news
UN Nation And Highly Dignitaries Honoured Primate Ayodele at 60th Birthday Thanksgiving
![]()
On 14th February 2020, Was another day of glory and honour for servant of God and founder and spiritual head of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Lagos, Primate Elijah Babatunde Ayodele.
![]()
It was time for his 60th birthday thanksgiving and hosting of the United Nations 75th anniversary flag off ceremony. It was, indeed, a day of double celebration given series of honours bestowed on the popular cleric on the occasion.
![]()
For his humanitarian exploits, hospitality, generosity and, most particularly, his immense contribution to world peace, the United Nations honoured Primate Ayodele with the ‘Eminent Ambassador of Peace’ award presented to him amidst ovation by a top UN representative, Ambassador Chinedu Anthony, who presented a similar award to T. D. Jakes in Nairobi, Kenya earlier this year.
![]()
The celebration that kicked off as early as 8 o’clock in the morning of February 14, 2020, did not come to a close until 7 o’clock in the evening after the last church member had left the church premises, venue of the event.
![]()
The stage was set with the INRI church’s musical band led by Dotun Future, a fast-rising Juju music crooner. The regular INRI choristers provided soft music while the programme anchored by seasoned event compere, Soji Omotayo, progressed in earnest.
![]()
At 10.30 in the morning, the space provided to accommodate guests for the event was already filled to capacity and had extended to also fill the one-storey church building and the adjoining spaces in the area.
However, there was a sudden, rowdy movement of crowd at 11.56 in the morning. The crowd streaming toward the stage had first created panic with some thinking that probably there was a disagreement. Not until the movement halted by the VIP tent that it became clear the crowd had attended the arrival of Fuji music icon and the newly-installed Maiyegun of Yorubaland, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall a.k.a. K1 de Ultimate.
K1, with the help of his armed police guards, was ushered to the high table by Primate Ayodele’s personal security detail when the crowd hailing him was becoming uncontrollable. The Fuji music king was the prized guest of the day.
![]()
Representatives of the Lagos State governor, Mr. Anofiu Elegushi who is the commissioner for home affairs; the United Nations World Peace team led by their president, Ambassador Per Stafsen; representatives of other important personalities some Southwest governors’, were already seated before K1’s arrival, while the representatives of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi and Sultan of Sokoto joined the table few minutes later. Hon. Samsideen Abiodun Olaleye, the executive chairman of Isolo LCDA, was represented by the executive secretary of the Council.
Ayodele, who has always described himself as ‘friend of the press’, got two surprise paybacks on the occasion for being truthful to his words. Two professional groups from the fourth estate of the realm honoured him in a most surprising way.
The Lagos State Online Media Publishers (LASOMP) headed by Mr. sola Animashaun who is the publisher of City News magazine, published a special edition in honour of the man of God’s birthday with each member dedicating an eulogy to his honour.
In similar fashion, the Celebrity Journalists Publishers Association of Nigeria (CJAN), led by Mr. Joshua Uloko who is the publisher of City Pride magazine, honoured Primate Ayodele with a certificate as the association’s Patron.
Expressing positive feelings at the honours, the renowned prophet commended the media, particularly the groups that found him worthy of being awarded, appreciating them for regularly promoting the ingenuity in him and his ministry, while he promised to continue in the course of charity and promoting peace in Nigeria and beyond.
The 2020 Thanksgiving event was rounded up on Saturday, February 16, with the presentation of the UN special number plate to Primate Ayodele by Amb. Per Stafsen at a brief ceremony in Lagos.
Aside being known for releasing prophetic messages on a regular basis most of which are fulfilled, Primate Ayodele has also been focusing his energy on providing help to the poor with his charity arm, INRI Widows Foundation, as well as supporting the spiritual and pastoral work of even fellow pastors and churches outside his ministry.
Remarkably, Ayodele’s birthday falls on Valentine ’s Day known as ‘day of love’. So, amidst other programmes of the day, the prophet extended humanitarian gestures to many, including members of his ministry, police, musicians, actors, running into N20 million while he promised to earmark a special day to empower journalists before the end of 2020.
Maiyegun Wasiu Ayinde was later invited to the stage where he acknowledged his friendship with Primate Ayodele who he said had provided spiritual assistance to his career for 35 years.
