Oyo State House of Assembly has condoled with the leader of the House, Honourable Sanjo Adedoyin over the death of his son, Faith.

Faith Adedoyin, a final year student of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho, was one of three victims (now six) who lost their lives in a lone ghastly motor accident that occurred at Ojudu bridge, Ilobu in Irepodun Local government area of Osun state.

The victims, largely 500-level accounting students, were returning from an excursion to Erin-Ijesha waterfall, Osun, as part of activities marking their final year, on Wednesday evening, when their bus had an accident and went up in flames.

In a condolence message on behalf of the Assembly, the Chairman, House Committee on Information and Public Affairs, Honourable Waheed Akintayo described the death of Faith Adedoyin as painful, a rude shock and heavy to swallow .

The message read, “The news of his demise was received with a deep sense of loss but in total submission to the will of the Almighty, Unquestionable and all knowing God whose ways transcend human knowledge.

“On behalf of the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin and other Honourable members, we pray that the Lord comforts , grant Hon. Sanjo Adedoyin and entire family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.



“We just want you to know that our thoughts are with you and your family. We are wishing you and your family courage and peace during this time of mourning.”


https://tribuneonlineng.com/oyo-assembly-condoles-colleague-over-sons-death/

Eyewitnesses disclosed that the Mazda bus burst into flame on speed and the three victims were burnt to death on the spot, while five others sustained various burnt injuries.

Confirming the incident on Thursday, the Osun Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corp, FRSC, Agnes Ogungbemi said the incident was due to speed limit violation and loss of control.

She added that some of the injured victims were taken to Uniosun Teaching Hospital in Osogbo, while others have been taken to a private hospital in the town.

She added that the three mobile phones recovered at the scene were handed over to the police.

The Sector Commander, Henry Benamaisia, urged motorists to drive carefully on public highways to avoid unnecessary death.


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/09/two-lautech-students-driver-burnt-to-death-in-osun-road-accident/amp/

Nairalanders, I need help Asap, before things get out of hand. Before I move further, this is not a begging post, so please nobody should derail it, please.
I am a mum, I have a son to feed, but currently, I am doing nothing and I am at the verge of going crazy because sometimes, I get this suffocating feeling when I think of where the next food is coming from and that is exactly how I feel again this night. I wanted to pray, but I just can't pray.
I have tried a lot of things and my problem stems from the fact that none is working out. There is no kind of thought that hasn't come to me. I have tried selling foodstuffs, no way, online trust issues suffocated it. I have tried YouTube and Facebook, but growing to the point where you get monitized is no joke, and needs a lot of money input which I don't have. I have requested for a way to get vuga, a well sought out movie to post on my channel to boost it, no way to get it. I have walked up to a car stand, taken pictures and posted online, nairalanders said it's too expensive. It is the price I was told, so what can I do, I was just hustling for commission. I have a friend who wants to sell his miles, and is looking for a buyer. I hoped to get a buyer and get some commission from there, no way. Now there a lot of business I can do but they require capital which I don't have. I have gotten a teaching job, but the highest pay was 20k, I refused because daycare alone for my baby plus transport will take all the money. my only hope is business but everywhere seems to be blocked, like I am caged with no hope in sight. It has gotten to a point where I can feel myself loosing it. I just need one break.
I am asking nairalanders to please patronize me. I live in Jos, I can get you Foodstuff at an affordable price or better still buy any of the other things I advertised so I can raise money for business. At this point, I am loosing it, please somebody should patronize me, please. I just need a break from all this thinking.
I have created a store on Shopify to sell foodstuffs. It took me painstaking effort to set that shop up. I had to go for market survey so many times, because prices keep changing. That shop did not see the light of day because I couldn't make one sale and when my three months grace of paying one dollar expired, that one has been closed too. I received notification for that yesterday. I don't really need advice. I just need things to start working. Just one sale will go a long way in encouraging me to push harder. my pastor owns a fish pond. I can also get you dried catfish in any quantity. Please patronize me. I am loosing it please.

MEN OF GOD IN CHAINS

EZEKIEL 3:25

[NKJV] — And you, O son of man, surely they will put ropes on you and bind you with them, so that you cannot go out among them. [Ezekiel 3:25 NKJV]

[FBV] — You will be tied up with ropes, son of man. You will be bound so that you won't be able to go out among the people. [Ezekiel 3:25 FBV]

The Spirit of God declared this to Ezekiel the prophet, as you read in the Bible verse above:

"The People will surely bind the Prophet as if they were binding or tying up a mad-man, to the degree that the prophet would not be able to go out among them."

He's not Samson that could not be bound (tied) when Samson was filled the Holy Spirit, neither was he the madman by the tombs at Gadarenes that could not be sustainably bound (tied) when possessed by the Legion of unclean spirits: He was Ezekiel the son of man that was mightily possessed by the Spirit of God, and yet people could bind or tie him up inspite of the Mighty Spirit of God on him.

The reason for that is because the ropes or bonds (chains) from the people over the man of God filled with the Holy Spirit of God were also serving the will of God for and through the man of God. Christians were taught to take authority in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to bind or chain others in prayers, especially when the others are devils or enemies to them. But have anyone taught us to also be the Christians who others may bind, tie or chain?

It was Saul (Paul) that took authority to bind, not bind demons, but took authority to bind Christians; before he was eventually arrested and converted into being Christian himself and later he too was bound (tied). As it is written,

[Acts 9:14] — "And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on Your name."

Ezekiel did not bind nor cast anyone, but he was bound (tied) even with the Holy Ghost within him. See how the Holy Ghost demonstrated to Paul that he shall be tied-up.

[Acts 21:10‭-‬13 FBV] — After we'd stayed there for several days, a prophet called Agabus arrived from Judea. Approaching us, he took Paul's belt, and bound his own hands and feet. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt, and will hand him over to the foreigners.’” When we heard this, we and the believers there pleaded with Paul not to go to Jerusalem. However, Paul answered, “What are you doing, crying and breaking my heart? I'm ready not only to be bound in Jerusalem, but to die in Jerusalem for the sake of the Lord Jesus.”

Imagine a man of God on pulpit or platform throwing anointing that makes some people closeby to fall; then imagine Paul that could not wave or make hand throw, and could not even hold a microphone because he was always in bonds; for he's a man of God who's hands were always tied. Imagine him preaching, "Standfast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made you free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage;" but he himself was in bonds or chains, and does not appear to have physically shown what he's teaching here. Here are five bible references where Paul spoke of his bonds/chains:

*1* And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in town after town the Holy Spirit warns me that chains and afflictions await me.
[Acts 20:22‭-‬23]

*2* for which I am an ambassador in chains. pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should. [Ephesians 6:20]

*3* As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And most of the brothers, confident in the Lord by my chains, now dare more greatly to speak the word without fear. [Philippians 1:13‭-‬14]

*4* "The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my chains…." [Colossians 4:18]

*5* "Remember those that are in chains, as if you are chained with them; and those who suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body." [Hebrews 13:3]

Isaac as the most loved son of Abraham was tied or bound up by his own father who loves him and yet bind him up on the altar to be offered to God. Nebuchadnezzar bind (tied) the three friends of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, and cast them into a fiery furnace. But unlike Ezekiel, over whom the Spirit of God declared that people shall surely bind him with ropes, behold Jeremiah was told to actually make his own yoke and ropes, and bind himself, for a demonstration of his message of God to the people:

[Jeremiah 27:2] — “Thus says the Lord to me: ‘Make for yourselves bonds and yokes, and put them on your neck,

Now he that betrayed gave them a sign, Saying, whomsoever I shall kiss,
that same is he: hold him fast. Matthew 26:48



A witness is someone who bears record that Jesus is the son of God for heavenly objectives to be realised, while a betrayer is also someone who bears the same record but for destructive reasons; so that the objectives of the Devil can be realised. I have a strong conviction within me that when Judas Iscariot was carrying out this destructive goal, he did not know what it would end so badly. He felt he knew Christ through and through. He was a very smart guy who believed that Jesus as usual would find a way of escape from the Roman soldiers, but unfortunately, the story did not end the way he envisaged. Are you a betrayer or a witness? There are many people that started out as witnesses but ended up as betrayers. They were portraying signs which they did not see as too bad. They thought it was not dangerous. They believed that they knew how to help themselves, till they met their fall. May this not be your portion in Jesus’ name.

The kiss of Judas was a customary form affectionate greeting among the Jews, and this was the same gesture that Judas used in identifying Jesus to the band of officers and Pharisees. The act of betrayal came from someone who was a companion of Jesus in His ministry. A betrayer could be one of your equals who is not happy with what God is doing in your life. Your betrayer may be your guide or your acquaintance, like we saw in the story of the false prophet and the younger prophet. Those who are most likely to betray you might not be far from those you take counsel from, and walk to the house of God with. This is why you must never allow anything to stand between you and God, because He is the only one who can deliver you from their wickedness and mischief. If you don’t know how to call upon God who alone can save you from the hands of betrayers, then you are in trouble.

Amidst the opposition of the unbelieving and disobedient Jews, John the Baptist decided to be a witness. John was not in the palace, his ministry was in the wilderness, yet people were going there to hear the Word of God because he was a true witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Though John was not the Elijah they wanted to see, they saw him witnessing about the person of Jesus with the zeal and the power of a prophet. As a witness he was a lone voice in the wilderness. The happenings of his day did not alter his message, and lives were being changed and transformed. He preached repentance and he alerted the minds of the people to the presence of God. Such messages are scarce on the Pulpits of 21st century Pastors and Evangelists. No wonder some are beginning to doubt what they once believed, which is eventually leading them to becoming betrayers rather than witnesses.

PRAYER
Are you a betrayer of or a witness the gospel? pray for Daddy G.O, that God should continue to strengthen him as he takes the gospel to more nations of the world


by: Pastor E.A. Adeboye

In Ezekiel 37:1-11, the Bible tells us about the valley of dry bones where God asked the Prophet, “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel said, “Only you know”. In other words, Ezekiel was saying, “my faith can’t handle that”, but the dry bones eventually lived. In Mark 9:17-27, a man brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus’ disciples. They couldn’t deliver the child and thus referred him to the Lord Jesus, who said, “O ye of little faith”. The man said, “I believe, but help thou my unbelief”. The day I heard that story, I was so glad, because that means if my faith is not enough, I can cry to Him and He will make it grow.

When I became General Overseer, we loved to cook and eat together during our convention, but we were having challenges with the finances for the feeding and the parishes were groaning under the cost. One day during the convention, out of desperation, I said, “One day will come when you will be able to come to the Convention without bringing any money at all”. When we finished that night, and I got back to my office to pray, the Lord spoke to me, “son, when do you want that to happen?” I said, “One of these days” and He responded, “Why not from now?” At that time we were about 10,000 people. How would I feed 10,000 people for one week? The Lord said, “Announce to the entire congregation that you will feed them next convention”. I said, “Daddy, I’ve never disobeyed You before, but this one? I can’t tell them”. He didn’t put any pressure on me, so the Convention ended and everybody left, but they came back the following month for the Holy Ghost Service and God repeated it. I said, “Lord, my faith can’t carry it”, and He said to me, “son, you are about to lose a miracle”. I therefore announced, “Brethren, next year, don’t bring any money for feeding, you will be fed”. That was over 20 years ago, and God has not failed once.

You may think I am a man of great faith, but the truth is that my Daddy is the One who helps my little faith, so I depend entirely on Him. He has never let me down and I know He will not let you down too.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

*This Church cannot be broken because we are not a breakaway Church says Bishop David Oyedepo
*Bishop Adjeman yet to vacate facilities despite Supreme Court judgement.
*Court case lasted about 19 years.

The Supreme Court has ordered that Bishop George Adjeman who was consecrated Bishop in November 1999 by Bishop Oyedepo and later rebelled should vacate the premises of Winners Chapel used by him for the last 19 years after a long drawn court case. The judgement was given earlier in 2023 while some unscrupulous media elements tried to twist the story and turn it upside down due to the unhappiness of those who have been happy about the situation which lasted almost 2 decades and felt exposed by the judgement.

The Court also varied the decision that Bishop Adjeman render an account of his stewardship to WCI from 16/1/2004 to date and pay any monies due the Church with interest at the prevailing commercial bank interest rate by reducing the rate to be paid among other decisions.

However, it set aside an order by the Court of Appeal that restrained George Adjeman and others from using the name Winners Chapel for their breakaway group.

The Supreme Court upheld the following orders as made by the Court of Appeal;

Firstly, the Living Faith World Outreach Centre recovers possession of all that piece and parcel of land situated at Winners Chapel No.16 Otublohum Road, Industrial, Area.

Secondly, the court upheld the grant of H/No. 5, situated at Arko Adjei Street adjacent to Miklin Hotel, East Legon, Accra to the plaintiffs.

Additionally, George Adjeman and the group were restrained from disturbing the Plaintiffs’ quiet enjoyment of their properties, places, and items of worship.

Finally, the order for the Registrar General to delete the names of all the defendants as directors and/or subscribers to the Regulations of 1 and 2 Plaintiffs.

On the other hand, the appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal was granted in part.

The court set aside, the order directed at the Registrar General’s Department to remove the name Winners Chapel from the Registrar of Companies.

Secondly, the order that Winners Chapel should not be used by George Adjeman and others because it belonged exclusively to the Living Faith World Outreach Centre was set aside. This implies that even though the name Winners Chapel Ghana can operate within Ghana, it will be almost impossible to operate with exactly same name in any country outside Ghana.

Recall that at the time of the rebellion, George Adjeman broke away with 14 churches while the headquarter church had 16,000 regular worshippers. However, today, the Adjeman group has reduced to less than 1000 in the headquarters. As a matter of fact, when ChurchGist visited the dissident group at the headquarters during a Monday service (Prayer Meeting) in July 2022, Church Gist representative counted 33 in the service including the Church Gist Ghanaian and Nigerian representatives. Also, while the original Winners Chapel (International) has over 200 branches in Ghana with land procured for a university, the Adjeman groups still has less than 20 branches

Church Gist will release the comprehensive story of the rebellion in Ghana below on this same post later today.

Matthew 16:18

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

#ChurchGist

Now the full story as promised....

