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How Reverend Mother Esther Ajayi Paid N4.850m to Rescue 20 Years-Old Tosin Ojelabi from Killer Disease
By Eric Elezuo
For Tosin Ojelabi, the true meaning of joy has been made manifest. For her, joy is God sent; joy is a woman; joy is Reverend Mother Esther Abimbola Ajayi, who kindheartedly doled out a whopping Four Million, Eight hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N4.850m) to cure and rescue her from a a disease that was at the verge of snuffing out her life. A disease diagnosed as acute Budd-chiari syndrome
In February 2019, the never tired of doing good and coming to the rescue of the sick and the needy in the society, and Founder, Esther Ajayi Foundation and General Overseer, Love of Christ (Generation) Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Clapham, England, Reverend Mother Esther Abimbola Ajayi, heard the cries of the Ojelabi family, whose 20 year-old daughter, Tosin, was being ravaged by the Budd-chiari syndome, which is associated with the liver failure and bloating of major body organs including the legs and stomach.
Promptly, the woman, better known as Iya Adura by well wishers and faithful, dispatched her spokesperson, Mr. Abiodun Paseda, the CEO, Focus on Disability Foundation, to Ibadan, where Tosin and her family live, for a preliminary assessment of her situation.
Tosin, with Mr. Paseda, during her critical days
Tosin was discovered to have suffered from the ailment since 2015.
Reviewing her case when he visited her in her Ibadan abode, Mr Paseda disclosed that she needs to undergo Transjugalar Intrahepatic Portosystemic (TIPS) shunt Surgery, which will gulp about N4.7 million, and through to type, the ever kind Reverend Mother promptly released the money, even in excess, and the surgery was billed to take place at Eurapharma Care Services in Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.
Today, Tosin is on her feet again, looking robust and set to grab life again.
Tosin’s ordeal started when she was in 15 years old and in SS1. She’d noted that her legs were unusually swelling up; a situation she dismissed as normal, as according to her, she was always sitting in the class without moving around. Even a visit to the doctor when the situation persists informed her that nothing was amiss, but her sufferings intensified.
A highly thankful Tosin after the surgery
It was reported that “Tosin was having a lot of fluid accumulating in her distended abdomen. About 33 litres of fluid was being drained from her protruding belly monthly. She carried the protruding belly around for the next couple of years. Her life was anything but normal during this period and could best be described as a living hell.” That was when God through Reverend Ajayi took over her case, paid her bills directly to the hospital and brought succour to her life and her family’s.
Mr. Paseda also revealed that medical experts were brought in from the United States, who gave thorough diagnoses of Tosin’s case in preparation to her operation. Consequently, on March 9, 2019, the EuraPharma Care services successfully performed the operation, the first of its type in Nigeria. The surgery which lasted five and half hours was led by a US trained Vascular and Interventional Radiologist, Dr. Hammed Ninalowo.
A fully recovered Tosin, ready for life again
Expressing her joy after the surgery, a highly elated Tosin heaped encomiums on the person of Reverend Mother Ajayi through whom God came to her rescue. She intoned “there’s a huge difference in quality of life for me now…school is the next thing for me definitely. Now I’m fully recovered, I plan to write JAMB exam next year, and hopefully, I’ll gain admission.
In his remarks, Paseda reminded all the Reverend Mother Ajayi, whose stock in trade is putting smiles on the faces of the needy is not done yet, as she continually goes about doing good in cash and kind.
“Mama is one of a kind. Her heart for goodness is unrivaled,” Paseda submitted.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), on Thursday, announced discontinuation of the planned 15 per cent duty on imported petroleum products.
NMDPRA’s Director, Public Affairs Department, George Ene-Ita, conveyed the development in a statement while warning the public to shun panic buying.
President Bola Tinubu, on October 29, approved an import tariff on petrol and diesel, a policy expected to raise the landing cost of imported fuel.
The President’s approval was conveyed in a letter signed by his Private Secretary, Damilotun Aderemi, following a proposal submitted by the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji.
The proposal sought the application of a 15 per cent duty on the cost, insurance, and freight value of imported petrol and diesel to align import costs with domestic market realities.
Implementation was slated to take effect on November 21, 2025.
The policy aimed to protect and promote local refineries like the Dangote Refinery and modular plants by making imported fuel more expensive.
While intended to boost local production, it is also expected to increase fuel costs, which could lead to higher inflation and transportation prices for consumers.
Experts have argued that the move could translate into higher pump prices for consumers, with some estimating an increase of up to N150 per litre or more.
