At least 64 people were feared dead following a boat accident on a river in Zamfara State in northwest Nigeria, local officials said on Saturday.

A wooden boat carrying 70 farmers capsized as it was transporting them across the river to reach their farmlands close to Gummi town on Saturday morning. Local authorities swiftly mobilised residents for a rescue operation, and after three hours, six survivors were pulled from the water.

"This is the second time such an incident has occurred in the Gummi Local Government Area," said Aminu Nuhu Falale, a local administrator who led the rescue efforts.

He added that emergency teams were intensifying their search in the hope of finding more survivors.

More than 900 farmers rely on crossing the river daily to access their farmlands, but only two boats are available, often leading to overcrowding, said the local traditional ruler.

Zamfara State, already plagued by criminal gangs seeking control of mineral resources, has also been severely affected by flooding caused by heavy rains. Two weeks ago, floods displaced more than 10,000 residents, local officials said.

Reuters

Hamas leader sends letters from hiding after almost a year of silence

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has written a rare letter to Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, according to the Lebanese militant group, in which he reaffirms his commitment to fighting Israel and supporting the Iran-backed alliance of regional militants known as the “Axis of Resistance.”

Sinwar, Hamas’ political leader who is believed to be hiding underground in Gaza, told Nasrallah that the group is committed to the path of resistance taken by his slain predecessor Ismail Haniyeh and to the “unity of the Ummah (Islamic nation), at the heart of which is the Axis of Resistance, in the face of the Zionist project.”

The letter, shared by Hezbollah’s Telegram channel, was written to show gratitude for Hezbollah’s ongoing fight against Israel, which began on October 8, just a day after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel that triggered a devastating Israeli assault on Gaza.

One of Israel’s most wanted men, Sinwar hasn’t been seen since the war. He also hadn’t been publicly heard from for almost a year – until this week. On Tuesday, he issued his first statement since the war, congratulating Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune for his election victory, according to Hamas’ Telegram channel. The next day, his office said he wrote letters thanking those who offered condolences for Haniyeh’s death. And on Friday came the letter to Nasrallah. CNN cannot verify if Sinwar is indeed the author of the letters.

“He’s trying to say I’m here, I’m alive, I’m very much in command. I’m constantly updated and aware of everything happening outside Gaza,” said Muhammad Shehada, a writer and analyst from Gaza. “He wants to show that he is able to operate on multiple fronts, the domestic front – the battlefield in Gaza – and the diplomatic front – mediations.”

The target audience for such letters, he said, is primarily Israel, to whom Sinwar is attempting to show that despite efforts to find him, he is still able to continue working without interference.

The other target, Shehada added, is Hamas, including “skeptics from inside the movement or even mediators like Qatar, the US and Egypt, who doubt that he might be able to fulfill his leadership role from the tunnels in Gaza.”

Sinwar was named political leader of Hamas after Haniyeh was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran in July. He is seen as more hardline than his predecessor in dealings with Israel and favors cooperationand closer ties with Iran and allied Islamist groups such as Hezbollah.

Shehada said Sinwar is “one of the strongest advocates of a stronger relationship with Hezbollah and Iran, and deepening the alliance with the Axis of Resistance.”

“He is perceived in the movement as pragmatic, but at the same time very unpredictable and impulsive. But pragmatic nonetheless,” he said.

In his letter to Nasrallah, Sinwar vowed to continue defending Islamic holy sites, particularly Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque “until the expulsion and eradication of the occupation from our land, and the establishment of our independent state with full sovereignty and its capital Jerusalem.”

The October 7 attack, he said, was “one of the most honorable battles in the history of our Palestinian people.”

CNN

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russia had reason to use nukes, but showed restraint – Medvedev

Throughout the Ukraine conflict, Russia has had ample reason to use nuclear weapons, but has so far exercised restraint, the deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has said. He warned, however, that Moscow’s patience is not limitless, suggesting that Russia could respond harshly if Western nations allow Kiev to use the missiles they have provided to strike targets deep inside Russian territory.

Kiev has been demanding that these limitations be lifted since at least May. Several media outlets have recently alleged that Washington and London will soon do so, or secretly have already.

In a post on his Telegram channel on Saturday, Medvedev wrote that Western leaders have lulled themselves into a false sense of security, thinking that Moscow is bluffing when it warns of dire consequences for allowing long-range missile strikes. The official, who was also the Russian president from 2008 to 2012, said Russia is fully aware that conducting a nuclear strike would be a momentous decision.

“It is precisely because of this that a decision to use nuclear weapons… has not been made so far,” Medvedev stressed. He added that the “formal prerequisites for this, which are understandable to the entire global community and that are stipulated by our nuclear containment doctrine, are in place.” He cited the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk Region as one example.

“Russia is showing patience,” he said, while warning that “there is always a limit to patience.”

Medvedev went on to suggest that Russia could also respond to Western escalation with some sort of new weaponry – not necessarily nuclear, but still devastating.

Speaking on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin argued that the Ukrainian military is not capable of operating Western long-range systems on its own, but needs intelligence from NATO satellites and Western military personnel. For this reason, if the West allows Kiev to hit targets deep inside Russia, “this will mean that NATO countries, the US, European countries are fighting against Russia,” Putin said.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine's spy chief says North Korean military aid to Russia presents major battlefield problem

Ukraine's spy chief said on Saturday that Russia's increased production of guided bombs as well as artillery ammunition deliveries from North Korea present major problems for Ukrainian forces on the battlefield.

The head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency GUR, Kyrylo Budanov, said North Korean military aid to Russia presented the biggest concern compared to support provided by Moscow's other allies.

