Protesting Youth Burn Two Churches In Katsina

Burnt St Theresa church Funtua

According to Premium Times two churches were burnt on Monday afternoon at Tudun Wada, Funtua Local Government Area on Katsina State by rampaging youths, witnesses have said.

The unrest started when some students at one Ideal School, a private secondary school in the community, reported to the youths outside the school that a teacher was teaching an SS2 class lessons that were ‘blasphemous’ in Islam.

According to a witness, who simply identified himself as “Alhaji Surajo,” the angry youth took to the streets of Funtua, vandalising property and ended up attacking two churches.

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Fashola Thinks Jonathan Spends More Time In Church Than He Does Trying To Solve Nigeria's Problems

Democratic competition in Nigeria has become very robust with the merger of the largest opposition parties to form the APC. Perhaps for the first time since the advent of the Fourth Republic, we have a vibrant opposition that doesn't shy away from engaging the government on cogent national issues.

However, perhaps intoxicated by the euphoria of the approaching electioneering activities leading to the next general elections, some politicians on both sides of the political divide have made rather ‘unstatemanly’ religious slurs against their political rivals.

Not too long ago, Chief Olisa Metuh, PDP’s National Secretary, accused the APC of sponsoring the Boko Haram, labeling it as an Islamist party whose political ideology is akin to that of the Janjaweed.

Recently, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, was reported to have accused President Jonathan of spending more time inside the church than in leading the country. 

Governor Fashola made this remark while speaking at the sixth Bola Tinubu Colloquium in Lagos, tagged ‘The Summit of the Common Man’. He was also quoted as saying, “You must pay critical attention to the people [who voted for you]. I know that we have employed somebody for the top job in this country but when we asked him about his qualifications and experience, he said he had no shoes. You must decide whether you want someone who spends most of his time in church or mosque, or the man who is ready to spend his time on the job.” 

As we approach the next general elections in 2015, politicians must endeavour to discard the religious card when they spar with each other. Dividing the country along religious lines will not bode well for anyone.

Fulani Militia: Why They Strike (Revised Version)

It has been a bloody three months for Nigeria. While the Boko Haram insurgency continues to claim lives in the North East, a greater menace ravages the countryside in Central Nigeria. Hundreds of villagers have perished in the hands of suspected Fulani militiamen in Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa and Kaduna States.

Armed marauders, armed to the teeth, storm villages in the dead of the night, slaughter everything that breathes, cart away valuables, livestock, and then set the villages ablaze. These gruesome attacks have been repeated in many communities on the Plateau, Nasarawa, in southern Kaduna and lately in Benue State.

Each time this macabre tale is told, blame for the wanton destruction of live and property is placed on the Fulani. Most times, the Fulani domicile in and around the affected communities deny involvement in the atrocities, often heaping the blame on the now fabled “unknown gunmen”.

The situation is so bemuddling. It raises serious questions that need urgent answers. Who are these armed marauders? Where are they from? Why do they attack defenceless villages in Central Nigeria? Are they an organized armed militia comprising of disgruntled Fulani herdsmen as widely speculated?

In a bid to make sense of the terrible situation, some theories have been spun, even though one or two seem to veer towards the realm of conspiracy theories.

One such theory is that which postulates that the Fulani uprising in the Middle Belt of Nigeria is a latter-day jihad aimed at exterminating the Christian peoples of the area, conquer their land and turn it into pastureland for cattle grazing. This theory however falls flat when you consider the fact that there have been reported cases of Fulani militias pillaging villages in Zamfara State and Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State (both Muslim dominated areas) that predate the recent attacks in Benue State and Southern Kaduna. Just a few weeks ago, parts of Kastina State (a Muslim dominated state) was also attacked by suspected Fulani militiamen.

Another theory has it that the current spade of Fulani attacks has its origins in the conflicts that regularly breaks out between herdsmen and farmers in the north for which Fulanis regularly lost both lives and cattle. Some contend that the violent attacks on farming communities are merely reprisal attacks or even acts of self defence.  