THE REBELLION IN GHANA

Background

Bishop Adjeman a Ghanian was a protege of Oyedepo in Kaduna right from his days in Kaduna. He is a chartered accountant and was ordained as Bishop by same Oyedepo on 9th November 1999 after the dedication of Faith Tabernacle along with 6 other Bishops namely Thomas Aremu who is still with the Liberation Commission, Dayo Olutayo (who also left LFC in 2004), Bolu Martins, Mike Afolabi of blessed memory, Dickson Olorunda and Joseph Ebhohimien (Secretary at the Power House Meetings)

Bishop Adjeman had served variously in Abuja as well as Raji Oba, Lagos among other places of assignment. He held sway in those days whenever Bishop David Oyedepo was on his mission trips and was considered a faithful servant and was the only non-Nigerian consecrated Bishop in the history of the Living Faith Church.

In recognition of his faithfulness as well as a new indigenization policy of the Living Faith Church George Adjeman was transferred Ghana in 1996. He was later recalled and then sent in 2002 to head Winners Chapel Ghana which consisted of 14 churches spread across Ghana, Kingdom Heritage Model School and church house. Bishop Adjeman later re-registered the church in his own name, declared independence and the drama began..

IF YOU ARE FAITHFUL IN ANOTHER MAN’S...

In 2004 Bishop Adjeman staged a takeover of the Ghanaian branch of Winners Chapel after the Headquarters in Canaanland Ota, Nigeria attempted to transfer him to Ibadan when he refused to continue remitting the $60,000.00 monthly church income that was erstwhile remitted to the Nigerian headquarter. Remitting of Money from all branches of the world to Headquarter churches usually to fund various programs of the Church was practiced by Winners Chapel at the time. The Author remembers vividly during the building of Faith Tabernacle when amounts given by various branches and countries were mentioned by Bishop Oyedepo during thanksgiving. The practice has however ceased in Winners since 2012 when the Mandate or Church constitution was promulgated. Notably, the Ark building project which is ongoing as not required any branch church outside the headquarters at Canaanland to give to the project; however, the Catholic Church, Redeemed Christian Church of God and many others still practice this which is not in anyway a bad practice. After the monies have been remitted, certain percentages would be returned to the branches in some cases.

AN EXCUSE for REBELLION?

After Bishop Adjeman revealed how much was transported to Nigeria every week, all hell was let loose in Ghana as the debate became a Nigeria versus Ghana debate. Some Ghanaians felt it was wrong for a church in Ghana to remit money to a church in Nigeria; they therefore took sides with Bishop Adjeman. Others felt Adjeman was disloyal to his former boss in Nigeria and should leave the church using the right way and not taking over any of the church's properties, members or name.

The Ghanaian branch of Winners Chapel Ghana was started in 1996 and as said earlier already had 14 branches, Kingdom Heritage Model school(s) etc while Adjeman was transferred to Ghana in 2002. However Adjeman claimed that when he got back to Ghana he met the church badly run and therefore when government authorities in Ghana called for Churches to be registered as companies, Bishop Adjeman went ahead to re-register the church in his own name and excluded the names of all the Nigerian trustees without informing the Nigerian church of the new regulatory development nor asking for their assent

THE UNRIGHTEOUS MAMMON

The initial aim of Adjeman wasn't so clear at this stage. But what is sure is that Adjeman wanted at least financial independence from Nigeria at some point. The Ghanian church had kicked against the practice of money being "illegally" transferred to Nigeria. The Ghanaian church claimed that Winners Chapel isn't a limited liability and should not transfer money to Nigeria only to later receive some percentages of it.

GET DOWN TO BASORUN IBADAN!

Following Adjeman's refusal to keep remitting money to Headquarters in Nigeria he was transferred to then Ibadan Diocese with headquarters in Basorun, Oyo state.

Bishop Adjeman rejected the Ibadan transfer and notified church members that he was been transferred because of his refusal to remit money to Nigeria. Some members cheered Adjeman on and encouraged him to disregard the transfer.

BISHOP ABIOYE ORDERED TO GHANA

As Adjeman remained adamant, Bishop David Abioye, the Executive Vice President of the LFC was sent to Accra to stem the tide. Adjeman refused to see him and instead locked BishopAbioye out of the Church premises. Reports have it that some unscrupulous elements had the temerity to attempt to rough handle the senior Bishoo in hierarchy in total disregard of authority. Bishop Abioye consequently returned to Canaanland to report the situation he met.

Once Adjeman had refused to honor his transfer to Ibadan, Adjeman was then sacked by the Church Headquarters.

GHANA PENTECOSTAL FELLOWSHIP INTERVENES

Following the attempt at secession the Ghanaian Pentecostal Fellowship (GPF)ordered Adjeman to vacate the Winners Chapel premises. The argument of GPF stemmed from the fact that Winners Chapel Ghana was built with seed funding from the Nigeria and therefore it should be returned to the mother church.

WCI AND WCG

While attempts where being made to resolve the crisis of ownership, WCI quickly moved to establish another place of worship to stop the confusion. They were now referred to in Ghana as the Oyedepo original body (WCI Ghana) and the Adjeman's faction referred to as Winners Chapel Ghana (WCG or Winners’ Ghana). A long journey was about to begin that would last the next 14 years in the Ghanaian judicial system.

DESTROY THIS TEMPLE AND I WILL BUILD IT IN 3 DAYS

Once the Adjeman faction had retained the church premises in 2004 the WCI secured another space not too far away where they began worshipping as the headquarter church in Nigeria went to court in Ghana and began the tussle with the renegade WCG led by Adjeman. At this time, Dele Bamgboye (now of High Flyers) and later Abraham Ojeme (now at the Summit Church) were sent variously to Accra. At a meeting between George Adjeman and Abraham Ojeme, Ojeme asked-Can you give one scripture that justifies what you are doing? Adjeman had no response. Again, during a press interview, Adjeman pointed out that WCI had established a new and big church within only 3 months and used that to justify his actions.

As the Crisis metarmophosed the GPF equally admonished Oyedepo to settle Adjeman so he can go and start his own ministry. Oyedepo initially disagreed querying if that wouldn't be tantamount to a bribe. Oyedepo’s believes he does not own the Church and as such could not give church property out as ‘settlement’. The GPF however encouraged him to see it as a way of setting up a son.

GIVE ME $50,000, CHURCH HOUSE AND OFFICIAL CAR AND I WILL GO!

To settle the problem, Adjeman made a demand that he be paid $50,000 as severance, along with the church mission house and a car. Oyedepo vehemently opposed this but he was persuaded to see Adjeman as a son and not a rebel and that he should see the money given to Adjeman as a parting gift to a son. Bishop Oyedepo, after due consultation with his church elders, was said to have agreed to approve $100,000 but without a car or the Church Mission house. This didn’t go down well with Adjeman and he decided to help himself with the church.

I AM SORRY?

Seemingly feeling remorseful after 6 years, Adjeman visited Oyedepo in 2010 against the wishes of his lawyers. There, Oyedepo reportedly agreed to let Adjeman have all the properties but should drip the "winners chapel" tag from his church name which was the root of the contention. Adjeman agreed to drop the name and even church propertiea. But Adjeman changed his mind as he got back to Ghana.

Ghanian High Court Delivers Judgment in 2017 In Favor Of Adjeman

13 years after in 2017 the Ghanian court dismissed the lawsuit by Winners Chapel Intl(Oyedepo's faction). According to the court, winners chapel Ghana is a registered and recognized church in Ghana as it was duly registered by Adjeman and therefore won the case. However properties acquired between 1996 and 2002 must be valued and half returned in cash value to Oyedepo's faction. However judgment was not giving as regards the name of the church.

Ghanaian Appeal Court Reverses the Judgement of the High Court

In November 2020, the Appeal Court in Ghana reversed the decisions of the High Court

The summary of the judgment and the consequential reliefs granted by the Appeal Court are:

1. The judgment of the trial high court is reversed.

2. All properties acquired or funded by the Church a.k.a. Winners Chapel International (1st and 2nd Plaintiffs) are the Church’s bona fide properties.

3. The Church is entitled to recover its properties at East Legon, No. 16 Otublohum Road, Industrial Area, all places of worship and items of worship of the Church occupied by Adjeman and Winners Chapel Ghana.

4. The Registrar General is to delete the names of Adjeman and the Defendants from its records as directors and subscribers of Winners Chapel and restore the names of the Church and its directors and subscribers in their stead.

5. Adjeman is to render an account of his stewardship to the Church from 16/01/2004 to date and pay any moneys due the Church with interest at the prevailing commercial bank interest rate.

6. The Church is entitled to the exclusive use of the name “Winners’ Chapel and Adjeman and the other Defendants are injuncted in perpetuity from using the name.

The case was conducted by Thaddeus Sory and Pst Nii Amassah Kotey who unfortunately passed on to glory a few days before judgment was given. Thanks be to God for crowning their efforts with success.

The High Court had earlier given judgement in favour of the Bishop George Adjeman led group in 2017. It is expected that Bishop Adjeman would appeal the case to the Supreme Court of Ghana which is the highest judicial body in Ghana.

Winners Chapel Intl Today And Winners Chapel Ghana

The WCI started again in 2004 after the unfortunate split. It now has a network of over 250 churches in Ghana and is about getting its own university. However winners chapel Ghana led by Adjeman has plunged from 14,000 members as at the time of secession to 1,000 members and in a Monday Prayer meeting attended by Church Gist in July 2022, Church Gist counted 33 in her weekly program and this included our representative from Nigeria and our Ghanaian rep.

THE DAY OF REBELLION IN 2004

The day of secession as told by a Ghanian in church.

According to Paul Agbai

"A lot had been going on prior to the coup de tat that day, a Wednesday... In April 2004. Prior to that day, the Pastors from winners chapel Ghana had gone to Lagos for annual pastors retreat of which George Adjeman himself was supposed to go but he didn't and rather handpicked those pastors loyal to him to go. News had gone round before the arrival of the Pastors that those who went to Lagos were made to sign some undertaken against their will, but no one could ascertain this claim. I came to church that night, driving towards the church, behind one Pastor Richard Appiah, who was next to Bishop Adjeman in seniority, himself just coming from the Lagos trip and was heading to Church that night.

Just by the gate of the church, the head of Crowd Control Unit, CCU, stopped him and said "Oga" has said that all the pastors who went to Lagos should not be allowed in. This pastor Richard Appiah gave a note to the brother to go and give the Bishop that he, Richard, had come but Bishop Adjeman sent a message back that he should meet him in the house by 9pm. I was in my car, just behind Pastor Richard as all these unfolded, I was wondering and a bit confused because of all the preceding tension buildups. Well, Richard's wife got down from the car and trekked in to take her sit with the choir I was leading then. I reversed my car abit for Richard to pull back before I could enter the church in my car.

Towards the end of the service, Bishop Adjeman stood up with a script in his hand and started....."when a child in the womb delays in coming out, a surgical operation is needed, we are about doing a surgical operation." Along the lines of the script, was these statements that shocked me to my bones and marrows till date. Bishop Adjeman said that "all the pastors that went to Lagos had been held and detained against their wills and he doesn't know where they are and that the church should rise up so that we pray for their release from those holding them in Nigeria.." I stood up with others...but instead of praying..I was lost in wondering if this was a kind of home movies theatre or a church, I am in?.and congregation prayed like they were casting out demons in Africa...you know that scene....I was asking myself...is it not now that this man asked the pastors to meet him at a place for meeting at 9pm...but unsuspecting souls were led astray to make it look like its a fight between Ghana and Nigeria... 13 years down the line...no sense of remorse... Not even after he later called Bishop Oyedepo that he wanted to come to see him for restitution and he was granted audience. In that meeting captured on Video, he told Bishop Oyedepo that he was ready to let go and Bishop told him he should just drop the name that is creating confusion and go with the properties to start his own life assembly church he jettisoned. Bishop Adjeman said, he won't only drop name of winners chapel he is using but would drop all properties too..(I will soon release that Video...stay tuned)...he returned to Ghana and changed his mind.........End of my eye witness account of that night of "surgical operations" to remove winners chapel, Ghana from winners chapel international... But truth is always truth and if hidden, how can it be known...hence my putting this here!

What MOHBAD, SORRY

I chose to take my time to really understand what is happening regarding Mohbad's death and it's so painful that majority of us only listen to beats and sounds in music but never pay attention to the lyrics.

Lyrics is what makes the music not just the sound and the beat. Those are just supporting team.

However, I listen to another version of his songs this morning title "Sorry" where he narrated the stories surrounding his life, saying...

This kind life e tire me
Daddy no get salary
Ten years I no see money
Step mother no care
Landlord e dey worry
my brothers are hungry
Daddy gather money make I go poly
I go poly but I no go class daddy I am sorry

The first part of the song talked about the hardship his parents are facing, the maltreatment of his step mother, the landlord threats, his brothers staying all days without food.

Trust me, all these are more than enough for anyone to be mislead and get involved in anything just to change the cause of their lives and that was exactly what Mohbad did.

In the second verse of the Lyrics, he went on to say that...

I don dey do Yahoo
I don dey chop banku
Omo pastor ti wonu aye

He just made it clear that even though he is a Pastor's son; all that is no longer matter as he had decided to be part of anything that can bring in money and eradicate poverty out of his family.

The third version of the lyrics hit hard on his parents and their failure as parents; saying

Mummy just dey pray
Daddy just dey pray for me
Make e better for me
Me I no go school
Only thing I fit do
Music me I choose

Some parents are nothing but total disgrace to humanity. And if you are a parent and you cannot pay closer attention to your children and be sure of the kind of friends they keep and the things they do, then you are nothing but a disgrace.

Praying for your children is never enough, wisdom demands that you get fully involves in their lives and be sure of what they are doing that requires your prayers, so that you don't end up praying for them doing the wrong things.

The last part of the song talks about he giving up on life and his total confusion of what life has in stock for him, saying...

This kind life e tire me
Eshi biri biri ke bo mi o
Iwaju loloko yi wa mi'lo
eyin sa loloko yí wa mi'lo
Mi o mo

Eshi biri biri ke bo mi o
Iwaju loloko yi wa mi'lo
eyin sa loloko yí wa mi'lo
Mi o mo

A confusing state of mind is a dead zone, a place of delusional and depression. A state where all the wrong things seems right even when you are so sure that whatever is flying through your mind is never the right thing.

I'd heard both parents talking about he giving them money, they'd never talked about he telling them or discussing with them of his challenges, fears, plans and future; that speaks volumes.

I'm sorry to say this, but his lyrics on this song, speaks more of his parents failing him big time. And if you are a parent, please pay attention to your children and be their closest friend.

Not all the children that have the mental capacity to say no to what they believe is not right for them. Some of us are strong enough to walk away from anything and anyone we considered unhealthy to our wellbeing. Some don't know how to.