"They supply huge amounts of artillery ammunition, which is critical for Russia," he said, pointing to the ramp up in the battlefield hostilities following such deliveries.

Ukraine and the United States, among other countries and independent analysts, say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is helping Russia in the war against Ukraine by supplying missiles and ammunition in return for economic and other military assistance from Moscow.

Russia's boost in the production of guided bombs also presented a "huge problem for the frontline", Budanov said at the Yalta European Strategy conference organised by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in Kyiv.

Ukraine's forces are stretched thin more than 30 months into the full-scale invasion, working to stave off Russian advance toward key towns in the country's east. Ukrainian forces have also made an incursion into the western Russian region of Kursk.

A ramp up in the production of the Iskander-type missiles has resulted in Russia's "massive use" of weapons to attack Ukraine, Budanov said.

This year's strikes on Ukraine's critical infrastructure have caused significant damage to the country's power grid, leading to power cuts. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has renewed pleas for air defence support from Ukraine's allies.

Budanov said Russian internal planning showed that Moscow will face a recruitment crunch in the middle of next year.

"During this period (summer 2025) they will face a dilemma: either to declare mobilisation or to somehow reduce the intensity of hostilities, which may ultimately be critical for them," Budanov said.

RT/CNN

One of the thematic preoccupations of the book, What the forest told me: Yoruba hunter, culture and narrative performance, (2014) is that, inside the forest, there is a consistent superiority war, often fierce, between man and animals. Written by Ayo Adeduntan, Research Fellow at the University of Ibadan, the book averred that, while animals sometimes win this war, succeeding in crushing hunters for supper, many atimes, hunters vanquish these forest dwellers. They fell these notorious animals renowned for bathing in the blood of their human victims. In pursuit of this theme of a superiority duel in the wild, Adeduntan was in a forest called Ìgbẹ́ Alágogo. Hunting expeditions to the Ìgbẹ́ are seasonal excursions that take hunters to Òj̣é-̣Owódé in the Òkè Ògùn area of Oyo State. There, Adeduntan interviewed a hunter called Òjó Ògúnkúnlé of Agúnrege village. Ògúnkúnlé’s narration of how his hunter-master, named Ògúnòṣ̣un, a very powerful hunter, married a buffalo and was eventually demystified by the animal, painted the picture that a mutual damage often occurs in the duel between animal and man.

The narration goes thus: One day, Ògúnkúnlé went hunting and felled a huge buffalo with his gun. Unable to process what to do with his mountainous game, the young hunter walked back kilometers to announce his kill to his master named Ògúnòṣ̣un. While they were both walking back to where the buffalo was felled, about a mile to the scene, a pretty lady walked past them and saluted on her two knees. In a magical reality that may be hard to believe, Ògúnkúnlé inferred that the buffalo was the one who morphed into the pretty lady. He told the researcher, “all of a sudden, we met the animal, the pretty woman” – “àfi pẹ̀kí n la bá pàdé ẹran l’ọ́nà, èyuùn ìyàwó. Arẹwa obinrin ni”. If Ògúnòṣ̣un had listened to Odolaye Aremu, the Ilorin musician who warned that there is always a suddenness to calamity, (pèkí làá ko èèmò) he probably would have been wary of a beautiful woman suddenly encountered in a dense forest. From wooing the buffalo-woman and taking her home, Ògúnòṣ̣un ended up marrying her. Before the marriage solemnization, according to Adeduntan’s account, the buffalo-woman gave a caveat, which I paraphrase: “Now that I’ve agreed to marry you, the day you recklessly call me an animal, you are done for.”

The buffalo-woman gave birth to children for Ògúnòṣ̣un. However, one day, the wife enraged her husband, so much that he thundered, “You good-for-nothing unlucky daughter of an animal!” (‘Àb’órí ì rẹ burú ni, ìwọ ọmọ ẹranko yìí!). A very mysterious anger immediately seized the woman who instantly morphed into her original buffalo form. As she charged at Ògúnòṣ̣un with her menacing horns, the hunter quickly reached for his hunter talisman (Ìgbàdì).The Ìgbàdì is the phial belt which hunters have recourse to, while on hunting expedition. If a ferocious animal suddenly attempted to harm them, they untied the belt. They then chanted some metaphysical verses which enabled them escape the animal’s deadly ferocity. As Ògúnòṣ̣un chanted the incantations, he landed in a prehistoric mountain on the outskirts of the village. He was however not fast enough for the buffalo which used its horn to gore him and tear his ligaments. The buffalo thereafter ran into the mountains and never returned. Ògúnòṣ̣un, said the narrator, as reported by Adeduntan, carried with him for life the cicatrices of a fractured leg. This motif of a superiority duel between animals of the forest and man is also present in D. O. Fagunwa’s Igbo Olódùmarè where the hero of the book, Olówó-Aiyé, fought the spirit, Anjonnu-Iberu, who transformed into a boa and, helped by a ravishingly beauty witch named àjẹ́diran, who gave him a magic fruit, Olówó-Aiyé transformed into an elephant and crushed the boa constrictor.

What provoked this excursion into the world of animals is a discussion said to be gaining currency among some intellectuals in Southwest Nigeria today. It is themed around the rhetorical question: Have current runners of Nigeria, led by a Yoruba, with their prodigal handling of Nigerian economy and society, not succeeded in demystifying the Yoruba myth of administrative and leadership competence? Same discussion, I learnt, is bandied in banters in Northern Nigeria today, amid sniggering laughter. So, in the ancient “war” between Yoruba and Northern Nigeria about administrative and leadership competence, has the North succeeded, like Ògúnòṣ̣un’s buffalo-woman wife, in demystifying the Yoruba buffalo?