The grazing reserve encroachment theory states that the conflict raging between Fulani herdsmen and farming communities in the north is as a result of the absence of grazing reserves for herdsmen to rear their cattle. The theory states that whatever grazing reserve there was has been taken over by farmers all over the country, leaving herdsmen without pastureland for grazing. It is the pressure to find pasture for their cattle that often pitches herdsmen against farmers along the Sudan Savannah region of Nigeria.  

Then there is the Boko Haram intervention theory. Its proponents contend that the gunmen engaged in the mindless killing of villagers in Central Nigeria are not Fulanis herdsmen but Boko Haram mujahedeen. They argue that one of the stated objectives of the Boko Haram insurgents is to protect and avenge Muslims anywhere in Nigeria; as such they have been intervening on behalf of the Fulani whenever the latter come off the worse for it after bloody land disputes with non Muslim farming villages. But then, this theory does not account for the attacks on Muslim communities in Kastina, Birnin Gwari and Zamfara.

Perhaps the most plausible explanation for the Fulani uprising is the climate change theory. It postulates that due to climate change and the attendant desertification and loss of pastureland in the Sahel, herdsmen (from Niger, Mali, Senegal, Chad, and Burkina Faso) who have lost cattle to drought and have gotten access to the small arms awash in the region (due to the Libyan crisis and Tuareg insurgency in Mali and other Sahelian states) migrated southwards to the lush grasslands of North and Central Nigeria.

This band of mostly cattle-less herdsmen are thought to have aggregated into a formidable militia, gun-for-hire mercenaries, that are often called upon by their indigenous Fulani kinsmen to fight on their side whenever they have a dispute with sedentary farmers. This militia are also said to collaborate with some rouge elements within the indigenous Fulani communities to rustle cattle from villagers.

To lend credence to this theory, some have cited the account of villagers in Southern Kaduna who reported that they saw busloads of Fulani militiamen arriving at a Fulani homestead on the eve of the bloody attacks on villages in the area.   

A lot of the members of this militia are also believed to have organized themselves into gangs specializing in cattle rustling and armed banditry in the North West of the country especially in areas around Birnin Gwari (Kaduna State) and communities in Zamfara State.

But, why Nigeria? Why didn’t the Sahel Fulanis migrate to greener pastures in other countries in the West African sub region? It could be due to two reasons: First, Nigeria has a larger population of Fulanis making it easier for their Northern kinsmen to blend into their communities without much suspicion. Second, our borders are more porous and our security more lax than that of other countries in the region. 

Whatever the true cause of the crisis in Central Nigeria, the carnage currently going on in that region must stop. The government has a constitutional duty to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians. It therefore must make stopping the massacres in the north a priority. We must also identify the true causes of this crisis and provide lasting solutions to restore peace and security in Nigeria’s food basket.  

Pastor Docked Over Alleged N1.5m Fraud

The police on Tuesday in Lagos charged a 59-year-old pastor, Simeon Israel, accused of obtaining N1.5 million under the pretext of spiritually helping a woman to solve her marital problems.

Israel, a resident of Igando area of Lagos, appeared at an Ikeja Magistrates’Court on a three-count charge of conspiracy, fraud and stealing.

The prosecutor, ASP Eranus Nnamonu, said that the accused, and others still at large, conspired and committed the offences at 10.15 a.m. on Nov. 4, 2013 along Igando Road, Lagos.

According to him, Israel presented himself as a pastor being led spiritually to solve marital problems. He said that the accused fraudulently obtained N1.5 million from Alhaja Titilayo Aliyu, under the guise of solving her marital issues. Nnamonu noted that the offences contravened Sections 285, 312 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011, Section 312 prescribes 15 years imprisonment for offenders on conviction.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to all the counts of the charge. The Magistrate, Mrs Abimbola Komolafe, granted the accused bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

“One of the sureties must be a blood relation of the accused,” she said. Komolafe adjourned the case till May 15 for trial.

Palestinians Claim Jesus Christ Was A Palestinian And Their First Martyr

Christmas is the day billions of Christians world-wide celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. According to biblical accords, Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea more than two thousand years ago.