Either way, parents, pay attention to your children, question their source of income and find out what the plans regarding their life is. It's important.

It is well with us all.
Copied from Hajia Idayat.

Olojo: Hardships biting harder, Nigerians should pray for Tinubu’s government, says Ooni

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has called on Nigerians to pray for President Bola Tinubu’s government as people battle hardships in the country. The Yoruba monarch emphasised Nigeria’s need for spiritual intervention amid current hardships.

“I will pray for the unity of Africa. Things are very hard. We all know the economic challenges that people are facing. This is the time we need spiritual and divine intervention,” said the king. “my annual Olojo seclusion. This is how my ancestors have been doing it.”

Mr Ogunwusi added, ”We should pray very well because things are very hard. We all know the state of the economy. It is a sensitive thing that needs prayer, which should not go out of hand. my prayer also would be to pray for divine intervention for the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in order to turn things right because the expectation of people is so high.”

He said life was becoming unbearable for Nigerians.

“I talked to my creator and my ancestors, and they answered me speedily,” Mr Ogunwusi claimed.

Oba Ogunwusi asked Nigerians to support President Bola Tinubu to move Nigeria forward.

The Ife monarch said this on Sunday in preparation for seclusion as part of the Olojo rites. He said stakeholders should not be deprived of the pan-African movement, and behaviour should be very apt.

Mr Ogunwusi called on Africans to unite, be peaceful and develop the continent.

“Pan African movement is not negotiable as this is a way out for us in Africa, for the unity of the African continent as this must be paramount to all of us. I will use the medium to pray for African Unity and movement, for the actualisation of pan-Africanism. We, therefore, as stakeholders, must play our roles to ensure that Africa as a continent speaks in unity,” he stated.

The Olojo festival is the biggest festival on the cultural calendar of Ile-Ife in Osun.

According to Yoruba belief, the Olojo festival is celebrated in remembrance of Ogun, the god of iron considered the first son of Oduduwa.

The festival takes place annually in October and involves several elaborate ritual prayers led by the Ooni.

It is marked by a carnival-like atmosphere attended by people of all ages.

Olojo has remained popular in Ile-Ife because it is the only day in the year believed to be specially blessed by Olodumare (Yoruba’s creator of the universe).

(NAN)

https://gazettengr.com/olojo-hardships-biting-harder-nigerians-should-pray-for-tinubus-government-says-ooni/

NO BE TODAY WICKEDNESS BY RECORD LABELS START

The Story of the Epic Battle Between King Sunny Ade and Chief Bolarinwa Abioro

It was in 1974 that the news broke. Chief Bolarinwa Abioro, the Balogun of Ipokia, the Chairman of African Songs Limited, had taken his star musician to court! Everyone who knew KSA knew Abioro. Everyone who knew Abioro knew Sunday Adeniyi. Sunny was the son. Abioro was the father. What could have gone wrong between father and son?

KSA was the second artiste to be signed on to the stable of African Songs Limited. Ayinde Bakare was the first. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister was the third. Like most creative people, young Sunny Ade was more concern about his passion and less concern about the business aspect of music. His passion was to play music and to excel as a musician.

It was enough that Abioro – one of the biggest men in the music industry at the time – was ready to promote him. They brought documents for Sunny and his band boys to sign. They called it a contract. It could have been called any other name for all that KSA cared. Won ni ko wa je saara, o ni ojo ti wonu ju. Se ata ni won ni ko mu wa ni, abi iyo. You are invited to a free feast, you are complaining about the short notice, are they asking you to bring salt or pepper? Sunny Ade and his boys didn’t hesitate. It is doubtful if any of them read what the contract said. The most important thing was that they were going to become recording artistes. Sunny signed. His band boys signed. Everybody was happy.

The contract was for 5 years. However before its expiration, KSA had become a household name. His album, Challenge Cup, sold in excess of 500,000 copies. It was certain that King Sunny Ade was going to dominate the music scene for a very long time to come. African Songs Ltd knew a good product when it saw one. The management of the company didn’t wait for the first contract to expire before they brought a new contract.

The new agreement was carefully worded. KSA and his band boys agreed to perform and record exclusively for ASL for a period of five years. ASL had full copyrights to all compositions and recordings of Sunny Ade. ASL was entitled to the sole right of production, reproduction, and use of King Sunny Ade’s performance throughout the world. That was not all. During the period of the agreement, KSA was prohibited from rendering any performance whatsoever to himself, any company or group of persons. The contract also stipulated that ASL had the option to renew the agreement at its expiration for a further term of two years or for any longer period. Sunny Ade had no such right.
That was not all. On the sale of every album which price was then fixed at N6.00, KSA and his boys were entitled to a princely sum of 20 kobo. Yes, you read that right. African Songs would go home with the remaining N5.80 kobo. Onigegewura’s mathematics has never been good. He is just an amateur historian. You can do the sum yourself.

Still basking in the euphoria of his growing fame, Sunny gratefully signed again. His band boys signed. 20 kobo was still something. Orogun iya re da sokoto fun o, o ni ko bale, melo ni iya to bi o da fun o? You are complaining that the trousers made for you by your step-mother was not long enough, where is the one your own mother made for you? They were expecting their 20 kobo royalty on every album. Well, when the time came for actual payment, it was then discovered that mathematically and arithmetically, it was not supposed to be 20 kobo. They had not factored the cost of publicity and promotion! And since it was the artiste that was being promoted, he must be the one to bear the cost! After the addition and subtraction, Sunny was given 15 kobo per album.

KSA was not Chike Obi, the mathematician. But he knew that 20 kobo and 15 kobo were not the same thing. Compared with his contemporaries in the music industry, KSA realized that he was holding the short end of the stick. His colleague, Baba Commander, Chief Ebenezer Obey was earning as high as 70 kobo per album. Others were earning between 35 kobo and 60 kobo.

That was when Sunny decided to ask Chief Abioro for a raise of the royalty payment. The chairman listened patiently to KSA and his colleagues. He was nodding as they canvassed one reason after another why a raise was in order. When they finished, Chief Abioro flipped open a file he had on his table. He brought out a bundle of documents. Even from where he was seated across the table, Sunny saw that it was a copy of the contract he signed. “An agreement is an agreement. It is a binding contract!” The chief informed them. “This is what you signed. This is what you are entitled to! No more, No less.” He returned the documents to the file. Case dismissed.

But Sunny was not done. “Chief, this is not about contract. You are our father. Our request is for adequate compensation! Let’s leave the contract aside.” Chief Abioro looked at the young star the way a parent looks at a child asking for another candy. “Leave the contract aside? We should leave the contract aside?” The chairman asked incredulously. “You know, it would be nice to leave the contract aside. But you know what? That would be illegal!”
Haba! Illegality ke! . It was then that someone brought up the idea of requesting some of his friends to plead their case. Sunny agreed. After all, Eni ti o mo oju Ogun, ni pa obi ni ‘re. It is the person who is conversant with Ogun, the god of iron, that is usually given the duty to administer its rites. They went to meet Prince Okunade Sijuwade who would later become the Ooni of Ife. They also met with Chief Afolabi Joseph. Even Chief Ebenezer Obey was also requested to intervene as well as Chief Nurudeen Alowonle.

The eminent persons appeared in the court of the Balogun of Ipokia as ‘amici curiae’ on behalf of the musicians. Amici curiae are lawyers invited by the judge(s) to assist in filling briefs that may be helpful to the court in deciding a case. Our eminent persons argued their case like experienced advocates. They cited relevant sections of the unwritten Yoruba constitution. They cited Yoruba proverbs. They made reference to the story of Oduduwa. The presiding chairman listened to their submissions and summarily dismissed the case. Contract is contract!

Chief did not only dismiss the request for a raise. He opened another file on his table and brought out a new set of documents. Your guess is right! A new five-year contract! By now, Sunny Ade had learnt enough law. He had become a professional mathematician. He had obtained his Master of Business Administration from practical experience. He knew the implication of putting pen to paper. He applied for an adjournment.

The King of African Beats found himself in a quandary. His new songs were ready but Chief had threatened not to release any new album until he signed the new contract. And KSA was not ready to sign any new contract until the issue of royalty was resolved.

KSA remembered his grandmother’s proverb. Ti abiku ba gbon ogbon ati ku ni igba erun, iya abiku a gbon ogbon ati sin oku e si etido. If an abiku decided to die during the dry season when he knew that the ground would be hard to dig, his parents would also decide to bury him by the riverside where the ground would not be hard to dig.

Sunny Ade decided to release his record with another company. His plan was to use the album to bargain for a better deal with African Songs. Instead of the measly 20 kobo, he was confident that the chairman would be ready to pay him at least N1.00 per copy. The album was recorded in Nigeria but taken to London for mixing. What Sunny Ade did not know was that Chief Abioro was a master at the game. Before Sunny could get a copy of his own album, Chief Abioro was already in possession of the new record.

Baba Ibeji was composing fresh materials at home when the court bailiffs arrived. They served him with an order of interim injunction!
The court order was as comprehensive as it was broad. Sunny Ade was prohibited from sale, distribution, marketing, dealing, etc. etc. of the record. He read the order again. Even without being a lawyer, he knew the implication of the document he was holding.

With palpable emotion, his mind went back to how he came to Lagos from Abeokuta with only one shilling and eighteen pence! He remembered his years with Baba Sala. He recalled how he got stranded with Baba Sala’s travelling theatre in Jebba and Kano. How he did not see his mother for two years whilst he suffered to make it as a musician. He recalled how his first album sold only 13 copies. Now when he was at the threshold of success, this court order! With grim determination, he knew he couldn’t afford to quit.

He remembered his first day at Oshodi when he missed his way trying to locate Moses Olaiya’s house and how he was directed instead to Dr. Victor Olaiya at Tinubu. He recalled how he knelt down in the dust of Oshodi to pray. Immediately he knew what he must do. Sunny went down on his knees and with an emotional voice, he prayed and prayed. It was not the Sunday Adeniyi that knelt down to pray that stood up. He had become empowered. He had become emboldened. That same evening, he established his own label.
Sunny Alade Records was born! He didn’t bother to sit down again. He remembered the threat of Chief Abioro to bring him down at all cost. He needed a lawyer who knew his law and who would be prepared to fight his cause against the Magnate. He went off in search of Gani Fawehinmi.

Gani collected the court papers and looked at the claims. He looked at his client. He looked again at the claims. Chief Abioro was not leaving anything to chance. He knew what he wanted from the court. His lawyer had read the agreement between African Songs Limited and Sunday Adeniyi.

Chief Abioro wanted only four things from the court: a declaration that the agreement between ASL and Sunday Adeniyi and his boys was still subsisting; an injunction restraining Sunny Ade from distributing or selling the record; an account of all sales of the record; and N1 million for breach of contract.
I hope you are not sneering at the N1 million as being ‘chicken change’. Remember this was in 1974. The price of a brand new Volkswagen Beetle car was about N500 at that time. N1 million in 1974 was a princely sum!

On the day of the trial, the court was filled to capacity. Gani Fawehinmi was armed with every conceivable legal authority. The law books he brought to the court were more than enough to open a library. There were books on Contract. There were books on Human Rights. There were volumes on Intellectual Property. Gani even brought some books on Slave Trade.

The first application Gani brought before the court was for an order to compel African Songs to produce its statement of account over the preceding three years. The court granted the order. It was discovered that the company was making almost N900,000 every year from the sale of Sunny Ade Records. It was also discovered that the total sum that KSA received was N62,000 in the almost ten years he was with the company. How can you be asking me what is 900,000 divided by 62,000? I have told you that I’m not a mathematician. Please don’t ask me about percentages or fractions.

Gani did not forget to raise the issue of how 20kobo became 15 kobo. He also cross examined Chief Abioro at length on the onerous terms contained in the contract. Gani put it to the chief that the contract was in restraint of trade and that it was therefore null and void as it amounted to colonization of King Sunny Ade, a free citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a citizen of the Commonwealth!

my Lord Justice L. J. Dosunmu listened patiently to the parties. His Lordship also asked the witnesses some probing cases. The court thereafter adjourned the matter to February 14, 1975 for judgment. It did not even occur to the King of African Beats that the day was St. Valentine’s Day. His only preoccupation was to find out the direction in which the pendulum of justice was going to swing.

On February 14, people started arriving at the court as early as 7am. The court officials had hectic time controlling the mammoth crowd that had come to court to witness the historic decision. In His Lordship’s judgment, Justice Dosunmu held that although some of the terms of the contract were stringent, that was not a ground for holding the contract invalid. In effect, the contract between ASL and KSA was therefore valid. As the court pronounced on the validity of the contract, Sunny looked at his lawyer. Gani signaled to him to be calm, the court had only resolved one issue out of four.

With regard to the second claim, the court held that since the records in question had been distributed all over Nigeria, there was no way the court could order them to be recalled. The court therefore refused to restrain Sunny Ade and his marketer, M. Ola Kazim from distributing the album. A tiny smile crossed Sunny’s face.

You recall that Chief Abioro was asking for N1,000,000 as damages for breach of contract. The court ruled that for recording with another company during the subsistence of the contract, Sunny Ade was liable. He was asked to pay N300! Yes, Three Hundred Naira! From N1,000,000 to N300! Sunny smiled for the first time.

The court having found that the contract was still subsisting, KSA was ordered not to release another album pending the expiration of the contract with Chief Abioro’s company, which was due in six months. Six months! What am I going to be eating? Sunny thought. Apparently, this was the only part of the judgment that Anti Wura, Buroda Alani’s third wife must have heard, and heard wrongly too! As if reading Sunny Ade’s mind, Justice Dosunmu said he realized that Sunny Ade would need to eat and feed his family in the six months that the contract had to run. His Lordship therefore held that the injunction was limited to only recording of albums and that Sunny Ade was free to do live performances for fees. His Lordship said that this was in order to avoid a situation where the King of Music would starve or be compelled to go back to Chief Abioro.

The Judge had hardly risen before King Sunny Ade jumped up to hug his counsel. He was free! He gave Gani a bear hug. He had learnt his lesson. Creativity and Business must go hand in hand. Years later, the King of Music recalled: “The lesson I learnt from the episode is that if an artiste is churning out hit records, he needs to keep an eye on the business side of things. If not, he would be in a mess.

(c) Written and copyrighted by Onigegewura

The Death And Resurrection of Mohbad


By Busy Brain


He fought but lost the battle along the line. He voiced out but his voice could not be heard by colleagues. We all gathered to post Rest in Peace. We all could have done better to raise our voices against tormentors. He is dead but the light is on. No excuse, we are all hypocrites.

