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Lagos Govt Honours Chaplain Sacked by Ambode’s Wife
Emotions ran high at the Chapel of Christ the Light, Alausa, Ikeja, on Wednesday, as the Lagos State Government honoured a former presiding Chaplain of the chapel, Venerable Femi Taiwo.
The congregation, consisting of church members, family, friends and well wishers of the cleric, sang songs after songs as they celebrated the occasion.
The state Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, who was joined by top officials of the ministry, presented a gift to Taiwo on behalf of the government.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the special service, which held for about 30 minutes, was kept under wraps, as many church members were not informed.
In May 2017, PUNCH Metro had exclusively reported that Taiwo, his wife and their two children were evicted from the vicarage after being given 24 hours notice to quit.
Church members contributed money to buy cooking utensils for the family, as a new accommodation was sought for them.
Taiwo had been accused of not according the wife of former governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Bolanle, preference and recognition during an anointing service.
Bolanle, with her entourage, was reported to have stormed out of the Sunday service in a fit of rage.
Efforts by women leaders in the church to persuade them to stay on were said to have been rebuffed.
Shortly after they left, the priest was served a dismissal letter by the governing council of the chapel.
The incident had generated outrage from Nigerians, who criticised the former governor and his wife for humiliating the former chaplain.
The head of the African Church, Ifako Diocese, Rt. Rev. Michael Adeyemi, who seconded the cleric to the chapel, had said Bolanle committed a sacrilege.
However, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the state, Apostle Alexander Bamgbola, justified the action of the state, saying the priest was a government employee and he could be fired by his employers.
He also dissociated Bolanle from Taiwo’s sacking.
The Christian leader, however, parried questions on the propriety of the 24-hour eviction order.
Two years and six months after, the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration, through the Ministry of Home Affairs and Culture, honoured Taiwo.
A member of the chapel said the special service was kept secret, adding that officials of the ministry, including the commissioner, special adviser, permanent secretary and some members of staff were present.
“Everything was done very quickly too. We started with a hymn, followed by an address by the special adviser to the governor. After a brief remarks, the commissioner presented a gift to Taiwo,” he stated.
The source said though the government’s action was commendable, the church wanted the priest to be honoured in a bigger way.
A senior official of the chapel said he got a text about the event around 2pm on Tuesday.
He insisted that the programme was an initiative of the state government.
He stated, “I got a text stating that the ministry was coming to the chapel to honour Venerable Taiwo. Some members started sharing and spreading the message till late last night (Tuesday).
“When we arrived, the special adviser to the governor was the first to talk. He said something like, ‘Since I have been in Alausa, nobody has told me that you (Taiwo)stole money; nobody said you are a womaniser’. A very brief remark testifying to the integrity of the priest and I believe that was all Venerable Taiwo wanted.”
Our correspondent learnt that the female group in the church turned out in a colourful aso ebi to mark the occasion.
The source said despite the short notice, the women mobilised and organised to wear the uniform to honour Taiwo.
A video clip sent to PUNCH Metro by the official showed the priest singing several songs of praise as he was joined by the church members in a dance.
While thanking the state governor for the honour, he appreciated Nigerians for their kind words.
Taiwo said, “I thank God for His faithfulness and the uncommon grace and rare privilege He has given to me. I thank the Lagos State Government; Mr Governor, Aduramigba Iyanuoluwa Babajide Sanwo-Olu. I appreciate you and everyone. In the midst of the storm of life, you stood by me.
“The day I was to leave here, I saw angels coming down in the form of men. Spontaneously, I saw members of this church come around me and providing all a man could need to survive. What happened that day, nobody prepared for it; nobody thought of it. But God went ahead and made the crooked way straight. I thank and appreciate all of you and I pray that the glory of God will shine on your lives.
“Throughout the time I spent here, I had no regrets, because you were all around me. That is why I cannot forget this place; I cannot forget your beautiful faces.”
The Punch
A former Minister of Education, Dr. (Mrs) Obiageli Ezekwesili, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of suppressing civic freedoms and eroding citizens’ rights.
In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) titled “A Memo to Nigerians: A Call to Collective Voice on the Shrinking Civic Space and Erosion of Citizens’ Rights in Nigeria,” Ezekwesili condemned what she described as a “deeply troubling trend” of growing state intolerance and repression of dissent.
She urged President Tinubu to immediately direct the Inspector-General of Police to release activist Omoyele Sowore and his colleagues, who were recently detained.
Ezekwesili also called on Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to publicly apologise to EiE Nigeria’s Executive Director, Yemi Adamolekun, and activist, Ms. Nafziger, over their reported harassment during a peaceful #EndSARS memorial event.
“The latest wave of actions against citizens by state security agencies reflects a deeply troubling trend — the steady shrinking of civic space and erosion of citizens’ fundamental rights in our democracy,” she wrote.
The former minister cited three recent incidents — the harassment of Adamolekun, the police clampdown on protesters demanding Nnamdi Kanu’s release, and the repeated arrests of Sowore despite a valid court order — describing them as evidence of “a dangerous pattern” of intolerance and abuse of power.
According to her, the Tinubu administration has become “intolerant of dissent, allergic to accountability, and fearful of citizens’ voices.”
“It is clear that President Tinubu is running a government and security apparatus that are increasingly intolerant of dissent. True strength of a government lies not in silencing critics, but in protecting those who speak truth to power,” she stated.