Christmas has in the modern era become a universal holiday celebrated by all. The popularity and commercialization of the yuletide season has recently given rise a rather intriguing controversy about the nationality of Jesus.

Modern day Bethlehem is in the Palestinian Administered Territory (PAT). As such, the Palestinian leadership have for a while now claimed that Jesus was indeed a Palestinian. The late Yasser Arafat used to openly declare as much as he kicked off Christmas from Bethlehem every year.

In 2010, Samih Ghanadreh from Nazareth, the author of the book Christianity and its Connection to Islam, told the host of an interview programme on the PA TV that Arafat labelled Jesus, “the first Palestinian Shahid (martyr)."

The Mufti of Jerusalem, Mohammed Hussein, preached on PA TV that: "Jesus was born in this land; he took his first steps in this land and spread his teachings [of Islam] in this land. He and his mother [Mary], we may say, were Palestinians par excellence."

This belief is held by the Arab populace in the region many of whom believe that Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, was a Palestinian and even a pre-Islam Muslim. 

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Scientists May Have Found Proof Of The Existence Of God.

It was announced this week that scientists have made the remarkable discovery of ripples in the time-space fabric of the universe. The discovery is rocking both the world of science and the world of religion.

The new discovery of traces of gravity waves, which has been said to be the evidence for inflation (a faster-than-the-speed-of-light expansion of our universe), confirms scientific concepts in the fields of cosmology, general relativity, and particle physics.

This new discovery no doubt offers strong support for biblical belief in the creation of the universe.

Leslie Wickman, director of the Centre for Research in Science at Azusa Pacific University, explains, on the CNN Belief Blog, how this discovery has significant implications on the Judeo-Christian worldview:

The prevalent theory of cosmic origins prior to the Big Bang theory was the “Steady State,” which argued that the universe has always existed, without a beginning that necessitated a cause.

However, this new evidence strongly suggests that there was a beginning to our universe.

If the universe did indeed have a beginning, by the simple logic of cause and effect, there had to be an agent – separate and apart from the effect – that caused it.

That sounds a lot like Genesis 1:1 to me: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth.”

So this latest discovery is good news for us believers, as it adds scientific support to the idea that the universe was caused – or created – by something or someone outside it and not dependent on it. 

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Adam, King Saul And Now Abba Moro

A Good leader takes responsibility for not only the successes of the organization he leads, but also for its failures. Such leaders are rare in Nigeria today. Most of our public office holders are so obsessed with the perks of public office; very few take responsibility for failure, perhaps for fear of losing the goodies attached to high office.  

But then, this treat is intrinsically human and can be traced to the beginning of mankind in Eden.

God created Eden as an eternal paradise and home for man. But even in this paradise, there were rules. God gave Adam (the first man) access to all, but one, of the wonders and sensory delights of the garden. He was forbidden from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

When Adam broke that rule, God queried him, “Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me, she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’" (Gen. 3:11,12 NIV)

Adam is not the only biblical example of leaders who weren't responsible enough to admit their wrongdoing and take responsibility for it. King Saul was one such leader.

To human eyes, Saul was imminently qualified to be the first king of Israel. He was a prophet of sorts and had the mien of kings. But like Adam, King Saul failed the test of obedience and responsibility.

King Saul’s true character was exposed when a large Philistine army assembled to fight Israel and a lot of his fighting men had deserted him in fear. He disobeyed the command to wait for the prophet Samuel to come and sacrifice a burnt offering to the Lord. He did the ritual himself. And when Samuel confronted him, rather than accept his wrongdoing and repent of it, he tried to justify his actions:   

"What have you done?" asked Samuel. Saul replied, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, I thought, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD's favour.' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.

"You have done a foolish thing," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time" (1 Sam. 13:11-13 NIV).

Both Adam and King Saul suffered grave consequences for not taking responsibly for their wrongdoing. Adam was driven out of Eden, lost the chance of evading death and was condemned to toil the hard ground to eke out a living. King Saul lost his kingdom and eventually his own life.

Then comes Comrade Abba Moro, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior!