The above paragraph was my first reaction to Mohbad's death pointing accusing fingers at all of us, sudden mourners who could have ordinarily prevented many brutal attacks and threats against his personality while he was alive. The massive video footage that flooded the media after his death described the debilitating and attenuating status of his existence. He lived in fear and always seemed to be dread of his former record label.

The death of Mohad has further exposed the hypocritical level of human nature. The death in most instances faces rejection and most times gets exposed to mockery and reproach from friends, families, and colleagues, and witnesses unprecedented celebration after demise; this is the exact scenario of Mohbad's public sympathy and echoes of Justice all over the world.

The major background of Mohbad's problem is the family. His first agent of socialization was wobbled and disjointed and affected his subsequent decision to secure a better life for himself, and probably, his family.

Mohbad's family issue is obvious in one of his lyrics, titled 'Sorry' where he referenced the situation of his broken home and poor parental upbringing,

From his lines and lyrics, he said:
"This kind life e tire me
Daddy no get salary
Ten years I no see Mummy
Stepmother no care
Landlord e dey worry
my brothers are hungry
Daddy gather money make I go poly
I go poly but I no go class
Daddy, I am sorry"

The above lines are a metaphorical picture of his family's predicament which is liable to push him to take a step further. A step further from this confine led him to the Marlian music.

Going further with his lyrics, the subsequent lines depict the steps he took further to join the bandwagon of Yahoo, drug lords, and cult cliques. He depicts this by saying

" I don dey do Yahoo
I don dey chop banku
Omo pastor ti wonu aye"

Mohbad said at the end of the lyrics that,
"Mummy just dey pray
Daddy just dey pray for me
Make e better for me
Me I no go school
The thing I fit do
Music me I choose"

While the end of his verse explains the prayers being said by his parents, it equally shows the parents were praying after he had already joined the wrong caucus.

Obviously, the parental failure contributed to his ordeal and that's exactly what is affecting many who are victims of hard drug cliques, robbery gangs, cult groups, and other social vices.

Broken homes always tell on the children in negative. Family is the first agent of socialization, if a family fails, it endangers the lives of the children and that's why the children matter in all decisions to go on separate ways with a spouse.

Going back and forth, Mohbad' is gone and still alive. This reminds me of the Indian thriller movie, Bahuballi who died as a result of conspiracy from his family and resurrected through his son who revenged the injustice meted to his parents.

Like Bahuballi, Mohbad is survived by a son, Liam Imole. Mohbad's light is on and the light should be guided. The Justice for Mohbad movement should be more focused on his son. That's where his parent's happiness lies and that's the most important thing.

Let Mohbad's spirit continue to rest in the Lord. He has resurrected by giving the world the lights, Liam Imole.

Rest on Legend...the whole world pays tribute.

Following the discussion we began yesterday, it is not only witches, wizards and witch doctors who can try to hinder a person’s destiny; sicknesses can also.

Many people remain sick because they are tolerating sickness. You must rebuke sickness in your body. Hosea 4:6 says, “my people perish for lack of knowledge”. Now that you know the truth, you can tell sickness, “How dare you attack me, a child of the Original Physician? my Daddy says in Exodus 15:26 that He is the Lord that healeth me, so I am healed in Jesus’ name”.

When you know who you are in Christ, it affects how you behave. If you are the son of a messenger, you would talk differently from the child of the President. Your Father is not just the President – He is the President of all the presidents in the whole world (Psalm 24:7-10). He is the One about whom Philippians 2:9-11 says that, at His name, every knee bows. It is unfortunate that many Christians have the name but don’t use it. You must rebuke demons. Tell them, “How dare you fool around with me. I am the child of the Lord of hosts”. If you do that, you will get every demon out of your household today. The Bible made it clear that if you are truly a child of the living God, you shouldn’t even fail. Philippians 4:13 says you can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you.

You can rebuke the devil Himself. James 4:7 says if you submit yourself to God, you will resist the devil, and he will flee from you. When you know who you really are in Christ, your confidence shows in how you pray. for example, if someone is in the bathroom and you knock at the door, the way the fellow inside answers would tell you whether it is the messenger in the house or the landlord that is in there. While they could both say the same thing, the confidence level in their respective voices would differ.

You must speak to the devil as someone who knows that you have the greater One inside of you (1 John 4:4) and he will flee from you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

MOHBAD STARTED REIGNING AFTER HIS DEATH, SORRY
I saw this post and I thought of sharing it with you guys 👇👇
I chose to take my time to really understand what is happening regarding Mohbad's death and it's so painful that the majority of us only listen to beats and sounds in music but never pay attention to the lyrics.
Lyrics are what makes the music not just the sound and the beat. Those are just supporting the team.
However, I listened to another version of his song this morning titled "Sorry" where he narrated the stories surrounding his life, saying...
This kind of life e tires me
Daddy does not get a salary
for ten years I have not seen money
Stepmother no care
Landlord e dey worry
my brothers are hungry
Daddy gather money make I go poly
I go poly but I do go class Daddy I am sorry
The first part of the song talks about the hardship his parents are facing, the maltreatment of his stepmother, the landlord's threats, and his brothers staying all day without food.
Trust me, all these are more than enough for anyone to be misled and get involved in anything just to change the cause of their lives and that was exactly what Mohbad did.
In the second verse of the Lyrics, he went on to say that...
I don't do Yahoo
I don dey chop bank
Omo pastor ti wonu aye
He just made it clear that even though he is a Pastor's son; all that no longer matters as he had decided to be part of anything that can bring in money and eradicate poverty out of his family.
The third version of the lyrics hit hard on his parents and their failure as parents; saying
Mummy just dey pray
Daddy just dey pray for me
Make e better for me
I do go to school
The only thing I fit do
Music me I choose
Some parents are nothing but a total disgrace to humanity. And if you are a parent and you cannot pay closer attention to your children and be sure of the kind of friends they keep and the things they do, then you are nothing but a disgrace.
Praying for your children is never enough, wisdom demands that you get fully involved in their lives and be sure of what they are doing that requires your prayers so that you don't end up praying for them doing the wrong things.
The last part of the song talks about him giving up on life and his total confusion about what life has in stock for him, saying...
This kind life e tire me
Eshi biri biri ke bo mi o
Iwaju loloko yi wa mi'lo
eyin sa loloko yí wa mi'lo
Mi o mo
Eshi biri biri ke bo mi o
Iwaju loloko yi wa mi'lo
eyin sa loloko yí wa mi'lo
Mi o mo
A confusing state of mind is a dead zone, a place of delusional and depression. A state where all the wrong things seem right even when you are so sure that whatever is flying through your mind is never the right thing.
I'd heard both parents talking about him giving them money, they'd never talked about him telling them or discussing with them of his challenges, fears, plans, and future; that speaks volumes.
I'm sorry to say this, but his lyrics on this song, speak more of his parents failing him big time. And if you are a parent, please pay attention to your children and be their closest friend.
Not all the children that have the mental capacity to say no to what they believe is not right for them. Some of us are strong enough to walk away from anything and anyone we consider unhealthy to our well-being. Some don't know how to.
Either way, parents, pay attention to your children, question their source of income, and find out what their plans regarding their life are. It's important.
It is well with us all.
Copied from Hajia Idayat Omorere Ajogberu
Sun re oooooo, Mohbad

EZEKIEL 3:24

[NKJV] — Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and spoke with me and said to me: “Go, shut yourself inside your house. [Ezekiel 3:24]

[FBV] — Then the Spirit came into me and made me stand upright. He told me, “Go into your house and shut the door. [Ezekiel 3:24]

HAVE THE SPIRIT OF GOD AND LEARN TO SHUT YOUR DOOR for YOU AND HIM ONLY


That falling down of the man of God before the Manifest Presence of God in Glory also meant that the Spirit of God temporarily left him before he fell, but here the Spirit of God repossessed him again and made him stood up before God. Recall he had experienced the same glory of God by the River Chebar, and he also fell and the Spirit of God entered into him and stood him up according to "Ezekiel 2:2." So there was also a repetition of the Spirit of God entering Ezekiel again or more than once, and each time after he fell before the Manifest Presence and Glory of God.

So what happened, as in, did the Spirit of God left him after the first time and then return to enter and possess him the second time?

To explain this, there are measures to how much the Spirit of God dwells and possesses the people of God. And somehow it is related to the task or challenges that man has to bear or perform. If you ask some Christians what the hardest task that requires the greatest infilling of the Holy Spirit and Power? Some may tell you it is Preaching the gospel in the midst of Satan's or enemies greatest strongholds; that's the task that requires the greater measures of the Spirit of God. Some may say it is facing Satan, Antichrist or Death, and still Witnessing as it happened to Stephen the martyred. Some will even say is the resurrection from the dead as the Power of the Lord's Resurrection. Etc.

Behold I tell you when the Spirit of God is required in greater measures in and on a man or woman: It is when standing or dwelling in the manifest Presence and Glory of God. It requires more Holy Spirit and Power to abide the Manifest Presence of God and behold Him, than is required to face Satan or Death. Remember, not even all the Angels in heaven abide or see the Face of God all the time because some of them cannot bear it. But who is Satan to them that they cannot withstand him. So angels who always abide and behold the Face of God are higher, holier and more powerful than others who just assemble to God and then return to their places.

for we human beings, it's the same. Do not think that this level of Holy Spirit possessing me or you right now is enough for me/you to stand and face God when He manifest. There shall be a tremendous increase of the Spirit of God in us to enable us stand face to face with the most indescribable and most fearful Being.

Jesus Christ had all the Holy Spirit without measure while He walked as the son of God born of the Holy Spirit. But after His resurrection from the Dead, whatever amount of the Holy Spirit the Lord Jesus Christ had was multiplied by Seven to enable Him sit at the Right Hand of God in the same Throne and as God's High Priest. This means, the Lord Jesus has "Seven Spirits of God" on Him, far greater than the amount of the Spirit of God He had when God anointed Him with Holy Spirit and Power and He went about doing good and healing all that were possessed of the devil.

Why Ezekiel had repossession of the Spirit of God again here is because when the manifest Presence of God left him the first time, the extra measure of the Spirit of God also left because he would not be needing that. It's only necessary when a mortal is facing the Consuming Fire and the Almighty God. Even so, there are certain Grace, Power, Extra Measures of the Spirit of God, and Glory, that is only available at the Presence of God; you cannot take them with you when leaving God's Manifest Presence, but as long as you are there in the Manifest Presence of God, you will enjoy those Grace, Power, Extra Measures of the Spirit of God, and Glory, because they never leave the Presence of God. I hope you understand my points.


There was a time I had to proof to some Jehovah's witness evangelists that the Holy Spirit was not just an "Active Force" of God as they proclaimed, but that the Spirit of God was truly a "Person" having His Own Mind and He actually talks or speaks. I cited some bible references where the Spirit of God spoke. He who has ears, hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches: today if you hear the Holy Spirit, do not harden your heart. etc

In the top Bible verse above, the Spirit of God that entered into the man of God, Ezekiel, spoke and instructed him to go into his house and lock his door, shutting everyone else outside. There are people who naturally are introverts, and they lead isolated life, shutting their doors, and cutting off from socialism, so that only them and the Spirit of God would be inside their House-Arrest or Self made prison. There were times I also consider myself as a Prisoner of the Lord as Paul, because I would shut my Gate and my Door, and neighbors outside will not see me for weeks.

People say miracles are on the streets or outside not inside one's closed doors, but I tell you, there are miracles that do take place within "Shut your Door." Elisha said to the late prophet's widow, go get vessels from neighbors but shut your door against those neighbors you collected vessels from; it was within "Shut your Door" that the Anointing was multiplied to fill all the empty vessels within the shut your door. Did I say Anointing was multiplied? Ok use the Oil was multiplied instead.

The first deliverance those angels gave to Lot that last night of Sodom and Gomorrah, was that the Angels pulled Lot into his own house and the Angels themselves shut the door of Lot's house before striking the men outside with blindness that could not find the shutting of door. Is it the Ark of Noah, which God Himself shut the door to keep Noah and his company inside? But sometimes it is not God or Angel that will do the "Shut your Door for you?" And the Spirit of God may instruct you as Ezekiel to go and shut your door, and remain within the shut door. As it is written,

[Isaiah 26:20 TLV] — Go, my people, enter your rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide for a little while, until the wrath is past.

[Matthew 6:6 TLV] — But you, when you pray, go into your inner room; and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, shall reward you.

If Biden can’t protect his own son and Trump can’t protect himself from prosecution, what make you Nigerians think Tinubu will be protected by US.

US is not Nigeria! Here in US every citizen pray not to be entangled with the law, that includes Presidents.

Now, Tinubu lawyers have bought him time for him Tinubu to escape US without incident, so they have achieved their goal.

If Tinubu results and transcript are released today, and things fishy were found, Tinubu as the president of Nigeria will be evacuated shamelessly and escorted by the law enforcement officers out of US, which will alert US and international media.

All media will carry the incident. He will not be arrested but evacuated which will be an international embarrassment to Nigeria and even US, since it happened in US soil.

So, I indulge everyone to stop casting stones. Justice will be served.

Already the fake Tinubu has already implicated himself by saying that severe irreparable damage will be done to his life if the transcript was to be released today.

By that statement alone, he has admitted in court that he committed an offense, forgery and possibly an identity fraud.

Tell me, what can possibly cause severe irreparable damage to a man’s life by releasing an ordinary transcript?
Transcript others freely make available to the public or employers.

In the other hand, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar won today, freedom and democracy won today

As today will be remembered as the day a sitting president told the world that his releasing his transcripts will cause a severe irreparable damage to his life. Imagine that!

Many years to come, he Atiku Abubakar will be remembered as one man that stood against tyranny to stop third term of a sitting president in Nigeria.

One man who lost everything to fighting to protect democracy, against all odds he stood alone fighting injustice.

Love him or hate him, he is a true democrat and defender of democracy.

Today, he fights for all while others watched

He has withstood every battle thrown to him, still smiling.

Generations to come, his name will be remembered no matter how adversaries will try to erase his accomplishments!

They will make songs with his name, children will dance to songs.

Three thousand years from today the name Atiku Abubakar will continue to echo in the chambers of Democratic halls in Nigeria and the world.

I am proud to associate my name with his.

He is the true Lion of Jada, Nigerians will never forget.

He is a true champion of democracy!

Until this case is over, history will continue to be made!

What a beautiful time to be alive!