Obafemi Awolowo’s Premiership of Western Region, with its sterling and highly commended leadership, opened the trough of that narrative. That leadership was followed by another one provided by UPN governors of the Second Republic. Watched over by their leader, Awolowo, those governors also significantly showed the world the colour of developmental leadership. That was the last time the Yoruba had the opportunity to showcase their ability, until Olusegun Obasanjo came in 1999. Though he demonstrated comparative competence to lead Nigeria above all his successors, Obasanjo’s pan-Nigerian claim and overt attack on Awolowo’s leadership of Nigeria made his Yoruba people disown him as theirs. In overt flaunt and gloat, Yoruba had often said to the hearing of whoever wanted to listen that, with their centuries-old sophistication, urbane character, western education and grasp of the modern system of administration, if ever they had the opportunity to lead Nigeria, Yoruba would show the world the stuff they were made of.

2023 was that opportunity. Today, under 15 months, Nigeria has fallen into tatters under a man who answers to all the physical attributes of a Yoruba. The question being asked now is, what happened? Why did people who have always held themselves as crocodiles, suddenly turn out to be lizards? Why are people with reputation of lion, King of the Jungle, now being exposed as mere rodents-eating cats? Muhammadu Buhari, whose leadership is compared to an affliction, is almost celebrated as a mascot now by Nigerians in comparison. Aso Rock claims its reforms are like a surgical operation to correct a medical anomaly. It also says that the pains Nigerians undergo are comparable to one inflicted by the Olóólà, facemark maker, whose knife, which cuts painfully deep down into the bosom of the skin, is a precursor to beauty. To the Villa, our pain is a desirable agony. None of the reform evangelists has however been able to explain the optics we see of reformers living in stupendous comfort while targets of reforms are enmeshed in indescribable hunger. Only yesterday, we were told that the First Lady, Remi Tinubu, spent N701 million on foreign trips, in a Nigeria where the people are dying and hungry.

When they are boxed to a corner, in fitful explanations, Yoruba flaunt an explanation which demarcates the Yorubaness of present Nigerian rulers from theirs. They say occupiers of Aso Rock today are mainly coastal Yoruba. These are people, they say, who are a corrupted version of their own ancestry. Theirs, they go further to say, approximates all those qualities of the Awolowo Yoruba and it is because they are from the hinterland. In my piece of April 14, 2024 entitled The Lagos Boy’s coastal highway, I attempted a description of the coastal Yoruba thus: “Writers like Cyprian Ekwensi drew the picture of a dreadful Lagos. The ‘Lagos Boy’ could mean smartness, suavity, celebration of inanity, fraudulence, erection of facades on dross to make it look real…Even before the colonialists came, Lagos, once known as the ‘Venice of West Africa,’ was dreaded by inhabitants of the hinterland… Lagos was home to money-doublers and soul-scarred gamblers. It was where you could make quick money through mere hubris. Some other writers have described Lagos as ‘a place of desperation to make it by hook or crook,’ with some others giving it the fitting description of ‘a huge Dickensian space full of heartbreak.’

Paul French, in his ‘Lagos: Africa’s Capital of Noir’, said Lagos had popularly been described as ‘the capital of crimes such as 419 and internet fraud also known as the ‘Yahoo Yahoo’’. I also made the incontrovertible claim that, “If Tinubu lost some votes of his Yoruba people in the 2023 presidential election, it may not be too far from the truth to say that his morally prude Yoruba kinsmen from the hinterland who believed that anything Lagos was fraud were the ones who withdrew their votes.” I also said “the Lagosian has come to be classified as immune to some of the traits associated with a Yorubaman. He didn’t totally represent the gentlemanly Omoluabi ethos that undergirds the value system of the children of Oduduwa. A trustworthy Lagosian is as scarce as a hen’s teeth. He would grab and run with what doesn’t belong to him. It is repeatedly said that a Lagosian would sell particle to you as an article.” There are however many exceptions to this as there are equally Lagosians of sterling pedigrees.

By trying to remove themselves from the stain of this leadership calamity, the Yoruba seem to be answering a question posed by William Butler Yeats in one of his poems entitled ‘Among School Children’. In it, Yeats had asked, ‘How can we know the dancer from the dance?’ I am of the opinion that, rather than engage in demarcation of hinterland and coastal Yorubaness, (thereby seeking to remove the dancer from the dance) Yoruba should be more frontal in demanding that those in government today should not stain their leadership reputation’s white apparel bequeathed by Awolowo. This will necessitate that they disclaim some Yoruba who have consistently licked the spittle of Aso Rock, all in the name of clapping-on an obvious failure of a child whose waist we adorn with beads not deserved. The Yoruba case in Nigerian leadership is synonymous with the narrative of a head hunter (Oluode) who was caught mourning his hunting dog killed by a tiger. Asked why he mourned, Oluode told them that a valiant tree does not ooze out cowardly secretions (ako igi kìì s’oje) and that what he mourned was his reputation that was at stake. How would the world reconcile itself to the story of a brave hunter’s dog killed by a mere tiger? It was the hunter who was literally killed!