When about 15 jobseekers were crushed to death in the ill-fated Nigeria Immigration Recruitment (NIS) Exams that have been since exposed as a scam, Minister Moro shocked the world by going on National TV to heap the blame on the victims of the stampede.

Rather than take responsibility for the shambolic recruitment exercise, Abba Moro continues his futile attempt to exonerate himself. He has been blaming everybody but himself for the March 15 disaster, even blaming doctors, nurses, teachers and other professionals for gate crashing the recruitment venues and causing the stampedes that occurred.

Minister Moro should have learned from King David.

David was a man after God’s heart. Even so, he wasn't perfect. Like any other man, he had his own flaws. But he was quick to take responsibility for his wrongdoing and repent (2 Sam. 12:1-13). Till date, David is revered as Israel’s greatest king through whose lineage the Messiah came.

Abba Moro should have towed the line of honour and with the fear of God take responsibility for the NIS recruitment scam, apologise to his victims and resign. Failure to do so exposed the kind of leader he is: a callous, remorseless, irresponsible leader who should not be entrusted with the responsibilities of high office.

As God justly dealt with Adam, Saul and David, so should the Federal Government stand on the side of justice with the people of Nigeria and sack the erring minister. After all the government is instituted by God and mandated to do so:  

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience (Rom. 13: 1-7).  

NIS Aptitude Test: Outright Rip-Off By Musa Jeb Luka

About 68,000 job seekers turned out for the NIS aptitude test at the National Stadium Abuja Where eight people were trampled to death in an unfortunate stampede at one of the venue's gate

This is typical. It is called stealing, outright rip-off; pure and simple.

Reports have it that the 6 million prospective applicants who submitted applications for the few openings at the Nigerian Immigration Service were each made to pay N1000 processing fee to the Service. Arithmetically, this translates to N6 billion.

Asked to explain why his ministry was charging unemployed Nigerians N1000 for [a job] application that should, ordinarily be free, Abba Moroh, the fashionista Minister, explained, like most public [office holders], that the N1000 charged, "is the charge by the consulting firm to defray cost of accessing the website to fill forms. This is also intended to save the applicants the cost of travelling to [Abuja] to submit their application forms, as well as avoid other inherent risks, including unauthorised middlemen activities and other abuses."

And we ask: N1000 to access a job website? Did he say defray cost? Only in Nigeria [does this happen].

Now, even if we assume without conceding that it is ok to charge N1000 for all the dumb reasons he gave, the question really is: why didn't the consulting firm go the whole hog and conduct a Computer Based Testing (CBT) as against getting candidates to sit for the exams in the open? How do you, Mr. Minister, hope to manually mark, score, and grade 6 million candidates in a fair, consistent and transparent manner?

In Kaduna for instance, candidates [sat] in the open to write their exams. In Abuja, it [was] at the National Stadium; in Edo, [the] Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium. In Lagos, it [was] the National Stadium too. And yet, these [job seekers] were charged N1000 just to be treated [so] shabbily.

Here, for making candidates to sit and write in the open, the Minister's reasons for charging the N1000 stands totally nullified. The least the Immigration Service can, or should have done, was to set up a job website (a typical website shouldn't go for more than N200,000) and allow applicants submit their applications online (that shouldn't be more than N100 in a typical internet café). And if, for whatever reason, applicants must be charged, it should've been because they will be treated with some decency and respect—like getting them to write in a decent exam environment.

With [almost] everyone having access to the internet [these days], the CBT is the way to go. If JAMB can do it, treats school boys and girls with dignity; administer CBT to her candidates, there's certainly no reason why the Immigration Service (which charged N1000 per applicant) should treat her prospective employees with such disrespect, requesting applicants to write recruitment exams in the open, exposed to all the elements. The reason given for the N1000 rip-off (infrastructure, computer hardware and stuff) is no excuse. They can use JAMB's facilities.

We are talking N6billion bucks here, not chicken feeds. Moro should say why he charged [poor job seekers] N1000.

Let us pray.

Joel Osteen's Church Lost N96 Million To Offering Thieves

Do you know that the four walls of your church might not be enough deterrent to evil doers? Satan might just be going to church with you.

You doubt it?

