through irrespective of the sacrifices one has to make in the process. I wish Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger the very best in his future undertakings
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
In Nigeria today, there are many revered men of God who are as powerful as they are influential. In this league are some powerful Catholic Reverend Fathers whose integrity are still very much intact, in spite of all the rot and sacrileges in Christendom these days. These Reverend Fathers are holy and still keep to their calling, leaving no room whatsoever for compromise or deviation from all Catholics norms and doctrines. Unlike many men of God nowadays who are meddling in politics, making names and money for themselves in the process, these Reverend Fathers are apolitical. Most of them own prayer ministries, and even schools. They are renowned for accurate predictions, healings and life-changing counseling, coupled with parishes that each one of them coordinate.
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Ede is one of these powerful and influential Reverend Fathers in Nigeria. He is the founder of Catholic Prayer Ministry of the Holy Spirit, Elele, Rivers State. Fr. (Father) Ede as he is called, is perhaps the first Catholic Priest whose miracle works remain very popular and unequalled in the history of Catholic church in Nigeria. He is a household name in the area of breaking of curses/yokes, and healing of the sick through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
A power-packed monthly miracle programme he holds at Pilgrimage Centre, Elele town, Rivers Sate, usually attracts thousands of Christians, and even non-Christians from all parts of the country who always besiege the place, every month for breakthroughs in all areas of life. Beyond the transformation that this fire-brand Priest has brought to the pattern of worship in the Catholic Church, he is the proprietor of 2 reputable institutions of higher learning. He is the proprietor of Our Saviour Institute of Science and Technology, (OSISATEC) Enugu State and Madonna University Okija, Anambra State.
Another of such Reverend Father is Ejike Mbaka, in Enugu, a very popular firebrand preacher of the gospel. Signs and Wonders usually follow his powerful ministrations. Mbaka’s weekly all-night adoration crusade at Emene, Enugu, has continued to be a big crowd-pulling programme as many Catholic faithful always throng the round to attend the programme. Though many of his ministrations and preaching’s are controversial, and sometimes anti-government, this has not in any way diminished the ever-soaring profile of the priest. His miracles have, in no small way, helped in letting many young parishioners stay put in Catholic, because all they would have got in Pentecostal, miracle-happening churches, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mabaka makes happen in Catholic Church. His miracles have brought Pentecostals, Methodists, and Anelicans etc to swell the Roman Catholic crowd. People come from abroad to attend his crusade. Fr. Mbaka is not just a charismatic preacher, he is also an anointed singer. His recorded messages on DDs, DVDs and audio tapes are fast-selling in the market.His AQUARAPHA sachet water is second to none in the South East.
Rev. Fr. Dominic Nwobodo, the director, Vincentian Retreat Centre, Lagos, is another revered Catholic Priest who usually performs miracles and win souls for Christ in Nigeria. Convinced that Nwobodo has the divine gift as a miracle worker, the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos gave him the approval to establish the Vincentian Retreat Centre in the Ojodu area of Lagos. Today, the Centre has become a pilgrimage of some sorts, as miracles-seeking people troop to the Centre in search of divine solutions to their myriads of problems. Programmes he organize include, counseling for couples, monthly midnight vigil and breaking of curses. Fr. Dom, as he is fondly called, has successfully carved a niche for himself in this regard.
Fr. Basil Gbuzue is another Catholic Priest whose exploits for God cannot be underestimated. He is renowned for his prayers and never-seen-before miracles.His prayers and miracles have transformed many lives, from the path of destruction, abject poverty to fulfillment and abundance, in all area of their lives. There are testifiers to the goodness of God through the hands of Fr. Basi Gbuzue. He uses a particular Holy Water, which we gathered, works wonder. This has continued to draw different caliber of people in need of spiritual help, to him from all over the world.
Another top Catholic Priest worth mentioning is Rev. Fr. Paschal Tochukwu Ekediegwu. He is the Parish Priest at St. Mary’s Church, Akuke, Enugu State. He is highly respected, as a result of his miracle works, and his life-transforming miracles to many. He has been severally invited, even outside Nigeria for Prayers.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, the founder of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), in an interview, re-examines past alliances of the Yoruba and now the involvement of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the merger arrangement. He claimed that it is a political miscalculation and resolved that Yoruba will not benefit from the emerging All Progressives Congress (APC).
Yoruba people will not benefit a thing from that alignment. I am not a politician, but I had great hope for the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). The South West is bigger than Ghana; it is bigger than Sierra Leone. In fact, it is bigger than any country in West Africa. Why must ACN look elsewhere to govern the South West? When I read about that merger, I felt awful.
ACN almost captured the whole of the South West in the last election and their governors were already talking of economic integration. But now they have brought in another idea to dilute that economic integration plan.
They are jumping from frying pan to fire. If ACN had waited a few years more, we would have been beating our chest for our new dream. No matter how you do it, you are not going to cut South West and plant it in the sea. But we are different; we have been progressives. Why must you dilute progress elements? I don’t want to think that I am as good as anybody in ACN, but I don’t believe in that merger. I don’t think it will do any Yoruba person any good.
My dear friend, we have always had merger in this country, none of them had worked. We had it in the First Republic, Second Republic and Fourth Republic. If we don’t have history of merger success, why do you think this one will work? I pray the new merger will prove me wrong. The most politically erudite Yoruba man on earth was Papa Obafemi Awolowo. Did he not attempt merger? I pray this one succeeds.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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