The other explanation Yoruba could give is that what Nigeria has today isn’t the original, certainly nothing of the variant of Awolowo, Bola Ige or any of their leaders’ original copy of leadership. The owners of that original have gone with their slough. It reminds me, again, of one of the hunter-animal liaisons and contests for primacy narratives in Adeduntan’s book. Another hunter, Kìlání Alápó of Alápó village, Ibadan, tells it perfectly. For eight years, Alápó had killed a python under an àràbà tree in a forest called Ẹléṛè.̣ However, in the ninth year of harvesting the python, the snake was nowhere to be found under the àràbà. In its stead, he found the skin of a deer (awo ̣̣ ìgalà). Alápó however went home with his strange find, the àwọ̀. Apprehensive about the slough he kept and its probable consequences, he inquired of a Babalawo who warned him not to destroy it as its owner would someday ask for it (aláwò ̣ ó ̣ wàá bééré áwó). Seven days after, a pretty lady walked into Alápó village, demanding Kìlání Alápó’s home. Seeing this woman, dogs began to bark mysteriously. Adeduntan explained this as the capacity of dogs to “see the numinous.” On meeting Alápó, the woman promptly demanded, “could you please return my slough?” (Ẹ dákun, àwò ̣ mi t’éẹ̣ kó, mọ fé ̣ k’éẹ̣ kó o fún mi). The hunter walked in and handed her the skin. According to the narration, for fifteen years, Alápó consistently killed a deer under the àràbà tree.

Yoruba are in a dilemma. They have an impostor child who, unfortunately, hails from their home of noble leadership pedigree and honour. Like relished epaulettes, the honour of excellence in leadership and administration is what the Yoruba still cling on today. In the same way the python-woman walked back to Kìlání Alápó to demand what rightly belonged to her, the race must demand its àwọ̀ from the impostor.

Good night, Omodewu

On Thursday last week, in Ibadan, Oyo State, I was at the wake and tributes service in honour of Isaac Ajiboye Omodewu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Oyo State Chairman. The news of his passage on August 18, 2024, in New York, USA hit his home state almost immediately it occurred. It was like a thunderbolt, a blow to many who knew his dove-like character. It was a moment to cower at the feet of the invisible hand of death that plucked a friend, a gentleman personified. Omodewu was laid to rest the second day in his Otu town.

In the events hall where the service took place, you could feel Omodewu’s gentle voice and coy, harmless look. He almost couldn’t hurt a fly. In life, Omodewu was a dependable ally who sought out the comfort of his friends. Until you read about his pedigree, having come out of a home of politicians, Omodewu didn’t strike you as a politician, with all the combativeness and duplicity of politics. I could understand Omodewu’s service as a government appointee but it took a long time for me to connect with his subsequent and unfortunately, last political career path when he became the Oyo State APC Party Chairman. Those who witnessed him in action as party chairman pointed to a leadership he ran marked by unity and consensus-building.

I knew Omodewu in 2011 while we both served under late Governor Abiola Ajimobi. From the way he wove his “been to” status into his utterances, you knew immediately he was one of the Oyo State indigenes who came from abroad to participate in politics. It was later I learnt that he schooled at the City University of New York, USA. He subsequently served as commissioner for local government and thereafter, lands. He was humble and self-effacing.

One thing that I often remember about him was how he, at close to 60 years of age, chose to study law. When he began the course of study at the Lead City University in Ibadan, he told me bluntly that, looking at my example, he was encouraged to go back to school. We also spoke frequently when he was about to go to the Nigerian Law School, which culminated in his being called to the Nigerian Bar in 2023.

Omodewu’s passage tells all of us that death is a bus stop where all of us would alight someday. That gentleman has alighted by his own bus stop. Sleep well, brother.

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses ~ 1Timothy 6:12.

Introduction:

There is an ongoing battle in the world today. It is real, fierce and total in the realm of the spirit. It is a battle between the forces of good, personified and championed by our Lord Jesus Christ, versus the forces of evil, personified by Satan and his minions. Indeed, anyone who is mature and sensitive in the spiritual universe will be quite familiar with this reality.

Of a truth, every child of God that is poised to do the will of God is automatically involved in this battle (2 Timothy 3:12). Quite unfortunately, in the theater of this battle, many people have shipwrecked, punctured and aborted their glorious destinies because of a lack of prayerful watchfulness.

We see the battle on display everywhere around us. In fact, most of the things that people easily dabble into in this world and take pleasure in are just fronts of this raging battle. It behoves us to know that these evil forces are pretty well structured to do maximum damage to God's Kingdom and, in particular, to God’s people (Ephesians 6:12). At any rate, when the devil does evil, he is simply answering his name.

Meanwhile, Satan wouldn’t want us to understand, believe and accept the true position of God’s Word with respect to our victory in spiritual conflicts. He would rather wish that we don’t ever challenge the status quo, but that wouldn’t line up with the wisdom of God.

What then should be our attitude towards these evil forces, thrones and spiritual wickedness in high places? Basically, we must never fear them because they are disarmed entities (1 Peter 5:8). Jesus triumphed over them on the Cross, and bestowed on us the victory (Colossians 2:15; Romans 8:37).

No one can enjoy a revolution unless he first obtains a revelation. Thus, a true revelation of our position in Christ will go a long way towards shaping our orientations as to what God has made available to us on earth.

All the fighting implements we need are already at our disposal in the spirit realm, and there is nothing that God is supposed to do that He has not done (Romans 8:32)! Jesus came and died for us, shedding His precious blood to buy us back from the bondages of sin and Satan, and to reposition us in His righteousness.

Flowing from these above, the devil and his minions are now factually under our feet by reason of our supernatural relationship with Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:20-23). We are majestically seated in the heavenly places with Christ, and as long as we abide in this relationship, our gracious privileges will also remain constant.

