Category: Lifestyle

The immediate past General Evangelist of the Christ Apostolic Church worldwide, Prophet Samuel Abiara, has taken a new wife.

At a brief but colourful ceremony in Ibadan, capital of Oyo State, on Thursday, the 75-year-old walked his new bride, Grace Ojewande, down the aisle, one and half years after he lost his spouse, Christianah, of over 50 years.

The wedding, which took place at the Christ Apostolic Church, Agbala Itura, saw top dignitaries including respected Christian leaders in attendance.

The new wife, who could not hide her joy at the occasion, is said to be in her early 50s and a native of Ifetedo in Osun State.

According to findings by Saturday PUNCH, Ojewande, a Level 16 officer at the Lagos State Ministry of Education, worships at the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries.

Sources close to the family told our correspondent that the new bride had never been married or bore any child before exchanging marital vows with the clergy.

Giving reasons why he decided to remarry at 75, Prophet Abiara had said that he consulted widely before arriving at his choice.

He said, “My children, who are now grown-ups, held a meeting and concluded that I should get a new wife who will attend to my everyday needs at old age.

“After due consideration and having satisfied my conscience that my children’s suggestion was in conformity with the scriptures, I made up my mind to marry a new wife.

“The Bible established it that when a man loses his wife, he has the right to remarry. I am acting based on the directive of God and the advice of my children.”

Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai has instituted a court action against Kaduna Senator, Shehu Sani, lawmaker representing Kaduna central, and Austyn Ogannah, Publisher of THEWILL and President of the Online Publishers Association of Nigeria, OPAN, over a story published in May 2016.

The story, http://thewillnigeria.com/news/el-rufai-will-surely-betray-buhari-like-he-betrayed-obasanjo-shehu-sani/ is a statement from the Senator following a threat to expel him from the All Progressives Congress (APC) by the state chapter.

Shehu, in the statement issued on his behalf by his Special Adviser on Politics and Ideology, Ahmed Suleiman, alleged that El-Rufai still has interest in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and will soon return to the party insisting that the Governor will eventually betray President Muhammadu Buhari the same way he betrayed former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“El-Rufai is a bad and rotten egg in the APC. He knelt down for Atiku to become BPE chair and later betrayed him. He knelt down for Obj to become a minister and later betrayed him. He knelt down for Buhari to be governor of which later he will betray him. Fear El-Rufai whenever he kneels down before you,” the statement read.

“El-Rufai was never and is still never a Buhari man but a pretender who can kneel down to anyone as long as that can propel him to power. El-Rufai is a man who had abused PMB and only aligned himself with him when Yar’adua and GEJ denied him juicy ministerial positions and recognition he craved.

“El-Rufai is a man who had spent 13 years of the 16 years of PDP in power and now claims false progressive credentials. The heart, the lungs and the “blockos” of El-Rufai are still PDP. He is an arrogant man allergic to criticism. It’s shameful that the El-Rufai, who claims to be a Buharist, still can’t publicly declare his assets like PMB.”

However, the Governor, who has been having a running battle with the Senator, approached the Kaduna State High Court, Kaduna, in February 2018, seeking an Interlocutory Injunction restraining the defendants from further publishing similar ‘defamatory’ statements against him.

He also asked to be granted the sum of five hundred million naira (500,000,000) as damages and a written apology to be published on THEWILL.

The President of the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), Chief Idowu Sofola, is dead.

Sofola, a prominent jurist, bencher and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), died on Friday night in Lagos.

He was 84.

He took over as YCE’s chief from Maj.-Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo who died in 2017.

The Secretary-General of the YCE, Dr. Kunle Olajide, confirmed Sofola’s death on Saturday.

Olajide said the YCE was grieved and shocked by Sofola’s death, who he said, was not ill or bedridden.

“I spoke with him few days ago, congratulating him on the appointment of his son as a high court judge and we were planning an event to host him.

