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BREAKING: Ekiti Bans Planned Kiss-A-Thon To Break Guinness World Record

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1 year ago

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Ekiti State Governor Oyebanji

The Government of Ekiti State has issued a notice that it would prosecute owners of facilities that would be used for a proposed 3-day Kiss-A-Thon programme which is aimed at breaking a Guiness World Record (GWR).

According to a prohibition notice signed by the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Dayo Apata (SAN) in Ado- Ekiti on Thursday, any person or corporate body that allows himself/ herself and facilities to be used in executing the proposed programme in the state would be prosecuted before an appropriate court.

Apata said the State Government considered the proposed programme as “an indecent act, absurd, unhealthy and capable of denigrating the image of Ekiti State and same is contrary to the law of Ekiti State”.

The Attorney General added that the planned Kiss-A-Thon programme is contrary to sections 148 and 150 of the Criminal law (2021) which prohibits indecent acts and practices in the State, and anyone who violates the law is guilty of felony and is liable to imprisonment for three years.

“The Ekiti State Government has been inundated with a proposed planned 3-day prograamme by some individuals in Ekiti State tagged KISS-A-THON (a programme meant to be a 3-day kissing marathon event planned towards setting a Guiness World Record). The State Government has considered the proposed planned event as an indecent act, absurd, unhealthy and capable of denigrating the image of Ekiti State and same is contrary to the law of Ekiti State, particularly sections 148 and 150 Criminal Law no 21 of 2021 which prohibits indecent acts and practices in Ekiti State”.

“That pursuant to the provisions of the law and any other relevant laws applicable in Ekiti State, the proposed programme tagged KISS-A-THON is hereby prohibited throughout the breadth and length of Ekiti State.

“Consequently, no individual or corporate body is allowed to embark upon and/ or execute the proposed planned KISS-A-THON in Ekiti State. That any person and/or corporate body that allows himself or herself and /or facilities to be used in executing/ propagating the proposed planned programme in Ekiti State will be prosecuted before the appropriate court and dealt with according to the law ”, the Attorney General stated.

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PHOTO: Marriage Of Samuel Alabi And Joy Igiede In Edo State

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1 month ago

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August 11, 2024

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At the traditional marriage

During the reception at Mopol Street Off Sapele Road, Benin, Edo State.

At the court wedding 

 

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SCOAN  Holds Inaugural Youth Convention 

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2 months ago

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July 28, 2024

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Pastor Evelyn Joshua and the youth during the convention
About three thousand youths drawn across different frontiers  gathered together to participate at the weekend for the inaugural Youth Convention at the SCOAN’S headquarters Ikotun-Egbe Lagos under the auspices of TBJoshua Foundation.
With the theme “Legacy of purpose – investing in a life that outlives us”, the convention also drew  various experts from different professions to educate and inspire the youths for laudable lifestyles and greater heights.
At the convention.
Declaring the convention open,
SCOAN leader, Pastor Evelyn Joshua stated that youths are the future leaders and it’s too dangerous not to properly guide them in the right paths of life that would engender impactful and purposeful life in the society.
In an age when the youths are facing critical challenges including the miasma of distorted souls where the ethical, social and cultural foundations are being gradually destroyed, Pastor Evelyn Joshua admonished the youths to open their hearts for the transformative and impactful benefits of the convention in the reshaping of their lives for impactful and enviable life in the society.
Legacy of purpose, according to her was an offshoot of the legacies of SCOAN’S founder, Prophet TBJOSHUA to “ensure that the leaders of tomorrow are properly grounded in morals, social, educational, careers and skills acquisition, to guide, encourage and be empowered to be better focused in life”. She also implored them to be closer to God and let His word be the standard of their lives .
The Director of TBJOSHUA Foundation, Sarah Joshua said the Foundation was established not only to preserve the life and times of the great man of God on earth but also to invigorate and rejuvenate his legacies for a better humanity. She also stated that 30 youth participants at the convention would be given scholarships as well as support in small and medium businesses to be empowered.
Another speaker, Evangelist Ope Adeyeye, spoke glowingly on the theme “Legacy of Purpose” and how it perfectly captured TBJOSHUA’s exemplary life, noting: “Life on earth is meaningless without a purpose because it’s only a purposeful life that can invest in others that could outlive them.”
At the convention. 
The convention which featured music, dance, drama and lots of other captivating activities also   featured an ex-cultist who shared the evils of wrong friendships, companionship, and associates that brought to the fore the illusions of over-ambition, fame, power and living above one’s means and how God’s mercy saved him for other youths to learn in earnest.
One of the most interesting moments of the convention was the panel  discussion. It provided opportunities for questions and answers where the challenges of youths today were critically dissected. The forum provided a clear roadmap for the participants not to go astray in their journeys of life.
Moderated by Woye Olagbaju, a versatile mining engineer, it featured important successful professional personalities such as Vimbai, an international media guru, Dr Oluwaseun, Human Resources giant, Moji Oguntoyinbo, a banker of repute, Professor Ade Ayodeji, an educationist, Barrister Deji Olabiwonnu Ikeja NBA branch Secretary and Mrs Nneka, on tourism.
The convention was electrifying and  left great memories for the participants.
To Nike Adeyemi, “it’s wonderful to be here. I enjoyed every bit of it. This kind of program should continue. I hope they would soon organise another one”.
“Every youth in Nigeria needs to go for this convention. It’s educative and very inspiring,” said Kolawole Shojonwo.
For Ben Olamide, “this is an experience that cannot be forgotten. Very nourishing and enriching. Thank God for TBJoshua and SCOAN. We need more of it in Nigeria”.
In closing, the Convention Principal Organizer, Promise Joshua, expressed gratitude to SCOAN youths in Akure, Ghana and supporters across the world for the event. She expressed optimism about  its impacts on the participants assuring them of greater things to come with the future youth convention by the SCOAN which she emphasised “has come to stay”.
SCOAN by this convention has made a strong statement: that Nigerian youths must not be left to the vagaries of  life.