By divine averment, Jesus Christ is the Head and we are His Body. Just like the head and the body are inseparable parts of any living entity, and the legs and the feet are parts that make the body whole, so is Christ the Head and we His body, the Church.

It follows also that if Satan is under Jesus' feet, then he is automatically under our feet too, as members of Christ’s Body! Please keep in mind that whatever is under your feet lives only at your mercy.

By the reality of whom we are in Christ, everything, including the powers of darkness, are subject to us. Not only the ones that have been named, but even the ones that are yet unnamed, untapped and undiscovered, they have all been put under our feet. Simply put, this fact is mind-boggling! Alleluia!!

Unfortunately though, even after all that God has done and freely given us to make us formidable entities in the spirit realm through Christ Jesus, many people still continue to wallow in abject ignorance (Ephesians 2:6-7). In this regard, it is always good and refreshing for us to examine some principles that will enable us access the power of the Holy Spirit, and to walk in our dominion in Christ Jesus.

First of all, we must certainly know who we are in Christ. You must know who you are in Christ Jesus, and become fully convinced of the authority you carry through Him, or else you continue to wriggle under the burden of identity crisis.

Many believers today are underachieving simply because they are very ignorant of who they are in Christ Jesus. They live like the proverbial child of a cloth-seller that is wearing rags, or like the child of a renowned butcher that has access to only bones!

We must totally agree with the Word of God in order to engage the power of His intervention in our fight of faith (Amos 3:3). Until a man readily agrees with the Word of God, he isn’t set to enjoy the wonders it can procure.

We must hold God's Word tight to our chests, allowing our lives to be shaped and ruled by it. Whenever the Word of God is actively engaged in any spiritual conflict, victory is the foregone conclusion (Hebrews 4:12). The Word of God is settled in heaven, and it must be settled in our hearts (Psalm 119:89).

Furthermore, to receive the assistance of Holy Ghost power, you must see possibilities of victory in all your spiritual conflicts. Don't stay on a spot, throwing a pity party with only yourself as the guest (Exodus 14:15).

Crying and bemoaning your fate will only glorify the devil, making him feel good and prompting him to assault you the more. You may have had a humble background, but that shouldn’t keep your back on the ground. Don't ever accept defeat, Jesus already gave you His victory.

Most importantly, you must agree with and readily rely on the Holy Spirit if you dream of engaging an unfailing power in your necessary fight of faith. Stubbornness, recalcitrancy and disobedience are major disqualifications in the course of engaging the power of the Holy Spirit.

Be sensitive to Him, tango with His instructions in all ways, and you will soon find yourself easily defeating the enemy, putting his hosts in disarray. But, on the flip-side, if you are still dilly-dallying, wavering between two opinions, you are treading dangerous paths.

Friends, men and brethren, as saints and heirs of God through Jesus Christ, we are actually loaded, strengthened and fully protected by God’s holy angels that excel in strength (Psalm 103:20; Hebrews 1:13-14). And, from this advantageous position, necessity is laid on us to regularly set the devil's ploy in disarray and frustrate his plans.

Like one wise man suggested, “it is comic treason for the Church to possess the keys of the kingdom and not utilize them to set the captives free”. Today, the kingdom keys are in your hands; I pray, therefore, that you will not disappoint God who has endowed you with so much, in Jesus Name. Amen. Happy Sunday!

____________________

Bishop Taiwo Akinola,

Rhema Christian Church,

Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Connect with Bishop Akinola via these channels:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bishopakinola

SMS/WhatsApp: +234 802 318 4987

How can a mere mortal be right-standing in the eyes of God?

First, he has to admit that he can do nothing by himself. He must admit that he automatically does everything the wrong way. Then he must believe that God will turn the wrong things of his life into right things through the works of Jesus Christ.

We are only right when we believe in God who always does the right things and corrects our wrongs. We are only right when we believe in God to do the right things for us.

The right thing can never be what a man does. The right thing is only what God does. So, how can man get anything right? He must believe that God will get it right for him.

Faith in God is the answer. Faith in God is the key. The scriptures tell us: “Without faith it is impossible to please (God).” (Hebrews 11:6). With faith, the wrong thing becomes right. The bad thing becomes good. The only goodness in man acceptable to God is faith in God, and faith itself is a gift of God.

“You cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in him. In the Scriptures David talks about the blessings that come to people who are acceptable to God, even though they don’t do anything to deserve these blessings.” (Romans 4:5-6).

Those trying to be good fail for trying. Those who do not try succeed because of their faith:

“The Gentiles were not trying to be acceptable to God, but they found that He would accept them if they had faith. It also means that the people of Israel were not acceptable to God. And why not? It was because they were trying to be acceptable by obeying the Law instead of by having faith in God.” (Romans 9:30-32).

Saving faith

Salvation does not come from merely believing in God. It comes from believing in the word of God. This is because: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17).

So, what is the word of God?

In the time of Noah, salvation was in believing what God said about the Ark. The word of God said those who went into the Ark would be saved. As a result, many who believed in God perished in the Flood because they did not believe in the Ark. But salvation was in the Ark.

Today, salvation is also not merely in believing in God. It is in believing in Jesus, the Word of God. Jesus is now the Ark. As a result, many people who claim to believe in God are unacceptable to God. To believe in the One true God, we must believe in Jesus, the Son of God and the Word of God:

“If we have faith in God’s Son, we have believed what God has said. But if we don’t believe what God has said about his Son, it is the same as calling God a liar. God has also said that he gave us eternal life and that this life comes to us from his Son. And so, if we have God’s Son, we have this life. But if we don’t have the Son, we don’t have this life.” (1 John 5:10-12).