“The icon is leaving us at a critical time particularly in Yorubaland as the country prepares for the 2019 general elections,” the YCE secretary-general added.

“He was an intelligent man of Yoruba extraction and the vacuum he left behind will be difficult to fill.

“It is great shock to me and YCE; a strong advocate and believer in true federalism, brilliant lawyer and defender of human rights and democracy,” he said.

High profile dignitaries including the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo; his wife, Dolapo; National Leader All Progressives Congress (APC),  Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Osun State Governor,  Rauf Aregbesola;  his Ekiti counterpart, Ayo Fayose; former governor of Osun State and former interim national chairman of APC Bisi Akande;  yesterday witnessed the funeral  ceremony of the father-in –law to a former Commissioner of Information and Startegy in Lagos State, Mr Dele Alake, Pa Emmanuel Elegbede.

A former governor of Ogun State, Otuba Gbenga Daniel and ex-Minister of State for Defence, Mr Musiliu Obanikoro attended the funeral service held at Araromi Baptist Church on Moloney Street, Lagos Island yesterday.

The list also include the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Tunji Bello; Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kehinde Bamigbetan, his wife Fatima; Managing Director/ Editor-in-Chief, Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation, Victor Ifijeh; the Daily Editor of the newspaper, Gbenga Omotoso;  Managing Director/ Editor-in-Chief, Vanguard Newspaper, Gbenga Adefaye; Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria, Mr Bayo Onanuga; ex- Commissioner for Finance,Lagos State, Wale Edun; popular lawyer and human rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN); a former senator representing Lagos West, Tokunbo Afikuyomi; Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Ferry Services, Paul Kalejaiye and Hon Daniel Kalejaiye, among others.

In his sermon, Rev Shola Idowu  urged the children to follow the footsteps of their father.

He described Elegbede as a man that lived for the service of God, nothing that his life his worthy of emulation.

“Baba has died and has gone to rest in the bosom of the Lord. We all will die someday. We must live for God.”

Pa Elegbede was buried at Vaults and Gardens in Ikoyi. He was 89. Guests were later entertained at  Harbour Point on Victoria Island.

Until his retirement, he was on the board of directors of both Vono Plc  and Nipol Plc. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, children,  grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Osinbajo described Elegbede as a good man whose life is worthy of emulation.

He urged his children to emulate the good life their father lived, saying he has gone to rest in the Lord.

“The last time I saw him he was still strong and I never knew he would be leaving us so soon.”

Bamigbetan said Elegbede showed love to all those around him

“He encouraged his children to show kindness to everyone and many of them are doing so up till today. He was committed Christian that lived a good Christian life. He was compassionate.”

Alake said his father in law was a detailed and organised man, adding that he lived a good and outstanding life.”

“He wrote with his hand writing his biography and the order of his obituary.  He organised his passage and we are doing today what he wrote down. He wrote down the names and phone numbers of those he want us to contact when he takes his last breath. He wrote down names of individuals, institutions, organisation and clubs.

“He had the details of all his children and grandchildren. He has details of me more than I do of myself.”

He added that his father- in- law left with them the legacy to be meticulous, accountable,  transparent, serious and jovial.

Mrs Aisha Wakil, popularly known as Mama Boko Haram has disclosed how the 104 abducted Dapchi schoolgirls were released by Boko Haram.

In an interview with Channels Television in Kano on Friday, Wakil who is also the founder of Complete Care and Aid Foundation gave the assurance that the last Dapchi schoolgirl, Liyah Sharibu, still in captivity would soon be released by Boko Haram.

Watch the video of the interview below:

The traditional ruler of Oke Ayedun Ekiti, Oba Jacob Fatunase Ala, Okunoye II, died yesterday at the age of 101.

The chairperson of Ikole Local Government, Mrs Abiola Olukayode, confirmed the death of the monarch to journalists.

She said, “It is true baba has died. I have been informed of his death. I was told this morning that he died in the midnight. May his soul rest in peace.”