If Biden can’t protect his own son and Trump can’t protect himself from prosecution, what make you Nigerians think Tinubu will be protected by US.

US is not Nigeria! Here in US every citizen pray not to be entangled with the law, that includes Presidents.

Now, Tinubu lawyers have bought him time for him Tinubu to escape US without incident, so they have achieved their goal.

If Tinubu results and transcript are released today, and things fishy were found, Tinubu as the president of Nigeria will be evacuated shamelessly and escorted by the law enforcement officers out of US, which will alert US and international media.

All media will carry the incident. He will not be arrested but evacuated which will be an international embarrassment to Nigeria and even US, since it happened in US soil.

So, I indulge everyone to stop casting stones. Justice will be served.

Already the fake Tinubu has already implicated himself by saying that severe irreparable damage will be done to his life if the transcript was to be released today.

By that statement alone, he has admitted in court that he committed an offense, forgery and possibly an identity fraud.

Tell me, what can possibly cause severe irreparable damage to a man’s life by releasing an ordinary transcript?
Transcript others freely make available to the public or employers.

In the other hand, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar won today, freedom and democracy won today

As today will be remembered as the day a sitting president told the world that his releasing his transcripts will cause a severe irreparable damage to his life. Imagine that!

Many years to come, he Atiku Abubakar will be remembered as one man that stood against tyranny to stop third term of a sitting president in Nigeria.

One man who lost everything to fighting to protect democracy, against all odds he stood alone fighting injustice.

Love him or hate him, he is a true democrat and defender of democracy.

Today, he fights for all while others watched

He has withstood every battle thrown to him, still smiling.

Generations to come, his name will be remembered no matter how adversaries will try to erase his accomplishments!

They will make songs with his name, children will dance to songs.

Three thousand years from today the name Atiku Abubakar will continue to echo in the chambers of Democratic halls in Nigeria and the world.

I am proud to associate my name with his.

He is the true Lion of Jada, Nigerians will never forget.

He is a true champion of democracy!

Until this case is over, history will continue to be made!

What a beautiful time to be alive!

I am High Chief Franklin Ekechukwu

In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus was in the boat, yet there was a storm. This implies that Jesus can be in a person’s life, and a storm will still rage. Many think that once they are born again, they become a no-go-area for storms. That is not true; if anything, the devil will try harder to test your strength in Christ. Jesus Christ said it clearly in John 15:19, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you’.

The mere fact that you are a child of God is enough to attract storms, but don’t worry; as long as Jesus is in your life, all you have to do is stir up His gift in you, and the storm will cease. If you are a child of God, Jesus is already in you, and the Bible says in 1 John 4:4 that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. There can be a giant in you, but the giant can be sleeping until you wake Him up. 2 Timothy 1:6 says that there is a gift of God in you, and you have to stir it up. Psalm 50:14-15 says that if you come into the presence of God with thanksgiving, you can then call upon Him in the day of trouble and He will deliver you. Call on Him until He arises for you, because it is written in Psalm 68:1 that when God arises, His enemies scatter.

You can get the Almighty God to arise for you by prayer. In Acts 12:1-10, when Herod took James, the Church did not pray, and so James was killed. By the time Peter was arrested, the Church had learnt their lesson and thus prayed, getting the Lord to arise for them to still that storm. If you refuse to pray, the storm can overwhelm you, but if you pray, then you will win against the storm no matter how much it rages.

You can also cause Him to arise for you through praise. In Mark 10:46-52, when Bartimaeus was calling on Jesus, the Lord kept hearing, “Jesus, thou son of David…” So He stopped to attend to him. When you praise Him, He will arise for you. If you know how to call God His names in line with who He really is, He will pay attention to your situation and still any storm that rises against you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

my son, hear the instruction of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother
: Proverbs 1:8


The Bible teaches that children have mandatory responsibilities to their parents. As a matter of fact, Children owe their parents certain important duties that include the obligation to respect honour and obey them. Children are the heritage of the Lord and God has a special interest in their well-being. Meanwhile God is a disciplinarian as revealed in Revelation 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”

God has decided to commit the discipline of children to their parents as caretakers for Him; therefore, children must cooperate with their parents to make easy for their own benefit. Obedience in this respect attracts long life and prosperity.

If you invested so much in your children, but have retired and they are gainfully employed, yet they ignore you, will you be happy with them? Some fathers have placed curses on their children for neglecting them. A righteous child will not neglect his parents at any time. He will make sure that those of them that are not saved are led to Jesus. After all, that is the greatest gift he can give them. Besides that, he will ensure that they have a roof over their heads and their needs are met in the area of feeding, clothing, healthcare, etc.  God has joined children to their parents as partners in progress. for two people to work in agreement, they must see and mind the same thing. They must be focused on the same goal.

God’s focus is that children have parents that will be godly examples to them, while making efforts to bring them up in the way of the Lord. God wants parents that will introduce their children to Him at very tender ages, so that they may learn to obey God and become familiar with His commandments, worship and fellowship. Children should be careful not to be a source of sorrow and pain to their parents. Proverbs 17:25 says: “A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.”

I pray that God in His mercy will visit every Christian home and intervene in the life of every wayward child today in the Name of Jesus.


PRAYER
Father, please help me to always accept correction joyfully in Jesus' name.



by: Pastor E.A. Adeboye

I chose to take my time to really understand what is happening regarding Mohbad's death and it's so painful that majority of us only listen to beats and sounds in music but never pay attention to the lyrics.

Lyrics is what makes the music not just the sound and the beat. Those are just supporting team.

However, I listen to another version of his songs this morning title "Sorry" where he narrated the stories surrounding his life, saying...

This kind life e tire me
Daddy no get salary
Ten years I no see money
Step mother no care
Landlord e dey worry
my brothers are hungry
Daddy gather money make I go poly
I go poly but I no go class daddy I am sorry

The first part of the song talked about the hardship his parents are facing, the maltreatment of his step mother, the landlord threats, his brothers staying all days without food.

Trust me, all these are more than enough for anyone to be mislead and get involved in anything just to change the cause of their lives and that was exactly what Mohbad did.

In the second verse of the Lyrics, he went on to say that...

I don dey do Yahoo
I don dey chop banku
Omo pastor ti wonu aye

He just made it clear that even though he is a Pastor's son; all that is no longer matter as he had decided to be part of anything that can bring in money and eradicate poverty out of his family.

The third version of the lyrics hit hard on his parents and their failure as parents; saying

Mummy just dey pray
Daddy just dey pray for me
Make e better for me
Me I no go school
Only thing I fit do
Music me I choose

Some parents are nothing but total disgrace to humanity. And if you are a parent and you cannot pay closer attention to your children and be sure of the kind of friends they keep and the things they do, then you are nothing but a disgrace.

Praying for your children is never enough, wisdom demands that you get fully involves in their lives and be sure of what they are doing that requires your prayers, so that you don't end up praying for them doing the wrong things.

The last part of the song talks about he giving up on life and his total confusion of what life has in stock for him, saying...

This kind life e tire me
Eshi biri biri ke bo mi o
Iwaju loloko yi wa mi'lo
eyin sa loloko yí wa mi'lo
Mi o mo

Eshi biri biri ke bo mi o
Iwaju loloko yi wa mi'lo
eyin sa loloko yí wa mi'lo
Mi o mo

A confusing state of mind is a dead zone, a place of delusional and depression. A state where all the wrong things seems right even when you are so sure that whatever is flying through your mind is never the right thing.

I'd heard both parents talking about he giving them money, they'd never talked about he telling them or discussing with them of his challenges, fears, plans and future; that speaks volumes.

I'm sorry to say this, but his lyrics on this song, speaks more of his parents failing him big time. And if you are a parent, please pay attention to your children and be their closest friend.

Not all the children that have the mental capacity to say no to what they believe is not right for them. Some of us are strong enough to walk away from anything and anyone we considered unhealthy to our wellbeing. Some don't know how to.

Either way, parents, pay attention to your children, question their source of income and find out what the plans regarding their life is. It's important.

It is well with us all.

Mohbad on my mind...

The Story of the Epic Battle Between King Sunny Ade and Chief Bolarinwa Abioro

It was in 1974 that the news broke. Chief Bolarinwa Abioro, the Balogun of Ipokia, the Chairman of African Songs Limited, had taken his star musician to court! Everyone who knew KSA knew Abioro. Everyone who knew Abioro knew Sunday Adeniyi. Sunny was the son. Abioro was the father. What could have gone wrong between father and son?

KSA was the second artiste to be signed on to the stable of African Songs Limited. Ayinde Bakare was the first. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister was the third. Like most creative people, young Sunny Ade was more concern about his passion and less concern about the business aspect of music. His passion was to play music and to excel as a musician.

It was enough that Abioro – one of the biggest men in the music industry at the time – was ready to promote him. They brought documents for Sunny and his band boys to sign. They called it a contract. It could have been called any other name for all that KSA cared. Won ni ko wa je saara, o ni ojo ti wonu ju. Se ata ni won ni ko mu wa ni, abi iyo. You are invited to a free feast, you are complaining about the short notice, are they asking you to bring salt or pepper? Sunny Ade and his boys didn’t hesitate. It is doubtful if any of them read what the contract said. The most important thing was that they were going to become recording artistes. Sunny signed. His band boys signed. Everybody was happy.

The contract was for 5 years. However before its expiration, KSA had become a household name. His album, Challenge Cup, sold in excess of 500,000 copies. It was certain that King Sunny Ade was going to dominate the music scene for a very long time to come. African Songs Ltd knew a good product when it saw one. The management of the company didn’t wait for the first contract to expire before they brought a new contract.

The new agreement was carefully worded. KSA and his band boys agreed to perform and record exclusively for ASL for a period of five years. ASL had full copyrights to all compositions and recordings of Sunny Ade. ASL was entitled to the sole right of production, reproduction, and use of King Sunny Ade’s performance throughout the world. That was not all. During the period of the agreement, KSA was prohibited from rendering any performance whatsoever to himself, any company or group of persons. The contract also stipulated that ASL had the option to renew the agreement at its expiration for a further term of two years or for any longer period. Sunny Ade had no such right.
That was not all. On the sale of every album which price was then fixed at N6.00, KSA and his boys were entitled to a princely sum of 20 kobo. Yes, you read that right. African Songs would go home with the remaining N5. 80 kobo. Onigegewura’s mathematics has never been good. He is just an amateur historian. You can do the sum yourself.

Still basking in the euphoria of his growing fame, Sunny gratefully signed again. His band boys signed. 20 kobo was still something. Orogun iya re da sokoto fun o, o ni ko bale, melo ni iya to bi o da fun o? You are complaining that the trousers made for you by your step-mother was not long enough, where is the one your own mother made for you? They were expecting their 20 kobo royalty on every album. Well, when the time came for actual payment, it was then discovered that mathematically and arithmetically, it was not supposed to be 20 kobo. They had not factored the cost of publicity and promotion! And since it was the artiste that was being promoted, he must be the one to bear the cost! After the addition and subtraction, Sunny was given 15 kobo per album.

KSA was not Chike Obi, the mathematician. But he knew that 20 kobo and 15 kobo were not the same thing. Compared with his contemporaries in the music industry, KSA realized that he was holding the short end of the stick. His colleague, Baba Commander, Chief Ebenezer Obey was earning as high as 70 kobo per album. Others were earning between 35 kobo and 60 kobo.

That was when Sunny decided to ask Chief Abioro for a raise of the royalty payment. The chairman listened patiently to KSA and his colleagues. He was nodding as they canvassed one reason after another why a raise was in order. When they finished, Chief Abioro flipped open a file he had on his table. He brought out a bundle of documents. Even from where he was seated across the table, Sunny saw that it was a copy of the contract he signed. “An agreement is an agreement. It is a binding contract!” The chief informed them. “This is what you signed. This is what you are entitled to! No more, No less.” He returned the documents to the file. Case dismissed.

But Sunny was not done. “Chief, this is not about contract. You are our father. Our request is for adequate compensation! Let’s leave the contract aside.” Chief Abioro looked at the young star the way a parent looks at a child asking for another candy. “Leave the contract aside? We should leave the contract aside?” The chairman asked incredulously. “You know, it would be nice to leave the contract aside. But you know what? That would be illegal!”
Haba! Illegality ke! . It was then that someone brought up the idea of requesting some of his friends to plead their case. Sunny agreed. After all, Eni ti o mo oju Ogun, ni pa obi ni ‘re. It is the person who is conversant with Ogun, the god of iron, that is usually given the duty to administer its rites. They went to meet Prince Okunade Sijuwade who would later become the Ooni of Ife. They also met with Chief Afolabi Joseph. Even Chief Ebenezer Obey was also requested to intervene as well as Chief Nurudeen Alowonle.

The eminent persons appeared in the court of the Balogun of Ipokia as ‘amici curiae’ on behalf of the musicians. Amici curiae are lawyers invited by the judge(s) to assist in filling briefs that may be helpful to the court in deciding a case. Our eminent persons argued their case like experienced advocates. They cited relevant sections of the unwritten Yoruba constitution. They cited Yoruba proverbs. They made reference to the story of Oduduwa. The presiding chairman listened to their submissions and summarily dismissed the case. Contract is contract!

Chief did not only dismiss the request for a raise. He opened another file on his table and brought out a new set of documents. Your guess is right! A new five-year contract! By now, Sunny Ade had learnt enough law. He had become a professional mathematician. He had obtained his Master of Business Administration from practical experience. He knew the implication of putting pen to paper. He applied for an adjournment.

The King of African Beats found himself in a quandary. His new songs were ready but Chief had threatened not to release any new album until he signed the new contract. And KSA was not ready to sign any new contract until the issue of royalty was resolved.

KSA remembered his grandmother’s proverb. Ti abiku ba gbon ogbon ati ku ni igba erun, iya abiku a gbon ogbon ati sin oku e si etido. If an abiku decided to die during the dry season when he knew that the ground would be hard to dig, his parents would also decide to bury him by the riverside where the ground would not be hard to dig.

Sunny Ade decided to release his record with another company. His plan was to use the album to bargain for a better deal with African Songs. Instead of the measly 20 kobo, he was confident that the chairman would be ready to pay him at least N1.00 per copy. The album was recorded in Nigeria but taken to London for mixing. What Sunny Ade did not know was that Chief Abioro was a master at the game. Before Sunny could get a copy of his own album, Chief Abioro was already in possession of the new record.

Baba Ibeji was composing fresh materials at home when the court bailiffs arrived. They served him with an order of interim injunction! The court order was as comprehensive as it was broad. Sunny Ade was prohibited from sale, distribution, marketing, dealing, etc. etc. of the record. He read the order again. Even without being a lawyer, he knew the implication of the document he was holding.