(God) accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:22). “(God) declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26).

Jesus is the Way

Jesus is the only way to God. Jesus says: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6).

The Bible does not say: “God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in God should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

No! It says:

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

God the Father is not the author of our faith. Jesus is. (Hebrews 12:2). God the Father did not appear to Paul on the road to Damascus, and commission him to establish the church and to write two-thirds of the New Testament. Jesus did.

God the Father did not appear to John and reveal to him what is to come, which he wrote in the Book of Revelations. Jesus did.

The scriptures do not say: “Looking unto God the Father.” No! They say: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2). The righteousness of faith is in believing who Jesus is and believing in His atonement for our sins on the cross.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. He does not testify of the Father but of the Son. People are to be led to Jesus, and not to the Father. If you lead people to Jesus, they will get to the Father because Jesus is the way to Him. But if you try to lead people to the Father, they will never get to Him.

Completed Works

Today, there is still no salvation in believing in God. The apostolic creed is quite straightforward. It has a division of authority between God the Father and God the Son: 

“Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20:21).

Moreover, faith is not believing what Jesus will do. It is believing what Jesus has done. Therefore, thank God in advance before receiving anything from Him. Faith does not mean believing God will do something. Faith is believing He has already done it. Jesus says:

“Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24).

Sin is Unbelief

Sin is not merely what men do. Sin is first and foremost what men believe. For a man to be good in the sight of God, he must believe in God. For a man to be right standing with God, he must believe in God:

“People are acceptable to God because they have faith, and not because they obey the Law. There is only one God, and He accepts Gentiles as well as Jews, simply because of their faith.” (Romans 3:28-30).

So, why do you do the things you do? Only one answer is acceptable. You must do what you do because you believe in Christ. Faith in Christ is the only acceptable reason for human action. Anything that does not originate from faith in Jesus is a sin. “For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23).

If you give money to the poor but the reason why you did is not because of your faith in Jesus, your generosity is a sin. You sinned against God by giving money to the poor.

If you are faithful to your wife only because you love your wife, you have sinned against God. You must be faithful to your wife because you believe in Jesus and love God.

Jesus asserts the saliency and supremacy of faith in Him in every situation:

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26).

We must hate them, and then love them only because we believe in Jesus.

Jesus warns that sin is mistakenly seen as doing something bad when it is doing something that does not arise from our belief in Him:

“When (the Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, because they do not believe in Me.” (John 16:8).

In effect, with the perfected works of Jesus on our behalf on the cross of Calvary where He took away the sin of the world, sin has now been reduced to not believing in Jesus. Only those who have the Holy Spirit know this. Others think God approves of their dead works.

Exclusionary Law

Paul asks:

“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? No: but by the law of faith.” (Romans 3:27).

The law of faith in Jesus is exclusionary because there are so many things that we simply will not do because we believe in Jesus. People do evil because they do not believe in Jesus.

But because you believe in Jesus, you will not steal. Because of your faith in Jesus, you will not fornicate. Because of your faith in Jesus, you will not murder. Because of your faith in Jesus, you will not steal. Because of your faith in Jesus, you will not sin intentionally.

But people who do not believe in Jesus are liable to fly planes into buildings, killing thousands, in the belief that, by doing this, they are doing God a favour.

Jesus warns His disciples about this:

“They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.” (John 16:2-3).

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; www.femiaribisala.com

Peter and Christine Scott, who have been married for 46 years, made the decision after former nurse Christine, 80, was diagnosed with early-stage vascular dementia several weeks ago.

The couple want to travel to Switzerland to die in each other's arms in the death capsule – known as the Sarco – to mark the end of their long and happy marriage.

Following an emotional family summit during which the couple shared their fears of suffering years of infirmity within a failing NHS, and losing their home and life savings to pay crippling care costs, their son and daughter have reluctantly said they'll respect their choice.

Peter, 86, and Christine, who have six grandchildren, are now in the process of registering with The Last Resort, a Swiss-based organisation that offers assisted dying in the Sarco, unveiled in July.

It has not yet been tried but its creator, Australian-born Philip Nitschke – nicknamed Doctor Death by right-to-life opponents – expects the first suicide to take place soon. The Scotts say they will wait until the new twin model of the machine is launched later this year.

In an extraordinarily frank interview at their home in the Suffolk village of Mellis, they revealed their plans in the hope of lending weight to the campaign to allow assisted dying in the UK, where it is illegal.

Currently, a backbench Labour MP is considering bringing forward a private members' bill after Sir Keir Starmer backed having a free Commons vote on the issue.

Peter said: 'We have had long, happy, healthy, fulfilled lives but here we are in old age and it does not do nice things to you.

'The idea of watching the slow degradation of Chris's mental abilities in parallel to my own physical decline is horrific to me.

'Obviously I would care for her to the point I could not, but she has nursed enough people with dementia during her career to be adamant she wants to remain in control of herself and her life. Assisted dying gives her that opportunity and I would not want to go on living without her.

'We understand other people may not share our feelings and we respect their position. What we want is the right to choose. I find it deeply depressing we can't do that here in the UK.

'Yet look at the alternative. The chances of getting prompt NHS treatment for the ailments of old age seem pretty remote so you end up trapped by infirmity and pain.

'I don't want to go into care, to be lying in bed dribbling and incontinent – I don't call that a life.

'Finally, the Government swoops in to take your savings and your house to pay for it all.'

Currently he is wrestling with all the paperwork required for the full application.

He is anxious about Christine's application since securing assisted suicide for dementia sufferers is harder than for people with, for example, terminal cancer.