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Ending Elder Abuse And Murder For Witchcraft In Nigeria

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3 months ago

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June 18, 2024

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 By Leo Igwe
“It is confirmed. She is dead”. Bukky, who directs an NGO based in Akure, messaged me, breaking this sad news. She traveled several kilometers to help confirm a case of witch burning in Ondo West. Since June 15, the Advocacy for Alleged Witches has been trying to get some emergency help to an 86-year-old woman, Iya Sunday. She was battling for her life. Unfortunately, it was a weekend, and the Sallah holiday had started in Nigeria.
Offices were closed, and many people were not in the mood and position to offer support. As usual, advocates tried reaching the Commissioner of Police, the Police Public Relations Officer, the coordinator, the National Human Rights Commission in Akure, the FIDA office in the state, and other agencies, without success. Either they were not picking up calls, or numbers were switched off. Some responded that they had traveled for the Sallah holiday and could not help.
Following a random search of NGOs in Akure, we contacted Bukky. Her organization focuses on children. But on hearing the story, she readily agreed to visit and made sure Mama got some urgent help. We contacted her on Saturday. She promised to travel to Ondo West on Monday, and she did. Bukky went straight to Enu Owa police division, where they reported the matter.
The police were not cooperative at the beginning. But she did not give up. The police were not forthcoming with information about the woman. She later met a police officer who was aware of the case and who broke the sad news to her: “Mama ti ku” meaning “Mama has passed away”. The officer told her that Grandma died the previous day. Iya Sunday reportedly sustained serious injuries after the daughter, Abiodun, accused her of witchcraft and subsequently set her ablaze. Photos of the burns all over her body were heart-wrenching. At the Advocacy for Alleged Witches, we hoped she would pull through. That we would help her pull through. But she didn’t. Our help got there too little too late. The news of her passing devastated us. Much more painful was the fact that her daughter, who should have protected and defended her, killed her. Her daughter set her ablaze like a piece of rubbish.
When they interviewed the daughter, she said: “I went to my mother’s house around 4 a.m. and sat outside. When it was 5 a.m., I called out my mother from the house. Immediately after she came out, not knowing what was happening, I poured petrol on her body and set her on fire”.
The daughter noted that she killed the mother because the pastor said that the mother was responsible for her problems: “What started it is that I went to one pastor for prayer, and he told me that my mother is behind what is happening to me. I did not believe it at first. My mother also took me somewhere to see a woman. After my mother left, the woman also said the same thing. I burnt my mother because of what I heard from the pastor and the woman, that I can only be free from bondage when my mother is dead”.
This story illustrates how pastors damage family relationships; how they exploit people’s gullibility. Pastors incite hate, murder, and violence in many families. They turn children against their parents. It is unfortunate that in the absence of something reasonable to tell those who consult them, pastors, diviners, mallams, and other religious actors make up things. They make people believe that other human beings can harm or kill them, that relatives cause illness, accidents, or death through magical or spiritual means. Unfortunately, many believe this irrational and superstitious nonsense. As in this case, they attack and kill other human beings, including relatives as a result of this irrational belief. Older persons are usually the target.
It is pertinent to note that the news of this incident reached us on June 15, a day set aside by the United Nations to encourage the world to pay greater attention to the well-being and adequate health care of older persons. Elder abuse and murder for witchcraft are rampant in Nigeria especially in poor families where children cannot afford to cater for their ageing parents. And in communities where homes for the elderly are non- existent.
To honor the memory of Iya Sunday and other older persons who have been targeted and killed for witchcraft, the Advocacy for Alleged Witches calls for the prosecution of Abiodun and others implicated in this horrific crime. The police should not abandon the matter as often the case. They should ensure that justice is done. That Iya Sunday did not die in vain. Elders are human beings and should be treated with dignity and respect. The police should arrest and investigate the so-called pastor, who stated that Iya Sunday was responsible for the daughter’s problems. Pastors who peddle misconceptions, and superstitious narratives should not go scot-free.
They aid and abet crimes; they endanger lives and should be held accountable and responsible for their actions and claims.
Let us join hands and end elder abuse and persecution in the name of witchcraft.
Dr  Igwe directs Advocacy for Alleged Witches.

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