With palpable emotion, his mind went back to how he came to Lagos from Abeokuta with only one shilling and eighteen pence! He remembered his years with Baba Sala. He recalled how he got stranded with Baba Sala’s travelling theatre in Jebba and Kano. How he did not see his mother for two years whilst he suffered to make it as a musician. He recalled how his first album sold only 13 copies. Now when he was at the threshold of success, this court order! With grim determination, he knew he couldn’t afford to quit.

He remembered his first day at Oshodi when he missed his way trying to locate Moses Olaiya’s house and how he was directed instead to Dr. Victor Olaiya at Tinubu. He recalled how he knelt down in the dust of Oshodi to pray. Immediately he knew what he must do. Sunny went down on his knees and with an emotional voice, he prayed and prayed. It was not the Sunday Adeniyi that knelt down to pray that stood up. He had become empowered. He had become emboldened. That same evening, he established his own label.
Sunny Alade Records was born! He didn’t bother to sit down again. He remembered the threat of Chief Abioro to bring him down at all cost. He needed a lawyer who knew his law and who would be prepared to fight his cause against the Magnate. He went off in search of Gani Fawehinmi.

Gani collected the court papers and looked at the claims. He looked at his client. He looked again at the claims. Chief Abioro was not leaving anything to chance. He knew what he wanted from the court. His lawyer had read the agreement between African Songs Limited and Sunday Adeniyi.

Chief Abioro wanted only four things from the court: a declaration that the agreement between ASL and Sunday Adeniyi and his boys was still subsisting; an injunction restraining Sunny Ade from distributing or selling the record; an account of all sales of the record; and N1 million for breach of contract.
I hope you are not sneering at the N1 million as being ‘chicken change’. Remember this was in 1974. The price of a brand new Volkswagen Beetle car was about N500 at that time. N1 million in 1974 was a princely sum!

On the day of the trial, the court was filled to capacity. Gani Fawehinmi was armed with every conceivable legal authority. The law books he brought to the court were more than enough to open a library. There were books on Contract. There were books on Human Rights. There were volumes on Intellectual Property. Gani even brought some books on Slave Trade.

The first application Gani brought before the court was for an order to compel African Songs to produce its statement of account over the preceding three years. The court granted the order. It was discovered that the company was making almost N900,000 every year from the sale of Sunny Ade Records. It was also discovered that the total sum that KSA received was N62,000 in the almost ten years he was with the company. How can you be asking me what is 900,000 divided by 62,000? I have told you that I’m not a mathematician. Please don’t ask me about percentages or fractions.

Gani did not forget to raise the issue of how 20kobo became 15 kobo. He also cross examined Chief Abioro at length on the onerous terms contained in the contract. Gani put it to the chief that the contract was in restraint of trade and that it was therefore null and void as it amounted to colonization of King Sunny Ade, a free citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a citizen of the Commonwealth!

my Lord Justice L. J. Dosunmu listened patiently to the parties. His Lordship also asked the witnesses some probing cases. The court thereafter adjourned the matter to February 14, 1975 for judgment. It did not even occur to the King of African Beats that the day was St. Valentine’s Day. His only preoccupation was to find out the direction in which the pendulum of justice was going to swing.

On February 14, people started arriving at the court as early as 7am. The court officials had hectic time controlling the mammoth crowd that had come to court to witness the historic decision. In His Lordship’s judgment, Justice Dosunmu held that although some of the terms of the contract were stringent, that was not a ground for holding the contract invalid. In effect, the contract between ASL and KSA was therefore valid. As the court pronounced on the validity of the contract, Sunny looked at his lawyer. Gani signaled to him to be calm, the court had only resolved one issue out of four.

With regard to the second claim, the court held that since the records in question had been distributed all over Nigeria, there was no way the court could order them to be recalled. The court therefore refused to restrain Sunny Ade and his marketer, M. Ola Kazim from distributing the album. A tiny smile crossed Sunny’s face.

You recall that Chief Abioro was asking for N1,000,000 as damages for breach of contract. The court ruled that for recording with another company during the subsistence of the contract, Sunny Ade was liable. He was asked to pay N300! Yes, Three Hundred Naira! From N1,000,000 to N300! Sunny smiled for the first time.

The court having found that the contract was still subsisting, KSA was ordered not to release another album pending the expiration of the contract with Chief Abioro’s company, which was due in six months. Six months! What am I going to be eating? Sunny thought. Apparently, this was the only part of the judgment that Anti Wura, Buroda Alani’s third wife must have heard, and heard wrongly too! As if reading Sunny Ade’s mind, Justice Dosunmu said he realized that Sunny Ade would need to eat and feed his family in the six months that the contract had to run. His Lordship therefore held that the injunction was limited to only recording of albums and that Sunny Ade was free to do live performances for fees. His Lordship said that this was in order to avoid a situation where the King of Music would starve or be compelled to go back to Chief Abioro.

The Judge had hardly risen before King Sunny Ade jumped up to hug his counsel. He was free! He gave Gani a bear hug. He had learnt his lesson. Creativity and Business must go hand in hand. Years later, the King of Music recalled: “The lesson I learnt from the episode is that if an artiste is churning out hit records, he needs to keep an eye on the business side of things. If not, he would be in a mess.

(c) Written and copyrighted by Onigegewura

Obaseki, Namibian envoy applaud Esama of Benin for contributions to Nigeria, Africa’s devt

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and the Namibia Ambassador to Nigeria, Humphrey Geiseb, have lauded the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Sir (Chief) Dr. Osawaru Gabriel Igbinedion, for his contributions to the progress and development of Nigeria and Africa continent.

Obaseki, who received the Ambassador and his wife, Lena, at the Government House, in Benin City, the Edo State capital, said the Esama of Benin, who recently celebrated his 89th birthday, exploits across various sectors has created new frontiers that opened limitless opportunities for Edo people, Nigerians and Africans.

Commending the envoy for honouring the illustrious Benin son, Obaseki noted, “We thank you and your beautiful wife for honouring our illustrious son, the Esama of Benin Kingdom on the occasion of his 89th birthday celebration.

“We thank and appreciate you and also acknowledge that personalities can also drive our diplomacy as this is what Chief Igbinedion is helping us to do in this continent and Country in particular. We pray God gives him good health and long life, and next year as we celebrate him at 90, you will be here to celebrate with him.”

The Namibian Ambassador, on his part, commended the governor for creating a business friendly environment for investors in the State, noting that the Country will partner with the State to drive growth and development in both regions.

He said, “We are looking forward to returning again and again given that there is more connectivity between Abuja and Benin City.”

Geiseb said the visit to the State, apart from strengthening the relationship between Edo State and Namibia and sharing free ideas where opportunities exist for investments, is to attend the 89th Birthday celebration of the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Gabriel Igbinedion.

Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God-- Deuteronomy 8:3 , Luke 4:4
These words came out of the mouths of the two most meekest men that once lived on earth. To be meek means you are teachable. To be teachable means you believe and accept the Word to be above you. To believe and accept the Word to be above you means you believe and accept the Word to be God. for the Bible says in the beginning is the Word...and the Word is God--- John 1:1.
If you are not living by every word of God then you are living by some words from satan. for examples : the Word of God says love your enemy and rejoice always but you hate your enemy and sorrow when things go wrong then you are still living by some words from satan.
If you do not know that Bible is the place where you can seek God then its because the Word is not a God to you yet. And if so then you have not believe the Word is above you and you are not meek. If you are not meek which is one of the fruits of Spirit means you are not walking in the Spirit of light but walking in the spirit of darkness.
As earthly father teaches his son/daughter through words so he can become like him. So does heavenly Father teaches His son/daughter through Words to be like Him. And the first readily available place where you can get the Words of your Father is the Bible.
The Bible is not an ordinary book. If its an ordinary book to you then its because you are living an ordinary life.
Bible is the source of Life that is awaiting you to tap into it.
If you want to live a higher spiritual life the Bible is your guide.
The Bible is the only book that has words that can form Christ in you. Galatians 4:19- " ...until Christ be formed in you".
As you begin to walk in the light , darkness will automatically be dispelled from you.

With God all things are possible so it is possible for you to know the Word is God and is above you.

Those living the victorious life are forming Jesus in them through the Word.

Prayer point: Always pray for the grace to read your Bible and to do it. ( since only those that do it will be blessed--- James 1:25).

Accept Jesus or the Word you read or hear today and be saved.

Live a spiritually blessed week.
Good morning.

From:
The Gathering Ministry.
for questions: (+234)08169695229
Nathanaelfaith@gmail.com
Olugbami Olushola

Introduction
As you read this piece of testimony about the bandits who attacked the Priests FRS Emmanuel Okolo and Noah Monday, serving the Parish of St Raphael Fadan Kamanton, Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, Nigeria, the 25 year old Seminarian who did not survive the gruesome attack, Brother Na’aman Ngofe Stephen was buried yesterday 12th September, 2023. The Funeral Mass was held in the beautiful Church beside the charred remains of the Priests residence. As the choir rehearsed for the funeral Mass inside the Church, the grave was being dug in front of the old Church building by the youths.

The mood in the parish was mixed. There was joy for the miracle which is what the survival of FRS Emmanuel and Noah is but, sadness at the painful killing of Brother Na’aman. The initial assumption is that he got trapped and burnt to death in the fire set on the house by the bandits but, the body was discovered to bear gun shot holes at the abdomen which suggests that the bandits already shot him dead in the early stages of the attack as they forced their evil ways into the Fathers house. His hair and most of his body was intact from the hot blazes. I saw his knapsack bag, slippers sandals still in his room, partially burnt laptop and wallet.

I was received by Fr Emma himself sitting under the trees enjoying their shade, cheerfully, brave and unfazed. Not looking at all like the story of what happened. He showed me and other concerned parishioners round the charred remains of the house, recounting the vivid and bloody details of the attacks. The beautiful Parish house and Church edifice were donated by an illustrious son of the village. The value of lost at the attack includes a young life, a car, a motorcycle, four Mass boxes, and every other books, certificates and furniture; 3 laptops and 3 TV sets. Everything, except the boxers inner wears on them actually. Overall the loss stands at about N70m.

How The Miracle Happened
Fr Emma did not hide nor run away from the attackers. Fr Noah hid himself somewhere within the house. The seminarian was in the bathroom where he was probably shot and left to die in the pool of his blood. Fr alone fought the 11 bandits to a standstill and caused them major casualties. They all had guns of different makes including about 7 AK-47 rifles with which they shot at him furiously and repeatedly but to no effect. He told me he taught they shot him 7 times but Fr Noah said he heard more than 30 gun shots; non did him harm. He joked to me that if he had a shirt or a singlet inner wear on him he would have suspected that some juju was done on the shirt or singlet. He described the feeling of bullets on his bare skin as ‘ice touching him and falling off; he did not even get to wear a shirt, except his boxers when they barged in. A few among the 11 member gang did not go back as they came, they fell to the ground and did not live to tell the story. The fate they unleashed fell on them first. It was a gruesome day and God proved himself faithful.

At their frustration and bewilderment, one of the Bandits probably a member of his church said “in the name of Jesus we must kill you, and you must die”. At this point Fr Emma had had enough and yelled in rebuke at the bandit: “which Jesus are you talking about, is it the same Jesus I worship abi the Jesus na your mate?” After some more shooting without success, the Leader said in Hausa “ku zo mu tafi, wannan ba mutum ba ne” meaning (come let us go, this one is not a human being”. They left the house hurriedly in fear and trembling carrying their fallen comrades.

The coordination and knowledge of their way around the house could not have been coincidental. Someone who knew Father’s and the house very well led them to the attack. They knew their ways around the house.

The Burning Down Of The Rectory
As the bandits left the scene in total confusion and daze, the Fathers called out to each other in the parlor to take stock of survivors. That was when Brother Na’aman did not show up. They checked his room and did not see him. They presumed he had escaped probably. Alas he was dead!

The bandits did not go far but came back in anger and retaliation before escaping to the bushes, to set the house ablaze, hoping they might kill the Priests or at least harm them through the means of fire since the barrel and barrage of guns and bullets had failed. The burning down of the Rectory was therefore an after thought from a vindictive, bruised and defeated set of Bandits who used that to cut their loses.

The Fathers themselves used the same door the Bandits used to run away and escape the raging fire. Fr Noah not convinced, wanted to go back a second time for Brother Na’aman but, Fr Emma stopped him because the fire was already full swing and he would die in it. They literally crawled out of the fire due to the heat coming from the flames.

Most of the encounter and conversation that Fr Emma had with the bandits, 11 of them right in his bedroom all by himself and his God has been corroborated by Fr Noah who was hiding within the house on that fateful day. They spoke eye ball to eye ball like man to man with bandits.

Interestingly this operation lasted between 8:13pm and 9:30pm. A whooping 1hr 12mins. I saw the soldiers checkpoint that was about 500 meters away from the Church where the attack happened. I kid you not, I was there and saw for myself. The entire viallge was awake due to the jolting sounds of gun fire. How nobody came to help in any way, both soldiers and villagers is also part of the mystery and miracle. Some especially those neighboring the church confessed to have seen the bandits filing out and fleeing but, had no matching or superior weapons to attempt any efforts. God alone took the glory! But why would the soldiers on security duty nearby less than a kilometer not respond?

Anyways the Fathers were on ground by the morning to celebrated the daily Mass with the people in thanksgiving to God and for the eternal repose of the soul of Brother Na’aman Ngofe Stephen. May his gentle soul rest in peace with the Lord. Amen.

…As Usual

To peter out their incompetence and irresponsibility, the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State Dr Hadiza Balarabe Usman visited the Priests and Parishioners, the General Officer Commanding the 3rd Division of the Army under whose watch Southern Kaduna and the not so effective security outfit Operation Safe Haven falls also visited. Indeed Nuhu Ribadu the National Security Adviser called Fr Emma. His interest was if Father thought the attack was religiously motivated. Of course there are so called Christians who are collaborators.

Soldiers on ground are really suffering lack and deprivation of basic needs. So they cannot be effective. After 26 years in the army and battle tested in theatres including Liberia, Sierra Leone and Boko Haram and now Bandits, a Sergeant I spoke with told me he earns N72,000. He earns no allowances even on special duty. He has an aged mother, a wife and four kids to look after. He said his family cannot afford rice again or tea and bread. They buy their kids and fatigue with a meagre sum of N25,000. And I asked which Army would have it’s soldiers personally buy their own fatigue anyways? Meanwhile this man is in custody of a weapon that costs more than a million Naira in the open markets and works as a security for human beings.