The Sarco was invented at the request of British stroke victim Tony Nicklinson who was left conscious but unable to move or speak following a stroke. 

He approached Nitschke to make a death pod that could be operated by the blink of an eye, the only communication left to him. 

Nicklinson, who begged the courts to be legally allowed to die but was refused, eventually starved himself to death in 2012, before the Sarco was created.

The pod works by replacing air, which is 21 per cent oxygen and 79 per cent nitrogen, with 100 per cent nitrogen. This swiftly renders the occupant unconscious and they then stop breathing in a process that takes less than ten minutes. 

A camera inside the pod records their final moments and the footage is handed to a coroner.

It is anticipated that the Sarco, which is made using a 3-D printer, will be free but people must be able to pay for their body to be removed by funeral directors afterwards. Peter and Christine would like to be cremated and have their ashes repatriated and scattered in the graveyard of their local church.

The only additional currently known cost would be £16 for the liquid nitrogen used in the pod, making it more economical than other assisted dying clinics, which typically charge £10,000.

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Nitschke confirmed his couple's suicide pod was ready for launch. He said: 'The capsule for two people works exactly the same as the single Sarco but there is only one button so they will decide between them who will push it. Then they'll be able to hold each other and one of them will push the button.'

Christine already has her final days planned. 'I'd like to go walking with Peter in the Swiss Alps, by a river. I'd have a beautiful plate of fish for my last supper, and enjoy a great bottle of Merlot. 

'I'd make a playlist including Wild Cat Blues and The Young Ones by Cliff Richard and I've found a poem called Miss Me But Let Me Go, which sums up exactly how I feel.'

Appropriately, the 1930s song Goodbye by the American composer Gordon Jenkins will be on Peter's playlist. A former RAF aero engineer, he worked in the aviation industry around the world before returning to his native East Anglia to carve a second career as a careers adviser. 

He and Christine fell in love at first sight after meeting in a jazz club. She was a nurse with a small daughter from a first marriage. After marrying, they had a son together.

Their children have been encouraging them to move into a retirement complex but the couple are determined to make assisted dying a possibility. 

Christine says: 'It's a lovely life but I have this diagnosis, and that's crystallised our thinking. Medicine can slow vascular dementia but it can't stop it. At the point I thought I was losing myself, I'd say: 'This is it, Pete, I don't want to go any further.'

He adds: 'I've said to her, 'You make the decision and I'll be with you.' Death holds no problem for me whatsoever.

'I'd just give her a big hug and say: 'Hope to see you later.'

MailOnline

In the span of three months, the Federal Government spent approximately N701m to fund the foreign trips of the country’s First Lady, Remi Tinubu, to five countries, Saturday PUNCH can confirm.

Recall that in 2023, the Federal Government allocated N1.5bn for the procurement of vehicles for the Office of the First Lady.

This budgetary allocation was outlined in the N2.1tn supplementary budget for 2023 approved by the National Assembly.

A breakdown of the budget shows the government planned to spend N2.9bn on sport utility vehicles for the Presidential Villa and another N2.9bn to replace operational vehicles for the Presidency.

Former Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume, however, claimed that the N1.5bn budgeted for vehicles was for the Presidency and not for the First Lady’s office.

However, checks by our correspondent, using GovSpend, a civic tech platform that tracks and analyses Federal Government’s spending, showed that the government paid out N700,707,532 over three months for the First Lady’s foreign trips to five countries, including two African nations.

On November 17, 2023, the government, through the State House headquarters transit account, released N77,659,888 for the purchase of foreign exchange ($94,314) for the First Lady’s trip to the United States.

On February 24, 2024, the government, through the State House headquarters transit account, paid N149,794,284 for the purchase of foreign exchange ($152,831) for the First Lady’s trip to France on January 4, 2024.

On March 15, 2024, N202,386,198 was also paid by the government through the State House account for the purchase of foreign exchange ($126,834) for the First Lady’s trip to Mozambique that month.

On the same day, the government paid N144,571,785 for the purchase of foreign exchange ($96,118) for the First Lady’s trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 9, 2024.

The government, through the same State House account, paid N126,295,377 for the purchase of foreign exchange ($83,967) for the First Lady’s trip to London that month.

Additionally, the government spent N314,231,472 on six programmes of the First Lady within four months.

On May 24, 2024, Rock of Ages Total Events Centre Ltd received N131,921,786 for full-scale decoration of State House events for the First Lady’s programmes for women, youth, and children.

On May 29, 2024, the State House paid N107,630,000 to  Makeway Nigeria Limited for the provision of multimedia and related services during the First Lady’s programmes for women, youth, and children.

This indicates that a total sum of N1,014,939,004 has been spent by the government on the First Lady’s trips and programmes over seven months altogether.

Reacting, the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership said it was out of place to spend such a humongous amount on the First Lady’s office, which isn’t recognised by the constitution.

In an interview with Saturday PUNCH, the Executive Director of CACOL, Debo Adeniran, said the complacency of the National Assembly has criminally empowered the executive to spend the national treasury on frivolities, and the only way Nigerians can stop the ugly trend is to consistently speak out against it.

He said, “It is more than profligacy. It is actually a misappropriation of funds because the office of the First Lady doesn’t exist in our constitution and is not supposed to be appropriated for. So, every appropriation that is made for that office is illegal. It is just because our National Assembly is complacent. They are not performing their oversight functions the way they should.

“Otherwise, everybody who dips his or her hand into the national coffers to fund any project that is not in accordance with the dictates of our constitution has committed an offence. If it is elected government personnel, it is an impeachable offence. So, it is out of place for such a humongous amount.”