Ezekwesili urged Nigerians to defend their democratic rights, stressing that sovereignty belongs to the people, not the government.
“Nigeria’s democracy cannot survive on the silencing of conscience. Every act of repression against one citizen diminishes the liberty of all,” she warned.
”We must collectively safeguard our right to speak, assemble, and demand accountability. Our democracy must not become one without citizens.”
The United States government has revoked the non-immigrant visa of Wole Soyinka, the Nobel laureate.
In a letter dated October 23 and signed by the US consulate-general in Lagos, Soyinka was directed to present his passport at the consulate for physical cancellation of the visa.
Soyinka spoke during a media parley held in Lagos on Tuesday, where he read excerpts from the official correspondence sent to him.
“This letter serves as official notification by the United States Consulate General in Lagos that the nonimmigrant visa listed below has been revoked pursuant to the authority contained in U.S. Department of State regulations 22 CFR 41.122 and is no longer valid for application for entry into the United States,” the letter reads.
The Nobel laureate said he could not identify the specific offence that led the revocation of his visa by the US government.
Soyinka said he applied for the visa after he received a letter from the US Internal Revenue Service about an audit for tax returns.
He explained that his trip was to resolve the tax issues, adding that he wanted to prevent a situation where the US might advertise him as a “tax dodger” to the world.
Soyinka made reference to how he discarded his US green card after President Donald Trump assumed office in his first term.
The Nobel laureate said he wondered whether his visa was revoked because he described Trump as “Idi Amin in white face”.
“It is necessary for me to give this press conference so that people in the United States who are expecting me for their event, not to waste their time. I have no desire,” he said.
“It is necessary for me to give this press conference so that people in the United States who are expecting me for their event, not to waste their time. I have no desire,” he said.
“I have written a lot of plays about Idi Amin. Maybe it is about time I also write about Donald Trump. Literary compliment. Maybe he would reconsider and restore my visa.
“I want to reassure the US Consulate that I’m very contend with the revocation of my visa. Individual citizens are free to interact with me.”
In September, Soyinka said he would not honour an invitation by the US consulate in Lagos for a visa interview scheduled for September 11, 2025.
TheCable
Cameroon ’s top court on Monday declared incumbent Paul Biya, the world’s oldest president, the winner of the Oct. 12 election. Clashes with security forces left at least four protesters dead ahead of the announcement as opposition supporters rallied to demand credible results.
Biya, 92, has led the central African nation since 1982. The Constitutional Council said he received 53.66% of votes while former ally-turned-challenger Issa Tchiroma Bakary got 35.19%. The turnout was 57.7%.
In a social media post after the declaration, Tchiroma said that there was gunfire directed at civilians and two people were shot dead in his hometown in Garoua.
He said: “Toll of their attack: two dead. I wonder what will be said this time? Shooting point-blank at your own brothers — I can’t help but wonder if you’re mercenaries. Kill me if you want, but I will liberate this country by any means necessary. What blatant impunity.”
The four protesters were shot dead in Douala, the economic capital, on Sunday, as hundreds of people stormed streets in several cities. Tchiroma had claimed victory days before Monday’s announcement, citing results he said were collated by his party. Biya dismissed the claim.
According to Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, governor of the Littoral Region that includes Douala, several members of the security forces were injured by protesters. He said at least 105 protesters were arrested.
Dozens of opposition supporters, activists and leaders have been arrested in recent days. Paul Atanga Nji, minister of territorial administration, said on Saturday the government arrested several people plotting violent attacks.
One protester, Oumarou Bouba, a 27-year-old trader in Maroua, said: “I am ready to stake my life to defend my vote. I voted for Tchiroma because I want change.”
Following the announcement of the results, Sani Aladji, a 28-year-old who works in a hotel in Maroua, said: “Nothing will change. I expected that Issa Tchiroma would bring change, which is why I voted for him. There’s rampant corruption under Biya’s regime. We are tired of that. We don’t have roads.”
Biya has ruled Cameroon longer than most of its citizens have been alive. Over 70% of the country’s almost 30 million population is below 35. The election has been the latest dramatic example of tension between Africa’s youth and the continent’s many aging leaders.
He first came to power in 1982 following the resignation of Cameroon’s first president and has ruled the country since then, later benefiting from a constitutional amendment that abolished term limits.
Critics accuse Biya of leading Cameroon from a period of relative stability into one of crisis and conflict. The country in recent years has faced attacks by Boko Haram militants in the north and a secessionist insurgency in the country’s English-speaking North West and South West regions.
That crisis, triggered by the government’s attempts to impose French in English-speaking schools and courts, has killed nearly 7,000 people, displaced more than one million more internally and sent thousands fleeing to neighboring Nigeria.
Despite Cameroon being an oil-producing country that is experiencing modest economic growth, young people say the benefits have not trickled down beyond the elites. According to World Bank data, the unemployment rate stands at 3.5%, but 57% of the labor force aged 18 to 35 works in informal employment.
“Many young people across the country and in the diaspora had hoped for change, but that their hopes have been dashed. It feels like a missed opportunity,” said Dr Emile Sunjo, a senior lecturer in international relations at the University of Buea. “Cameroon could potentially slide into anarchy.”
Source: AP