”I have known Primate Ayodele for 35 years. That was when we were both very young. He would render spiritual assistance to me and would not show IP or contact me until about the next three months when he had other spiritual messages to deliver. He never asked for anything in return from me and so I developed special interest. That was how we became close friends but a lot of people didn’t know I even knew him,” K1 narrated to the amazement of the audience and thereafter donated the sum of N4m in support of the ministry’s humanitarian efforts.
He, thereafter, honoured Ayodele with beautiful tunes from the repertoire of his old and new songs with which he urged the man of God to keep on doing his best to serve mankind.
Other side attractions at the event was performance by Fuji music star, Muri Alabi Thunder and cultural performance by the ‘INRI wives of Jesus’.
![]()
news
Update : FG, States, LGs Share N1.894trn February Revenue from Federation Account
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared a total of N1.894 trillion among the three tiers of government as federation allocation for February 2026.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the Federal Ministry of Finance, the distribution was made from a gross revenue of N2.230 trillion generated during the month.
From the amount shared, the Federal Government received N675.086 billion, the 36 states received N651.525 billion, while the 774 local government councils got N456.467 billion. Oil-producing states also received an additional N110.949 billion as derivation revenue, representing 13 per cent of mineral proceeds.
The statement further disclosed that N77.302 billion was paid to revenue-generating agencies as the cost of collection, while N259.078 billion was allocated for transfers, interventions and refunds.
The ministry explained that gross revenue from Value Added Tax (VAT) for February stood at N668.450 billion, compared to N1.083 trillion distributed in the preceding month, indicating a decline of N414.710 billion.
From the VAT revenue, N26.738 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N22.593 billion was set aside for transfers, interventions and refunds.
The remaining N619.119 billion was shared among the three tiers of government, with the Federal Government receiving N61.912 billion, the states N340.515 billion and local government councils N216.692 billion.
Similarly, the gross statutory revenue of N1.561 trillion recorded in February was lower than the N1.957 trillion received in the previous month, representing a decrease of N395.138 billion.
From the statutory revenue, N50.564 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N236.485 billion was allocated for transfers, interventions and refunds.
The balance of N1.274 trillion was distributed as follows: the Federal Government received N613.174 billion, states got N311.010 billion, and local governments received N239.776 billion, while N110.949 billion was allocated as derivation revenue to oil-producing states.
New tax regime designed to boost growth, ease burden on Nigerians — Experts
The ministry noted that revenue from oil and gas royalty as well as excise duty recorded significant increases during the period.
However, it added that collections from Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), Hydrocarbon Tax (HT), Companies Income Tax (CIT), Capital Gains Tax (CGT), Stamp Duties (SDT) and Value Added Tax (VAT) declined substantially during the month under review.
news
Contempt of Court: How Onwukwem and Associates Ended Up in Jail in Lagos
![]()
In what looked like a syndicate, a Lagos Lanlord, Mr. Lawrence Onwukwem and his gang, who specialise in swindling innocent Nigerians through properties in their care, have run into trouble and earned jail terms for fraud and illegal eviction of a couple, Mr. Olusola Alabi and his wife, Mrs. Olufunmilola Alabi, who rented an apartment from them and were summarily frustrated.
Like a thief whose time of reckoning has come, Onwukwem, alongside his accomplice; Mr. Davies Ijele, Mr. Sodiq Kazeem, and Ms. Peace Igbo, who operates under Green Birch Tech Ltd, was recently jailed for six months each by a Lagos Chief Magistrates’ Court, sitting in Eti-Osa for contempt of court.
The imprisonment of the defendants is due to the contemptuous order of the court. The court held them in contempt, which they displayed all through the court proceedings.
In the charges, marked MISC/MCE/07/2023, the court invoked Section 44(1)(a) of the Tenancy Law of Lagos State 2011 as amended against the Defendants by convicting the Directors of the 1st Defendant (including the 2nd Defendant, Mr. Lawrence Onwukwem (Managing Director) and Mr. Isaiah Davies ljele) and one Sodiq Kazeem, the Estate Manager and one Ms. Chidinmma Igbo, all of the 1st Defendant, for forceful ejection of the Claimant/Applicant for the three (3) Bedroom flat and one (1) Room Boys Quarters with appurtenances situate, lying and being at Block A, Flat 3, No. 96B, Ladipo Omotosho Cole Street, Lekki I, Eti-Osa, Lagos State held by the Claimant/Applicant as a yearly tenant of the 1st Defendant/Respondent by unlawfully trespassing into the said Apartment, forcing the door open, and removing the Claimant’s furniture and electronics, beddings, refrigerator, air conditioners and gas cooker with gas cylinder, etc. and changing the keys to the entrance door, without any Lawful authority of any Order of any Court of competent jurisdiction, whilst the Claimant’s Suit No: MISC/MCE/07/2023: and the 1st Defendant/Respondent’s Suit No: MCE165/CIV/2024 were pending before the Court.
