Headlines
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.
FIFA on Thursday unveiled its list of match officials for the June 11-July 19 World Cup, including 52 referees, six of whom are women.
Football’s governing body will also take 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials, who hail from all six confederations and 50 member associations.
“The selected match officials are the very best in the world,” said Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s chief refereeing officer.
“They were part of a wider pool of officials that was identified and monitored over the past three years. They have attended seminars and officiated at FIFA tournaments.
There are 41 more match officials than at Qatar four years ago, where 32 teams played 64 matches.
“The fact that six women match officials have been selected continues a trend that was started four years ago in Qatar as we aim to further develop women’s refereeing,” Collina said, with six women having already refereed in 2022.
AFP
Iran, on Wednesday, shut the Strait of Hormuz following fresh Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, raising fears that a fragile ceasefire with the United States could collapse less than a day after it was reached.
The closure comes amid renewed hostilities that have cast doubt over efforts to halt more than a month of fighting. While both Iran and the United States had earlier declared victory after brokering the truce, fresh missile and drone attacks were reported across Iran and parts of the Gulf, alongside intensified Israeli bombardments in Lebanon.
In Beirut, Israeli strikes hit residential and commercial areas without prior warning, leaving at least multiple people dead and many others injured in what has been described as one of the deadliest days of the conflict.
Iranian state media confirmed the closure, with IRNA reporting that the move was taken “in the wake of Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.” The development has heightened concerns over the stability of the ceasefire agreement mediated by the United States.
Authorities in Iran also imposed strict controls on maritime movement in the strategic waterway. Ships near the strait were instructed to seek permission from Sepah, a special operations unit under the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, before passage. A radio message cited by The Wall Street Journal warned that any vessel attempting to cross without approval “will be destroyed.”
Earlier in the day, Iran had indicated a willingness to reopen the strait during the proposed two-week ceasefire, noting this would be done with “coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.” U.S. officials, meanwhile, said American forces could assist in managing ship traffic, although details remain unclear.
U.S. President Donald Trump also told ABC News he was open to a “joint venture” arrangement with Iran that would involve charging tolls for vessels passing through the strait.
However, reports of ceasefire breaches soon emerged. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who played a role in negotiating the agreement, said on X that violations had already been recorded, further deepening uncertainty over whether the truce will hold.
The Presidency has come up with reasons behind President Bola Tinubu’s absent at the commissioning of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s projects in Lagos, on Wednesday.
Tinubu was noticeably absent at the scheduled project commissioning in Lagos, sparking public curiosity.
However, Sunday Dare, his Special Adviser on Public Communications and Orientation, has clarified the reason behind the last-minute development.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Dare revealed that the President had to prioritise urgent national security matters over the event.
According to him, although Tinubu is currently in Lagos, he has been deeply engaged in high-level State duties, particularly ongoing security briefings tied to recent developments across the country.
“The president has been busy taking constant briefs and has to prioritise when it comes to state matters, especially security,” Dare stated.
He referenced rising security concerns, including recent unrest linked to incidents in Jos, noting that the President has been closely monitoring the situation and working directly with intelligence agencies.
Dare emphasised that Tinubu remains fully engaged behind the scenes, actively coordinating with security operatives and receiving continuous updates to address emerging threats.
The absence, he stressed, should not be seen as neglect of official duties but rather a reflection of the President’s focus on safeguarding national stability at a critical time.
Tinubu skipped the Lagos commissioning not out of disregard, but to handle pressing security issues demanding immediate presidential attention.
1 Comment