Meanwhile Government promised to rebuild the house and warned Father to inflate the cost in many folds because that is standard government procedure and practice. How? Why? They threatened that if he does it the church and Jesus way he will be on his own because the money will be cut down.

Conclusion
Fr Emma told me that God prepared him for this attack before it happened and that God wrought the miracle of his survival so that He will remind us that He God still exists. Fr said “let no one deceive and cheat you by convincing you to believe with them that God does not exist.” He had just returned from a weeklong travel on Monday, had his sacrament of penance (confession of his sins to another Priest) on Tuesday, he went to Kafanchan town which is the regional HQ, to get a few groceries on Thursday. The informant obviously saw him and tipped the gang of bandits who came that very fateful Thursday evening.

Going forward, we should pray and believe harder in God than we do now. His survival was pure miracle. Like Jesus his Lord and Master, he saw death but did not die, he is alive. He said the Bishop was so worried he called check on him throughout the night. We saw the letter of solidarity and consolation he wrote. We should also prepare both spiritually and physically for any eventualities always.

Finally after all the display of original Odeshi by the Master Jesus himself, pray for the Fathers. He told me that after everything, looking back and the reality of what happened dawning on him, trauma is setting in for him.

Happy survival Fathers. May more Fathers survive and Nigerians survive bad governance, hunger and insecurity.

To God be the Glory forever and forever. Amen. The Lord Jesus reigns forever.

https://www.nigeriacatholicnetwork.com/how-bandits-invoked-the-name-of-jesus-against-their-victim-the-miracle-at-catholic-church-fadan-kamantan-by-rev-fr-george-barde/

Mynd44, OAM4J

In Psalm 40:1, David said God inclined unto him and heard his cry – not his whisper, but his cry. A cry in this context is a prayer made with violence. Matthew 11:12 says, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”

You must therefore be violent in your dealings with things of the Kingdom of heaven. In Mark 10:46-52, the kind of prayer that Bartimeous prayed is what we call a cry. There was a multitude there just like there are multitudes calling on God every minute, but in the midst of that multitude, one man cried and God inclined His ear to Him.

When you cry to God and He inclines His ear to you, He lifts you out of the miry clay. Miry clay simply means a situation so bad that unless help comes from outside, you are done for. The more a person in quicksand struggles, the deeper he or she would go into it. It is a situation where there is nothing you can do on your own to be free. When in that kind of situation, you don’t whisper, you cry. There is a practical example in Mark 2:1-12, where a man paralysed from the neck down was brought to Jesus. Every part of his body was dead except the neck upwards. There was nothing any doctor could do for him, but thank God for Jesus Christ. When Jesus saw him, He said, “Arise” and he came out of the miry clay. In the name that is above every other, you will come out of the miry clay.

Another example is in 2 Kings 4:1-7, where the widow of the son of the prophet was so badly in debt, the creditors said they would sell her children within 24 hours if she didn’t pay. She didn’t whisper, she cried to the man of God. Before the 24 hours were up, she had more than enough to pay her debt. I pray God will incline His ears to you today as you cry out to Him, in Jesus’ name.

Whenever people cried unto the Lord again and again, He would eventually turn and attend to them. Let that be your disposition when you go to God in prayer. Don’t pray like a gentleman or lady, with finesse. Cry to Him with all your strength, and He will incline His ear to you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

RE ANAMBRA COMMUNITY DEMANDS TO SEE THEIR KIDNAPPED son ALIVE

RE: HOW MAN WAS KIDNAPPED WHILE EATING NOODLES WITH A FRIEND.

my attention has been drawn to social media publications making the rounds where my family and I are carefully maligned and defamed through a craftly woven syllogism by one Izunna Okafor in a post made on August 17, 2023 across various online platforms and shared in various social media handles.

I use this opportunity to set the records straight.

my name is Mr. Ndubuisi Morah, the MD Fut-King Oil and Gas Filling Station one of which is situate at Otoko, Awkuzu in Oyi Local Government Area by Igbariam School Road. I am an investor and my interests span from oil and gas into real estate. I am a successful business man with verifiable sources of incomes and my entire Ukpo Community can attest to this. I have been in business for a long time without any blemish until this present blackmail which I defend thus.

Mr. Onyeka Nnakwue has been a friend and we got acquainted during my apprenticeship in Lagos. Our friendship lasted up until I left Lagos State to establish in Anambra State especially at Awkuzu.

It was at my Fut-King Oil and Gas Filling Station along Igbariam School Road that Onyeka ran into me one day and our friendship was reignited.

He was now based in Anambra State and even though he introduced himself to me as a very successful business man, I have never been able to pinpoint which area of business he now specializes in. He is still unmarried at over 45 years of age and he often blamed this on his poor economic standing.

Most times, he relies on me for his upkeep while making promises that he cannot fulfill. Once in a while, I have to fuel his car and even provide for his daily meals. for me, friendship is about sacrifices and sharing of each other's burdens.

I have never been perturbed by this overdependence; after all, it will be uncharitable for me to claim that there is no way I benefit from his companionship and acquaintance.

Yes. We have often shared moments of camaraderie but on that fateful day of June 29th, 2023, I never invited him to share "a jollof noodles meal" with me as speculated in the malicious trending stories. He came on his own as usual but this time, it was to collect some electrical items kept with me for safe keeping.

Two days before we were Kidnapped, exactly on the 29th day of June, 2023, my friend, Onyeka had arrived my Petrol Station with some electrical appliances for safe keeping. He complained that he had a vehicle breakdown and his mechanics could not fix the vehicle instantly. But on that fateful day, he arrived with the same vehicle to pick up those items.

I did not make any calls to him neither did I in any correspondence or format extend any invitation to him within that time frame to come and join me in my jallof indomie as the petitioners alleged. This is 21st century and these claims are easily verifiable using modern ICT methodologies to check my call logs on MTN.

We were already exchanging pleasantries when the men of the underworld struck. We were both whisked away and bundled into their vehicle booth.

At their detention camp, we initially were kept together but got separated after a few days. I was blindfolded most of the time and tortured without mercy.

The kidnappers requested a Ransome of =N=100 Million Naira initially and demanded to know how they would get the money or they would kill me. May I at this point remind them that they did not take us with our phones. I told them that my younger brother, Mr. Nonso can be contacted to raise whatever demand they make.

I was aware that they were in constant negotiations with my younger brother. I am also aware that their negotiations dropped from initial One Hundred Million Naira (=N=100,000,000.00) to Fifteen Million Naira (=N=15,000,000.00).

I was later to discover that my brother mistakenly believed that the negotiations were for both of us, my friend, Mr. Onyeka Nnakwue and I.

I was so traumatized during my captivity that at anytime I was given opportunity, I only focused on what they wanted me to do.

my brother paid the =N=15,000,000 ransom on the 8th day of July, 2023 in Bitcoin with the following particulars:

*TZ3Js5cMmswG2Rb46JsZi1q6RSrTkCKvhT*

*The network is Trc20*

I was released from captivity on the 14th day of July, 2023; that was six days after payment of the N15,000,000 ransom.

I wondered how a yet to be identified man can claim to have sighted me within that time frame that I was under captive as bogusly claimed by my friends relatives in their online narratives.

Part of the correspondences between my brother and those kidnappers are not hidden. my friend's family can deploy technology and collaborate with our GSM providers for our call logs and contact tracing and tracking and stop the unwarranted blackmail on my person and that of my younger brother - Nonso Morah as well.

my call logs and correspondences as well as the transactions made with my handset within the period of my captivity should be within MTN's domain. As such, both my Network Providers and that of their brother's network will clear some of their suspicion since both phones were collected from my Filling Station by my younger brother; who equally informed me that he was making correspondences with both phones. He informed me that it was my manager who relayed our kidnap incidence to him.

my brother equally informed me that one of the persons he interacted during fund raising was
Rev. Arinze Nnakwue, my friend's relative but he bluntly told him that their family cannot raise any money and that he was personally been owed arrears of two months by his church. my brother never interacted with him again over same issue neither did he or any member of my friends relative contact my brother until after my release.

I wondered how the petitioners will misconstrue such gruesome experience to mean "childish stage-managed kidnap."

The position of the petitioners is an attempt to subject me into another round of psychological trauma and it is both regrettable, saddening and unbearable to me. I have had enough torture and trauma. my harrowing experience is not something anybody can wish even his worst enemy.

for emphasis.

I was kidnapped together with my friend who visited me. We were taken to the kidnappers camp and later separated. I was physically assaulted most of the time. When I told the kidnappers that my brother runs a Bet9ja Shop, they assaulted me more claiming that I was not sincere with them. They told me that Onyeka had already informed them that my brother, Nonso was equally into Oil and Gas business like myself.

I, told them it was a misunderstanding, that my brother operates a Manual Cooking Gas Refilling business and that he ventured into the business new through my empowerment.

Meanwhile, my ransom was raised from family members and close associates through my brother Nonso.

On my release, I was on blindfold when some items were placed on my palms by my abductors who ordered me to put them in my pockets. I was later to discover that those were my friend's items.

On my release, I was dropped at the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway some kilometers away from Ukpo junction. I found my way to the construction site in that Junction area where I rested for a while before making it home.

Few days after my release, I was whisked away again together with my younger brother by men of the Special Anti-Kidnap Squad, Awkuzu on trumped up allegations from my friend's family claiming that I had kidnapped their brother and my friend. The experience that my brother and I had there at Anti Kidnap Squad, Awkuzu is better imagined, it was horrible, life threatening and dehumanizing.

At the end of these ordeals, we were later released with apologies. But the scars of the torturous experience we had are still visible on our bodies.

It is disheartening that relatives will not rally for their loved one in the kind of debilitating situation that we found ourselves. We all know that kidnapping is usually for ransom and one of the victims saving grace was ones ability to settle his captives.

I make bold to inform the general public that my friend, Onyeka cannot be kidnapped by anybody who knows him. In fact, he has no kidnapping value. Consequently by my own assessment, it was a coincidence that resulted in the abduction of both of us leading to gruesome experience that we shared.

I sincerely do not know the whereabout of my friend currently and there is no way I can get in touch with our abductors. One would have expected that the monies wasted in witch-hunting and scapegoating my brother and I should be better deployed into tracking, tracing and further investigations.

I am pained that my friend is not yet released. I sympathize with the family and I am willing to collaborate with them in any meaningful measures that will lead to the successful discovery and safe release and or arrival of their brother who is also a friend.

for now, I am both traumatized, devastated and broken. And I need rest not further trauma.

my final wish is for my friend to gain freedom the same way I gained mine. I pray for his release or his whereabouts discovered.

I join my friend's family in praying the police for a discreet and thorough investigation into all these happenstances in order to unravel the mysteries behind our kidnap and indeed all kidnappings for ransom in this state. I equally place our help in the hands of the almighty God who is the author and finisher of our life.

Amen!

Luke 9:1-2, Mark 14:10–11, John 12:4-6, John 13:27–30, Ezekiel 33:14–16, Luke 22:1–6 and Acts 1:20–25.

From all of our Bible readings today, we will be able to figure out what kind of person Judas is. This is meant to make you think about yourself and to help you choose and be careful about who you hang out with. Most importantly, for anyone who has done wrong to turn around and be saved from what happened to Judas.

Who exactly is this Judas?

Judas means "praise" in Hebrew, but no one wants to give their child that name because of how he died.
When Jesus Christ, our Saviour, was on earth, he had 12 followers, and Judas Iscariot was one of them. He was picked to be in the Lord's inner circle. Once he was saved, he quit his job and went to follow Jesus Christ, just like the other eleven. He worked with Christ in his ministry and was given spiritual gifts and power. He helped Jesus Christ spread the Good News, did miracles, healed the sick, and cast devils away. He went to the place Master Jesus told him to go. He was in charge of the group's money, which is a job that would only have gone to someone who was trusted. This means that our Lord Jesus Christ probably put his trust in Judas. Alas! Judas betrayed Jesus.

Where did Judas go wrong?

Something went wrong with Judas, who was trusted and liked by everyone. One of his flaws destroyed him. He didn't do anything about his weakness, so it ate away at him until it was too late. He was a thief!

Judas was a thief, and this one flaw made him have many other flaws and bad traits. He went from being loyal to not being loyal. He got money so that he could betray Jesus and give his Master to the people who would kill Him. He had a great start with the Lord, but he ended badly. He did something that made heaven sad.

Signs You Are A Judas

1. You know you're backsliding, but you still use your Christian title because you want to be seen as unique.

Judas thought that the fruit of the Spirit was the same thing as the gifts of the Spirit. He really was blessed by God. He and the other disciples were given power, did miracles, and drove out demons. His spiritual life was tiring, though. He was turning away from the Lord, but he couldn't accept it because he had a big job and a big title among the friends of Christ. Maybe the signs and miracles he was still doing led him to think he was still standing, even though he had already fallen. The devil got into him because he liked money, and he did something bad. He went from being good to being bad.

We must be very careful so that the devil doesn't get us, in the name of Jesus Christ. Devil is not sleeping and just waiting for the right time to attack Christian. Just because you're a worker in a church doesn't mean you will go to heaven. Salvation is an individual thing. After being reborn, you need to work out your salvation by letting the fruit of the Spirit do its full work until Christ's image is made in you. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray that the Lord will keep us safe from the devil. Amen!

2. You care so much about money.

You can't have two bosses at the same time; you have to pick one. The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil. Mammon is the love of money.
Money is good, and God wants us to have a lot of it so we can live well and even do what we came to the world to do. Poverty is a sin, and you should never want to be poor. God wants us to be richly blessed, and He told us that would happen. The Lord says, "Silver and gold are mine." However, if you think badly about money, you might end up like Judas. Sad to say, many Christians today will do anything to make money, even if it goes against their beliefs. It's for their own good and selfish gain but not God's Kingdom. Judas sold his Master, Jesus Christ, for 30 pieces of silver, money that he never got to spend. He loved money more than he loved Christ.

3. Choosing to make a bad prophecy come true in your life.

No name was given, but it was said that someone would be a "son of perdition" to Jesus Christ. Judas wasn't meant to be that son of destruction, but he chose to make that prophecy come true.

