Pastor Adeboye Welcomes The World To 2013 Holy Ghost Congress

As the faithful welcomes with excitement another edition of the Holy Ghost Congress of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, a one-week programme scheduled for the Redemption Camp along the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, other road users dread the traffic situation that comes with the annual meeting.

Although the church had always tried its best in ensuring smooth flow of traffic during the event, with hundreds of road marshals to manage traffic, it hardly ever changes the harrowing experience of road users, with hundreds of thousands of worshippers from different parts of the world always present at the congress. This has reduced over the years though, but road users are still affected due to the busy nature of the road itself.
The church has worked to improve traffic flow within and around the camp. With the provision of more parking lots and better manning of routes, shuttles between the camp and Lagos or other nearby cities which took several hours are now done in just about an hour.
The General Overseer of the church, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye will from today play host to millions of worshippers from different parts of the world at this year’s edition of the church’s Holy Ghost Congress, with the theme; ‘The Overflow.’
As the first visitors arrive the Camp, Pastor Adeboye has sent a word of welcome to all participants at this year’s congress. In his welcome address, Daddy G.O., as he is fondly called, thanked the Almighty God for “keeping us since the last Congress in 2012. I am most delighted to welcome you to a special Congress that promises to overflow with signs and wonders.

APC warns PDP on impeachment plot against Amaechi, Kwankwaso, others

The All Progressives Congress has strongly warned the PDP not to to go ahead with its diabolical plan to declare vacant the seats of the five PDP Governors who recently defected to the APC, saying apart from being illegal and smacking of double standard, such a move has the potential to plunge the polity into chaos.

In a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said that even as the PDP has continued to lick the mortal wound inflicted on it by the loss of five preeminent Governors in one fell swoop, any attempt by the party (PDP) to act in desperation and declare the Governors’ seats vacant will be met with an unprecedented show of people power that will end, once and for all, the impunity of the PDP and the Presidency.

”We have irrefutable evidence that the PDP is desperately shopping for a pliant Judge who will be heavily induced to declare vacant the seats of the five Governors who recently defected to the APC. We also have the name of the lawyers who have been retained by the PDP for this hatchet job.

”We are in possession of the various nefarious legal options being explored by the villainous duo of the PDP and the Presidency but we hereby serve a strong notice to the duo that any attempt by anyone through any means other than what is provided for in section 188 of the 1999 Constitution as amended will not only have grave consequences but will leave the polity severely bruised.

Kidnapped Anambra PDP Chairman, Emeakayi Regains Freedom

Controversy surrounding the alleged kidnap of Anambra State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Ken Emeakayi finally came to a close yesterday as his abductors released him after two days of incarceration.

His freedom, it was learnt, did not come without the payment of an undisclosed ransom fee.
Emeakayi, who was freed on Tuesday night while narrating his ordeal, said that his captors were instructed to assassinate him but divine intervention saved his life.
“On Sunday, the first day of December, 2013, I was on my way to Awka from Ihiala my local government when on reaching Anyasoijiji, a junction between Agulu and Nise on that Agukwunri junction, one RAV4 SUV overtook my car and blocked me and about four young men inside the vehicle, well-armed with weapons opened fire on me and my vehicle.
“After some minutes of steady firing, one of them pulled me out of the vehicle and blindfolded me and pushed me into their waiting RAV4 vehicle and took me away to an unknown destination”.
The state PDP chairman said after some hours of driving, they pulled over and disembarked from the car and trekked for about 15 minutes until they got to a river bank he could not recognize, then his blindfold was removed.
According to Emeakayi, from the interrogation by his abductors, it was obvious that his kidnap was political, just as he added that the leader of the gang which he said has about 80 men under his command from what he could count promised to call him and tell him the politician behind his abduction.
Information Nigeria recalls that the PDP chieftain’s purported abduction was mired in controversy as the Anambra State police command claimed the matter was not reported as it heard read the news on the pages of newspapers like every other Nigerian.

Breaking News: Explosion Rocks Buildings Near NNPC Abuja

An explosion has rocked several buildings across from the offices of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC building in Abuja just minutes ago.
The cause of the explosion is yet to be ascertained.
Sources say the explosion came from the Conoil filling station opposite the NNPC towers. The loud blast which shook the area, raising fears it was a bomb blast was said to be as a result of an underground tank exploding.
Security operatives were said to have arrived the site of the explosion promptly to ensure things don’t get out of hand. Fire fighters were however late to the explosion site as sources said they got there about 30 minutes after the fire started

Controversy as Jonathan pays ‘private’ visit to Germany

Speculations were rife on Wednesday that the trip of President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, to Germany which the Presidency described as “a private visit” might be on health grounds.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, had on Tuesday issued a statement indicating that Jonathan would leave Abuja for Germany en-route to Paris, France to participate in the Summit on Peace and Security in Africa.

Abati said the President would stop over in Germany for a private visit on his way to Paris and return to Abuja at the conclusion of the summit on Saturday.

The announcement of the “private visit” coming a few weeks after he fell sick in London, fuelled speculation that Jonathan might have decided to visit the same German hospital where his wife sought medical attention for about seven weeks last year.

Since he was accompanied by Patience, speculations were also  rife that she might use the opportunity of the visit  to  undergo  a medical check-up.

The fears were further confirmed on Wednesday when it was discovered that many of the President’s close aides, who usually accompany him on foreign trips,  did not travel with him.

Our correspondent learnt that some of them might join the President in Paris later in the week.

The social media were on Wednesday awash with reports of the motive of President’s German trip.

An online news site, SaharaReporters, reported that Jonathan and his wife checked into a hospital in Germany on Wednesday.

Glo/CAF African Footballer: Mikel, Emenike, others make top 10

The Confederation of African Football has released the shortlists for the 2013 African Player of the Year and the African Player of the Year (Based in Africa).

This follows voting from members of the Technical & Development and the Media Committees from the initial list of nominees.

Ten players made the cut for the flagship African Player of the Year category, and five for the African Player of the Year (Based in Africa).

The Head Coaches of the National Associations affiliated to CAF will vote in their order of preference to decide on the eventual winners of the two categories.

Initially, twenty-five (25) players were named for African Player of the Year category, and twenty-one (21) for the African Player of the Year (Based in Africa).

The winners will be announced at the Glo-CAF Awards Gala scheduled for Thursday, January 9, 2014 in Lagos, Nigeria.

ASUU holds solidarity march for Iyayi

The funeral ceremony for the late Prof. Festus Iyayi began on Wednesday in Benin, Edo State capital, with  a solidarity march by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and civil society groups.

Members of ASUU in their hundreds  from other universities including the University of Ilorin, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Delta State University, Abraka  joined their colleagues in the University of Benin to pay their last respect to the late Iyayi.

Other groups represented included the Nigeria Labour Congress, Conference of Non-Governmental Organisations, Joint Action Front and Parents Consultative Association of Nigerian Universities.

The march, which began at about 10am,  included five kilometres walk to the residence of the late professor of Business Administration, on Bello Street, off Benin Lagos Expressway.

Addressing the participants in the march at the residence of late Iyayi, the Chairman of UNIBEN chapter of ASUU, Dr. Tony Monye-Emina, described the deceased as one of the country’s number one fallen heroes and a hero of ASUU struggles.