A few years ago, a friend told me about how a popular usher at his (Pentecostal) church was caught stealing from the offering basket. The usher had confessed that he has been stealing from the church’s offering for many years.

That reminded me of an usher who fell for the same crime at the (Evangelical) church I used to attend as a teenager.

Well, Mammon (the god of greed, materialism and the love of money) is not only loose and roaming free in the Nigerian Church, it is on rampage worldwide.

Recently, about $600,000 (about N96 million) in cash and check donations were stolen from the Lakewood Church—Joel Osteen’s church.

Remember Joel Osteen? He is the world-renown American bestselling author, preacher and televangelist.

He recently told his congregation that the stolen money came from contributions on March 8 and 9 2014.

Lakewood Church is reputed to be the largest church in the US, with about 43,500 members attending Sunday services in its church auditorium in downtown Houston, Texas.

Have you ever experienced this kind of theft at your church? Please share your story with us.

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Northern Christians Call For Joint Action To End Boko Haram Menace

Mr. Olaiya Philips, the Chairman of the Northern states Christian Elders Forum has called for joint action to end the bloodbath which has reportedly claimed about 2000 lives in the north, the past six months.

In a press statement issued by the group in Abuja, Mr. Philips decried the escalation in the violence perpetrated by the Boko Haram terror group.

The group condemned the senseless killing of 29 students of the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, Yobi State, but however expressed the belief that if Nigerians acted together irrespective of religious beliefs reinforced with prayer, the nation will ultimately triumph over the insurgents.

The group also lamented the toll the insurgency has taken on the Northern Christian population, stating that, “We know only too well the many horrendous crimes committed against the Christian community in northern Nigeria, and also of the crimes committed against our Muslim neighbours by the same people…”

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I Will Be With You By Rusty Kuhn

“No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them” (Joshua 1:5,6 NASB).

What an amazing promise God gave to Joshua, “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.” In other words, all opposition against Joshua will be shut down. This doesn’t mean that people will not try to stand in opposition. It means they will not be successful in their futile efforts.

Why was Joshua such a successful leader? Was it his charisma, charm, or character? No, it was the hand of God on his life. God told Joshua in verse five, “I will be with you,” and “I will not fail you.” Then again in verse nine God told Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Our success is not found in our abilities; rather, in God’s hand of anointing. God called Joshua to lead the nation of Israel into an impossible situation. Left to his own abilities Joshua would have led the people to a sure demise. However, the Word of God is clear; there is nothing impossible for God. Joshua was successful only because God gave him success. Likewise, our success is only found in God’s hand on our lives.

Patiently Wait With Confidence By Stacie Snell

“Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord” (Psalm 27:13-14 NLT). 

Waiting is hard. Nobody really likes to wait, right? As a society we dislike waiting in lines, in traffic and in waiting rooms. Furthermore, it is exhausting when we are waiting for our breakthrough. 

Often the words confident, brave, courageous and patient are not words we would choose to describe our waiting period. Actually, the longer we wait the less confident we become, and it becomes increasingly difficult to remain patient, brave and courageous. Yet these are the words God chose to describe how He wants us to wait. He wants us to be confident that He will come through for us. He calls us to be brave and courageous, knowing full well that He has clothed us in the Armor of God and is fighting the battle for us. And finally, He asks us to wait patiently because His timing is perfect. His sovereign hand will bring our breakthrough and in due time all His purposes for our lives will be fulfilled. So walk on today, dear ones, confidently, courageously, and patiently. 

The World Capital Of The Roman Catholic Church Drinks More Wine Per Person Than Anywhere Else In The World

Holy See residents consume double the number of bottles per year – on average – drunk in France or Italy as a whole

Latest statistics released by the Wine Institute indicates that more wine is drunk per person in the Vatican City than any another country in the world.

The Vatican City, the smallest country in the world, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church where the Pope resides as Head of State.

According to the figures, the residents of the Vatican consume, on the average about 74 litres of red wine. This is roughly about 105 bottles in a year.

That’s around double the amount drunk by the average person in France or Italy as a whole, and triple the quantity consumed in the UK.

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