Even if someone tells you something bad will happen, you can and must pray it out of your life and future. Some people in the Bible rejected bad prophecies by asking God to take them out of their lives.
Because of a prophecy, Jabez had to go through pain, poverty, and sadness because of his name. But because he prayed hard to God, God changed the way his life was going (1 Chronicles 4:10). If you want to, you can do the same thing. Jacob didn't bless Esau, but he did say that Esau would always have to beg from his brother Jacob. One might have thought Esau begged Jacob his whole life, but that wasn't the case. He didn't let fate happen to him. Instead, he worked hard to change his fate. Genesis 33:8–9 makes this clear: "He also said. What do you mean by all this chaos I've seen? And he said, "There is to find favour in my lord's eyes." Esau replied, "I already have enough, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself." Another person who was supposed to die but didn't because he prayed to the Lord was King Hezekiah. The Lord changed the promise and gave him fifteen more years.

No matter how spiritual the person who told you the bad or negative prophecy was, you don't have to fulfil. What can't be changed by prayers doesn't exist! Once you decide you don't want anything bad or evil, you can get on your knees and ask God for help to change your life.

4. Giving the devil a place to start by committing sin.

Through his unconfessed sin, Judas gave the devil a place in his life. As the treasurer, he was still in charge of Jesus' and the disciples' money. He did something bad that he didn't want anyone to find out. He would have told Jesus and the other followers what he had done and asked for their help so that they could pray with him to save him. He tried to hide his sin, fought his fight alone, and died in the end. Beloved, don't forget that the Bible says that a person who tries to hide their sin will not do well. Don't let the devil have a place to start in your life. Now is the time to admit your mistakes and change your mind. Jesus Christ will indeed set you free.

5. Giving up on yourself quickly.

Even when he had the chance, Judas never thought about changing his mind. This is because God knows how weak we are. You can always change your mind, but Judas gave up on Jesus Christ and killed himself. Beloved, there is no sin that God can't forgive, and no matter how far you've fallen in life, God can bring you back. If Judas had changed his mind and gone back to Christ, he would have probably been saved. Nothing in this world should make a Christian want to end his or her life. Suicide is not a choice; only fools, idiots, and people without faith do it. Don't think it's too stupid or embarrassing to go up to the Throne of Grace. God will always be ready to forgive you. Don't listen to the voice of the devil. I pray that the devil doesn't get us, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

God bless you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ! Amen!

If you want to give your life to Christ, just say this short prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now. Come into my life, take control of my life, and change my world. I tell the devil goodbye and enter the Kingdom of Light. Thank you, Jesus! I pray in Jesus' name, amen!

Congratulation!!!

Peace!


Also read Mountain Top Life Daliy Devotional by Dr. D.K. Olukoya, Vol. 8, 9–15 September 2023.

An open letter to Gov Uba Sani of Kaduna state.
By:
Ishaq Alhassan Qauranmata.

Your Excellency,
I pray this letter meets you well and in
high spirits.

The first 100 days of any administration in Nigeria has since become a period of review and assessment of progress, as well as a yardstick to gauge the government's ability and preparedness to meet up with expectations.
Your excellency, You and your close allies my not agree with me but a majority of the people are convinced that your first 100 days in office leave much to be desired!
First, you appointed commissioners and other lieutenants after some delay. Unfortunately, much similar to Ex-President Buhari, your nominations didn't come with anything spectacular as to justify the delay.
Second, you commendably responded to one of the key issues in your campaign promises; reversing El-Rufai's anti- poor policies that made him the most hated governor in the history of Nigeria. You reduced the unreasonably high school fees in our tertiary institutions.
Your excellency, praise singers and hangers-on around government may praise you to high heavens, but the fact remains that the objective of that reduction, which is making education available to the "children of the poor" is far from being attained.
Your excellency sir, let's review the scenario:
The "common man" was barely managing to pay between #30,000 to #50,000 as school fees to keep his child in school when someone (for whom the common is nothing more than a fawn on a chase board) emerged. He rode to power on the shoulders of the common man with a slogan, " the poor man's son must have access to qualitative and affordable education" and once in power, promptly shot the fees far beyond the reach of the "poor man"!
Then you came around with a promise to review the situation, if given the chance. As far as the common man, or any discerning person is concerned, reviewing the situation simply means making it possible for the poor man to send his child to school! Anything short of that amounts to a second betrayal.
As things stand your excellency:
1 - students of Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, College of Education Gidan Waya and co who were paying between #30,000 to #50,000 before the crazy hike to #150,000 are now required to pay #75,000 at 50% reduction.
2 - KASU students paying the same range of #30,000 to #50,000 before it was shot up to #150,000 and above for Arts/Humanities and #300,000 and above for Sciences/Engineering are now to pay #105,000 and above for Arts/Humanities and #210,000 and above for Sciences/Engineering at 30% reduction.
Your excellency, the bitter truth that Yesmen (and women) around you will not tell you is that this "reduction" CANNOT achieve he desired objective, assuming the objective is to make it possible for the common man's child to return to school!
Your excellency, even if this reduction had preceded the fuel subsidy removal, #75,000 per session for diploma and NCE and #105,000 or #210,000 per session for degree are still way beyond the majority of those who either voted for you or looked the other way while INEC officials and APC stalwarts "helped" you, in the hope that you will keep your promise. And we are only talking about those with one child. I leave you to do the calculation for a family with 3 or 4school age children! Unfortunately, coming as it did on the heels of subsidy removal, with its attendant devastating effects on life and living renders the gesture "dead on arrival"!

Your excellency, no one can accuse you of disappearing, in the last 100 days. The truth is you have been very visible in both the conventional media as well as the social media. Whoever cared to follow would have seen that you made critical appointments, ensured the emergence of a leadership you want in the state assembly, paid courtesy calls, signed MOUs, "reduced" school fees, etc.
However, I think it is pertinent to tarry a bit and review situations. Your excellency, you inherited a very badly battered state.
well over a hundred thousand people have been removed from government payroll, mostly unjustifiably. More than 90% of those have not been paid their entitlements. Several hundreds of thousands more who were hitherto not only self employed but actually employers of labour have had their businesses and/or capital destroyed. Marketers had their shop areas taken and allocated to private developers who have invested their money to build "modern markets" and are now selling to the highest bidder.
Your excellency, MOUs and other efforts to attract some foreign governments to come and build houses may be good in the long term but in the immediate, what the people expect to see is cogent steps to redress the inhumanity of the immediate past.
Not a few people expected that within these first 100 days in office, you would have set in motion a machinery to:
1 - establish a comprehensive data bank of all laid off and retired civil servants and the total amount of entitlements due to them so that payment can commence within the state's financial realities.
2 - produce comprehensive data bank of marketers whose places of business the past government gave out and who cannot afford to buy the new ones built, with a view to assisting them.
3 - come up with some definite measures to address the security issues that have crippled economic activities and agriculture.
4 - address the issue of abandoned projects, especially those causing untold hardship to people such as the Kofan Doka, Agoro roundabouts and similar projects elsewhere.
Your excellency, these and similar actions were our expectations of you in your first 100 days in office.
Finally, let me remind you sir, that several years ago, one of your predecessors Arch. Namadi Sambo tried a similar housing scheme around NNPC, Zaria. Nearly thirty years on, the houses are on an advanced level of dilapidation without ever being occupied!
What usually happens, your excellency is that the so-called Low-cost houses are beyond the reach of the common man, they are mostly built without regard to the taste of potential owners and, more often than not are poorly built by contractors. In the end, they simply add to the many white elephant projects around!

Thank you Sir.

In the book of Acts chapter nine, Ananias was led spectacularly by the Lord to pray for Saul, who later was called Paul. The Lord said Ananias in a night vision, that is, a dream of the night, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus: for he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
This spectacular kind of leading is called the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom. It is the combination of knowledge and its application thereof. You see, Ananias was told at what street to look, the name of that street, the very house in that street, the owner of that house, the name of the very person to enquire of, the place the man of whom he enquires hailed from, what to do when he eventually meets the man, and the plan of God concerning the life of that man.
Acts 9:15-17
15. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel.
16. for I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
17. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house, and putting his hands on him, said, brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest hath sent me, that thou mightiest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

I remember one certain time I had an experience not so remotely different from that which Ananias had. At that time, I was staying in my uncle’s house. It happened that one day I was sitting in a chair outside the house minding my own business, when suddenly I hear a voice, now this voice couldn’t be any more audible because if it were, others would have heard it. The voice said to me, stand up, take off your slippers and tip-toe down the back of the house and you will see what your little cousin is doing there.
Now I wasn’t expecting to see what I saw than I was the first man to land on the moon yesterday. So as that voice had instructed, I took off my slippers and tip-toed down the back of the house; and as I took a sneak peep standing behind a wall, I saw my little cousin doing some awful things, which I’d better not utter in a word in this book, and I told it his father to reprimand and call him to order.
Although, I was not led spectacularly by a vision or an angel but by the inward witness. Notwithstanding, in my spirit, I was told what to do, where to look, and what I will find upon looking therein.
The prophet Ezekiel narrated how the hand of the Lord God led him to see the abominable things the elders of the house of Israel were doing in secret.
Ezekiel 8:1;5-12
1. And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.
5. Then said he unto me, son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
6. He said further unto me, son of man, seest thou what they do? Even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? But turn yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.
7. And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.
8. Then said he unto me, son of man, dig now in the wall; and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.
9. And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.
10. So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.
11. And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.
12. Then said he unto me, son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
13. He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.
14. Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD’S house which was toward the north; and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

Ezekiel saw the elders of the house of Israel burning incense to idols and the women weeping to the Mesopotamian deity of fertility, Tammuz that it may hear them and grant their petitions. These acts the Lord God called the abominations of the house of Israel because they provoked Him to anger.

The Roman Centurion Cornelius was a devout man who feared God and gave much arms to the poor. However, his salvation came when the angel of the Lord appeared to him and led him to call for Simon Peter, who shall tell him words whereby he and his family shall be saved.
Acts 11:13-15
13. And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter,
14. Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.
15. And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.

Cornelius’ salvation was spectacular. Noticed how the angel of the Lord led him to be saved. First, the angel recognized Cornelius’ authority as a Roman soldier of the band called the Italian band. The angel did not command Cornelius to go and find Peter himself, rather he said Cornelius should send men to go fetch Peter. Now that is respect. The angel respected Cornelius’ office as a centurion of an army of soldiers. Second, Cornelius was told what city to send men to. Third, Cornelius was told the very name of the person to fetch in that city. Fourth, Cornelius was told the place where the man lodged. Fifth, Cornelius was told the exact location of the lodge. Now if this is not spectacular I wonder what is.

In the Bible, scores of people were led spectacularly by a pillar of fire, a pillar of cloud, a vision, an angel, a star. But these were the exception not the rule. If you expect spectacular guidance, you may or may not experience it. But one thing is certain, the leading of the Holy Spirit is for a life time. “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16).
Oddly enough, concerning spectacular guidance, Scripture teaches that the manifestations of the Spirit is as the Lord wills not as we will. The Lord may will to lead you in a spectacular way, but do not seek the spectacular: because many who did wound up in a spiritual junk heap. You see, satan is the God of this world, if you seek to be led by the spectacular the devil might deceive you through fallen angels or something supernatural that seem godly but is not of God.


Read, comment, and share.

Do not hoard knowledge, propagate it!

The man on the pulpit said you must pray God's will for your prayers to be answered.

my question is, if I make a request based on what you want to give me is that really what I want or what you want for me?

Then why not just give it to me, why wait for me to ask for it?

pray that your joy may be full, due to the answers, then would one be happy if they get what they asked for or something else they are expected to believe is better for them?


How am I supposed to know what you want from me for me to ask you for it?

Is prayer really making a request or me just collecting what you have for me?

Is this pray God's will, an excuse when God doesn't answer prayers, they say you didn't pray God's will?

Is praying in God's will different from praying God's will?

Now does it mean if I want anything I shouldn't pray but first check what God's will is for me?

What if I want something that I do not know whether it is God's will or not?


Now when I look through scriptures I read things like and God did it because his servant asked or because his servant spoke. God honoured the words of his servant. If you are willing make me whole and he was made whole.

Does God want to give you whatever you ask of him in prayer? I know God won't answer sinners and those who seek to do evil or pray for things for their own selfish pleasure and interests.

God does answer prayers but forgive me, does he answer all prayers?

God gave a man a blank cheque to ask whatever he desires. I can't imagine going to my father and asking for something I truly want, forget needs now, I want this and he tells me he won't. Jesus said, I thank you because you always hear me.

Jesus said what father would give his son stone or snake instead of bread or fish he asked for. If I ask for healing and I am still sick, maybe I am not a child of God? If I ask for provision and I still lack, maybe he doesn't hear me? Is it selfish to ask your father for something you want.

Blessed are those who ask and receive from the Creator, Abba Father. 😊

for various reasons, a lot of people keep doubting the existence of true love, since what is prominent in our world is lust, selfishness, deceit, hypocrisy, and the likes. However, from the scriptures, there have been proofs upon proofs that true love exists.

First of all, remember that God, the Supreme Creator is All-powerful and can do anything and everything. However, one of the most prominent expressions of God is Love. In fact, God is Love personified. Yes, God is Love. And since it is true that God exists, then it is true that Love exists. The existence of the True God is the existence of True Love.

A vivid proof that God has been showing, and will keep showing true love, can be found in John 3:16 -

"for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

God so loved the world (which includes you) way before you were born. God knows you before you were born, and He has been showing you love even before you were born. An expression of His love revolves around how He safeguarded you while you were in your mother's womb, and has blessed you with the gift of life to remain alive till today.

So, you are not loveless. You might have passed through different incidents that have made you doubt the existence of true love (hated, being deceived, taken for granted, jilted, betrayed, etc.). But I want you to know that even till this moment, God, your Creator is vehemently in love with you.

What is the proof of love? What is love without giving?

"for God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten son..."

So, God put His Love for you into action by giving you the best Gift ever: He gave you Himself in Christ Jesus.

Wow!

Since humankind has embraced sin and death, God proved He didn't hate us by still deciding to come into the flesh to die for our sins! Wow!

True Love is when Jesus Christ decides to die for undeserving folks like you and me. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans chapter five verse eight)

So, how should you respond to this love being shown you by God? Accept His Gift!

"...that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Simply accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and your life will never remain the same again. You must be determined to forsake anything sinful, and simply pray:

"LORD JESUS, I believe in my heart that You died for me and You raised on the third day for my justification. And so I confess with my mouth that You are my Lord and Savior. From today, I belong to the family of God. Thank You for giving me eternal life."

https://www.sundayakanni.com/2023/09/a-good-proof-that-true-love-exists.html?m=1