In an update, however, NMDPRA said the government was no longer considering going ahead with implementing the petrol import duty.
“It should also be noted that the implementation of the 15% ad-valorem import duty on imported Premium Motor Spirit and Diesel is no longer in View,” the statement read in part.
Meanwhile, the NMDPRA also assured all that there is an adequate supply of petroleum products in the country, within the acceptable national sufficiency threshold, during this peak demand period.
“There is a robust domestic supply of petroleum products (AGO, PMS, LPG, etc) sourced from both local refineries and importation to ensure timely replenishment of stocks at storage depots and retail stations during this period.
“The Authority wishes to use this opportunity to advise against any hoarding, panic buying or non-market reflective escalation of prices of petroleum products.
“The Authority will continue to closely monitor the supply situation and take appropriate regulatory measures to prevent disruption of supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country, especially during this peak demand period.
“While appreciating the continued efforts of all stakeholders in the midstream and downstream value chain in ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted supply and distribution, the public is hereby assured of NMDPRA’s commitment to guarantee energy security,” the statement added.
The Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to raise N1.15 trillion from the domestic debt market to cover the unfunded portion of the 2025 budget deficit.
The approval followed the adoption of a report by the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debt during plenary on Wednesday.
The committee noted that the 2025 Appropriation Act provides for a total expenditure of N59.99 trillion, representing an increase of N5.25 trillion over the N54.74 trillion initially proposed by the Executive.
This expansion created a total budget deficit of N14.10 trillion. Of this, N12.95 trillion had already been approved for borrowing, leaving an unfunded deficit of approximately N1.15 trillion (N1,147,462,863,321).
In a related development, a motion by Senator Abdul Ningi was adopted, directing the Senate Committee on Appropriations to intensify its oversight to ensure that the borrowed funds are properly implemented in the 2025 fiscal year and used strictly for their intended purposes.
President Tinubu had on November 4th requested the approval of the National Assembly for a fresh ₦1.15 trillion borrowing from the domestic debt market to help finance the deficit in the 2025 budget.
The President’s request was conveyed in a letter. According to the letter, the proposed borrowing is intended to bridge the funding gap and ensure full implementation of government programs and projects under the 2025 fiscal plan.
The Senate has rejected the explanations provided by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) regarding the ₦210 trillion outstanding against the oil firm.
It came to the conclusion on Wednesday that the money, which had not been accounted for, must be refunded to the Federation Account by the company.
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts chaired by Aliyu Wadada, which has been on the probe for months, took the decision on Tuesday after the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, failed to turn up at its resumed sitting at the National Assembly.
The session was called to give the NNPCL the opportunity to make clarifications on the answers the company provided to the 19 questions the panel asked the firm about the ₦210 trillion.
Following a review of the operations of the NNPCL from 2017-2023, the committee sighted the unexplained transaction, totaling ₦103 trillion (accrued expenses) and ₦107 trillion (receivables) in the audited financial statements of the firm, prompting it to raise the queries.
After weeks of back-and-forth between the committee and the NNPCL, the NNPCL eventually responded to the 19 questions.
However, at a resumed session, Senator Wadada frowned at the absence of Ojulari, whom the committee said gave no reasons for staying away, consequently rejected the explanations.
The Chairman of the committee, Senator Aliyu Wadada, while speaking on the panel’s findings, said the responses were not only unsatisfactory, but were also contradictory.
“NNPC claimed ₦103 trillion as accrued expenses and ₦107 trillion as receivables -amounting to ₦210 trillion. On question eight, NNPC’s explanation on the ₦107 trillion receivables -equivalent to about $117 billion -contradicts available facts and evidence provided by NNPC itself. The committee is duty-bound to reject this,” he stated.
Wadada further questioned how the firm could pay ₦103 trillion in Cash Calls to Joint Venture (JV) partners in 2023 alone, despite generating only ₦24 trillion in crude revenue between 2017 and 2022.
“Cash Call arrangements were abolished in 2016 under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. How can NNPC claim to have paid ₦103trn in one year, when it only generated ₦24trn in revenue over five years? Where did NNPC get that money?
“As far as this committee is concerned, that figure is unjustifiable and unacceptable. The ₦103 trillion must be returned to the Treasury. This will be concluded when the NNPCL appears before us,” he stated.
The committee said it would have been better for the current management of the NNPCL to admit that it encountered challenges in explaining what happened to the funds than giving contradictory answers to the questions.
“If the present management of NNPCL is finding it difficult to provide acceptable answers, it is better they say so. The committee will not hesitate to subpoena former officials of NNPCL and NAPIMS,” Wadada added.
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