Stop luring Muslim students to Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s programme - MURIC tells Lagos govt – Newstrends
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Stop luring Muslim students to Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s programme – MURIC tells Lagos govt

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Executive Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola

Stop luring Muslim students to Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s programme – MURIC tells Lagos govt

The Lagos State Chapter of the Muslim Rights Concern has called on the education authorities in Lagos State to desist from luring innocent and unsuspecting Muslim students across the six educational districts of the State to the annual Christian programme of the founder of the Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, under the guise of “fake humanitarian” programmes.

The Chairman of MURIC in Lagos State, Dr. Busari Muhammad Jamiu Ademola, said this in a statement.

In the statement on Thursday, the Islamic human rights group bemoaned the attitude of the officers of the Ministry of Education in luring students to the programme through official invitation.

The statement said: “We are deeply worried by the incessant luring of innocent Muslim Students to church programmes, particularly that of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome. The programme as reliably investigated is sponsored by the cleric who, in conjunction with the officials of the Lagos State ministry of education, arranged the transportation of students to the venue. The students irrespective of their faiths are ferried to Christian programmes and deceived with gifts.
“This deceitful event has been on for more than five years. This year’s program which is slated for December 3, 2023 is coined as ‘Invitation to Host  Students in Commemoration of  Birthday of their Principal, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’ through a school named Teens Voice Academy Lagos.
“This is unbelievable and unspeakable of ministry officials directing principals of public schools in the six districts to arrange students for such an event. Where is the correlation? On whose directives is this happening? Is Pastor Oyakhilome now the owner of Lagos State public schools? LASG has sold out Lagos to Oyakhilome.

“Exempli gratia, a memo signed and distributed by one Mrs Oyegbile, K.O on behalf of TG/PS of District I, Agege, was circulated this week to school principals. According to the memo, four venues (Sango Senior, Keke Senior, Oba Sanni Komolafe Youth center and Palmtime Resorts) have been designated as meeting points for students to converge en route the venue. The circular also announced  Mr Oladiti Oladele Olaitan as the programme coordinator whose contact (telephone number included) could be reached for any assistance.

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“It is then crystal clear that the organizers and certain elements in the ministry, via educational districts are behind this programme to adulterate the faith of innocent Muslim children with Christian ideologies.

“To this end, MURIC strongly condemns the involvement of state paraphernalia in a pastor’s birthday celebration. It is hero-worshiping taken too far.

“LASG has no right whatsoever to use students of public schools for a private individual’s birthday program. While we object to using any student, whether Muslim or Christian for Oyakhilome’s party, we have serious objection to using a single Muslim student for same.

“The parents entrusted their children to LASG mainly for academic purpose, taking them out on evangelical jamboree is definitely not part of the deal. It is therefore gross abuse of trust to divert students’ attention to the birthday party of a pastor.

“School children can attend the governor’s function or that of the president of Nigeria because those are government officials. The pastor is also free to organize students of private schools to attend his birthday. We must draw a line of demarcation between clerics and public officers.

“It is taking the joke too far if pastors and Imams are elevated to the level of governors and heads of state by making students of public schools to attend their birthdays. It is another form of slavery.

“MURIC is therefore calling on the Lagos State Government, the State Ministry of Education and all Tutor Generals throughout the State to ensure that no single student of Lagos public schools is taken to Oyakhilome’s birthday program.

“However, even if we overlook the involvement of Christian children, taking Muslim children to a private function of a Christian pastor contravenes Section 38, Sub-section 2 of Nigeria 1999 Nigeria Constitution as amended which states that ‘No person attending any place of education shall be required to receive religious instruction or to take part in or attend any religious ceremony or observance if such instruction, ceremony or observance relates to a religion other than his own, or religion not approved by his parent or guardian’.

“We advise the concerned authorities to desist from this unconstitutional acts, and stop luring Muslim children to Christian programmes. The Muslim teachers also are not to be coerced by school principals and assigned as supervisors to accompany students to church programmes.

“Lastly, we remind our leaders that religion is not by cohesion, our children must be spared of this neo-colonial practice. We are all Nigerians, live peacefully and let live!!!”

Stop luring Muslim students to Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s programme – MURIC tells Lagos govt

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Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name

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Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo

Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has directed the immediate freezing of all state-owned bank accounts.

In a statement issued on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, the governor stated that the accounts would remain frozen until further notice.

He instructed commercial banks, ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to comply with the order immediately or face severe consequences.

The statement reads: “All state bank accounts with commercial banks have been frozen. Commercial banks must comply with this order and ensure that not a single naira is withdrawn from government coffers until further notice.

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“Heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies must ensure full compliance without delay.

“Following necessary investigations and reconciliations, the governor will take appropriate action and decide on the way forward. For now, this order remains in effect.”

Okpebholo also directed relevant agencies to revert the name of the Ministry of Roads and Bridges to its previous title, the Ministry of Works, a change made during the Godwin Obaseki administration.

“It is odd to name a government institution the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, especially when not a single bridge was built by the previous administration — not even a pedestrian bridge.

“In the coming days, we will examine further actions taken by the previous administration and make decisions that serve the best interests of the state,” the statement added.

 

Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name

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Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi

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Prominent Islamic scholar Dr. Ahmad Mahmud Gumi

Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi

Prominent Islamic scholar Dr. Ahmad Mahmud Gumi has criticized the widely discussed two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict, calling it a “deception.”

His remarks followed a recent summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh, where President Bola Tinubu and other leaders condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and urged an end to hostilities.

In an interview with Daily Trust at his Kaduna residence, Gumi argued, “This Two-State Solution is a deception. No Israeli will allow a Palestinian to survive, and Palestinians will never allow Israel to survive.

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The only solution is to dissolve the two states and create a democratically electable region.”

Gumi commended the OIC’s support for Palestine, noting that Muslims and Arabs worldwide increasingly see the treatment of Palestinians as “genocide” and accuse Israel of human rights abuses.

He also called for a return to the pre-1948 structure, where Palestinians, Jews, and Christians lived together, suggesting a single, inclusive state that allows peaceful coexistence.

“When I hear people talking about Two-State Solutions, I know they are just deceiving themselves,” Gumi added, advocating for a unified region where people of all faiths can live together, similar to the multi-faith coexistence seen in countries like the United States.

 

Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi

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Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll

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Olusola Ebiseni

Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll

The Labour Party candidature of Olusola Ebiseni for the upcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State has been nullified.

The nullification follows the sacking of Ebiseni by the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday.

The governorship election of the southwest State will hold on Saturday, 16 November 2024.

The judgement disqualifying Ebiseni was unanimously delivered by the three members of the panel and read out by the chairman of the panel, Justice Adebukola Banjoko.

The judgment granted the prayer of the Labour Party who preferred the case against Ebiseni.

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Justice Banjoko held that, “the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024 brought by the Labour Party against Chief Olusola Ebiseni and two others is allowed.”

Justice Banjoko further stated that the Certified True Copy of the judgment would be provided to the parties involved in the appeal as soon as possible for their review.

Recall that Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to accept and recognize Olusola Ebiseni and Ezekiel Awude as the Labour Party’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the November 16 Ondo State governorship elections.

Justice Nwite confirmed that the second primary election conducted by the Labour Party, which resulted in Ebiseni and Awude being selected as candidates, was valid and should be upheld by INEC.

However, the appellate court has now overturned the judgment of the trial court’s judgment.

 

Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll

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