He noted that the frivolous spending by the government has given the masses no reason to believe the numerous promises of lifting them out of the current hardship.

“Nigerians cannot reason with the government because they (the government) have not set their priorities right. They spend on frivolities rather than on things that will improve the lives of the people. So, no matter how genuine the government’s intention is in redeeming the economy, they are not showing us those signals as of now. Nigerians should begin to agitate in the right direction, and constitutionality must be a sine qua non in everything the government does,” he added.

Also reacting, the Director of the Centre for Social Justice, Eze Onyekper, said there is no law in the country that supports the First Lady’s office, and it is grossly illegal for the Federal Government to deploy scarce national resources for any activity related to the office.

He said, “The first question you should ask is whether the money is provided in the budget and whether it is proper to make provisions for a purported office that is not recognized in the constitution or any law of Nigeria. I am not aware of any constitutional provision creating the office of the First Lady, nor am I aware of any law creating the office. So, what they are doing is clearly illegal. It is an abuse of office, especially if it is funded from the public treasury unless she brings the money from her private purse. But if it is from taxpayers’ money, it is an abuse of office.”

Punch

The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has said the economic situation in Nigeria presently is scary.

The private sector-led think tank group said the country needs to take bold and decisive steps to address the challenges.

Chairman of the NESG, Niyi Yusuf, at a pre-summit news conference in Abuja on Friday, noted that one of Nigeria’s pressing concerns now is translating economic growth into improved lives and livelihoods for all its citizens.

Recalling the numbers from the country’s second-quarter 2024 gross domestic product (GDP), Yusuf, who was represented by Ufot Udeme, said that in Q2-2024 Nigeria’s economy recorded a fast GDP growth of 3.2 per cent, compared to 2.5 per cent in Q2 2023.

“Agriculture grew at 1.4 per cent in Q2-2024 from 1.5 per cent in Q2-2023, while industries grew by 3.53 per cent in Q2-2024 from -1.9 per cent in Q2-2023,” he said.

He noted that the services sector recorded a growth of 3.8 per cent in Q2-2024, falling from 4.4 per cent in Q2-2023.

“Nigeria’s weak economic performance is reflected in the declining living standards, with per capita income falling from US$2,162.60 in 2022 to US$1,645.76 in 2023,” he said, adding, “The rising cost of a healthy diet likely worsened the multidimensional poverty rate, which was 62.9 per cent in 2022.”

He said Nigeria also ranks low on the Human Capital Development Index (HCDI), with a score of 0.55, placing it 161st out of 191 countries.

“Our businesses and citizens are under massive pressure from rising costs, inflation, and a struggling economy.

“In 2023, the increased cost of living pushed an estimated 104 million people into poverty (46 per cent poverty rate) from 100 million in 2022. These numbers are compounded by food insecurity, as the number of people suffering from acute hunger in Nigeria is projected to increase to 26.5 million in the June-August 2024 lean season, from a staggering 18.6 million people at the end of 2023 and over 38 per cent of under-five children suffering from chronic malnutrition.”

The Chairman of the NESG said, “These are indeed difficult times for our nation. Global instability, regional volatility, and national socioeconomic uncertainty demand that we take bold and decisive steps.”

He said the theme for this year’s Summit, “Collaborative Action for Growth, Competitiveness, and Stability,” emphasises that now, more than ever, Nigeria must embrace a business-unusual approach, innovative governance, and transformational political leadership.

“It is only through collaborative action between government, business, and civil society that we can unlock Nigeria’s vast potential,” he said.

“Though we face tough times, there are also incredible opportunities ahead. The 30th Nigerian Economic Summit offers a platform for exploring these opportunities, and together, we can shape Nigeria’s future toward shared and sustainable prosperity.”

He noted that the summit, which will be held from October 14 to 16, 2024, in Abuja, will focus on three key areas of People, Leadership, and Institutions, with sub-themes designed to tackle Nigeria’s most pressing challenges and identify opportunities for growth.

The Guardian

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has fined the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and other electricity distribution companies for overbilling customers.

NERC published the fine in its September 2024 supplementary order on Friday.

According to the electricity regulator, out of all the distribution companies (DisCos), AEDC has the highest fine of N1.69 billion.

The order, signed by Musiliu Oseni, NERC vice-chairman, and Dafe Akpeneye, commissioner for legal, licensing, and compliance, follows a comprehensive investigation into AEDC’s billing practices.

According to the order, NERC discovered that AEDC and other distribution companies overcharged customers between January and September 2023.

The commission said the respective fines “represent 10 percent of the overbilled amount”.

NERC also said AEDC’s annual operating expenditure would be reduced by N1.69 billion effective from September 1.

Other DisCos penalised are Eko Distribution Company (EKEDC) (N1.41 billion); Benin Distribution Company (BEDC) (N804 million); Enugu Distribution Company (EEDC) (N310 million); and Ibadan Distribution Company (IBEDC) (N15 million).

According to the order, Ikeja Distribution Company (IKEDC) will pay N1.41 billion as a fine; Jos Distribution Company (JEDC) N1.33 billion; and Kaduna Distribution Company (KAEDCO) N115 million.

Also, Kano Distribution Company (KEDCO) was fined N20 million, Port-Harcourt Distribution Company (PHDC) N1.16 million and Yola Distribution Company (YEDC) N54 million.

NERC said the penalty was a response to the distribution companies’ non-compliance with previous directives aimed at capping estimated billing for electricity consumers.

The Cable