Delivering the judgement, the Chief Magistrate, Kikelomo Olaiya Doja-Ojo, on June 5, 2025, said that Lawrence Onwukwem, Hon. Davies Ijele, Mr Sodiq Kazeem and Ms Peace Chidinma Igbo, were to be sentenced to six months in correctional centre for continuously flaunting the order of the court while also mandated to pay the sum of N250,000 each to the court.
“The claimant is to be restored back to possession. All her belongings removed are to be returned to her immediately,” the CTC read.
Meanwhile, since the court judgement, the couple claimed that only Kazeem is already serving the jail term at Ikoyi Correctional Centre, while the other three have since gone into hiding.
Reacting to the judgement, the couple said that disputes arose following an alleged breach of the tenancy agreement by the landlord, prompting Mrs. Alabi to seek legal redress in court.
The couple said that while the tenancy matter was still pending in court, Mr. Onwukwem and his partners unlawfully broke into the apartment, removed their properties valued at N25million, and subsequently rented out the flat to another tenant.
When this reporter reached out to Mr Lawrence and Ijele for comments, their telephone lines were unreachable.
However, Igbo denied allegations that she was arrested and charged to court for failing to produce Mr Kazeem.
She refuted claims that she stood as surety for Kaeem , insisting that she never signed any legal documents in that capacity.
“They have spoilt my name and career. I don’t know how to reach them. They have issue with a particular person and why involving me instead of meeting those concerned directly. I know nothing about it,” she said.
“For the record, I didn’t sign in as a surety…I was working as a secretary and HR for the firm. I was not a lawyer in that instance. I was in law school in 2021”
She, however, acknowledged that steps have been taken to address the matter, including efforts to obtain a remand order.
news
Breaking : UK Tightens Security With Road Closures, No-Fly Zones for Tinubu’s Visit
![]()
Britain will impose airspace restrictions and deploy armed police officers in Windsor next week as President Bola Tinubu arrives for a state visit hosted by King Charles III.
Tinubu is expected to begin the visit in the company of his wife Oluremi Tinubu on Wednesday, March 18, with a reception at Windsor Castle.
Thames Valley Police in a statement on its website on Wednesday, said it is working with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, the Royal Household and other security partners.
The force said airspace restrictions over Windsor Castle, which are in place permanently throughout the year, would be extended on Wednesday, March 18, to cover the period from 7am to 11.59pm.
Chief Superintendent Adrian Hall of Thames Valley Police’s Joint Operations Unit said the air restrictions formed part of a broader security operation for the visit.
“The air restrictions are just one part of our robust security operation for the state visit of Nigerian President Tinubu next week, with many measures you will see and others you will not..
“As a force, we have a vast amount of experience in policing Royal events in Windsor and significant planning, and preparation has gone into this event,” Hall said.
He said the force would take a strong stance in enforcing the restrictions, warning that any breach would constitute a criminal offence under the Air Navigation Order and could lead to arrest.
“We will be taking a strong stance in enforcing the restrictions; anyone who breaches them will be committing a criminal offence under the Air Navigation Order and could be arrested.”
The police chief said officers with specialist capabilities, including search teams, the Mounted Section, road policing, and armed units, would be deployed across Windsor, alongside neighbourhood policing and Project Servator resources.
“We will also be deploying numerous police officers to Windsor with specialist capabilities, including our search teams, Mounted Section, Roads Policing and armed units, while our neighbourhood and Project Servator resources will also be on the ground engaging with the public,” he said.
The authorities will also deploy an extensive closed-circuit television network, hostile vehicle mitigation barriers, and other undisclosed security measures for the event.
Hall said, “We will also be using the extensive CCTV network in Windsor, Hostile Vehicle Mitigation barriers, and many other security measures that you may not be able to see to make sure the event runs safely.”
He urged members of the public to support the security operation by remaining vigilant.
“The public plays a critical role to support us so we encourage them to report any suspicious activity or anything that does not seem quite right by calling 101 or speaking to one of our officers. If there is an immediate threat or emergency, then call 999,” Hall added.
Road closures and parking restrictions will take effect from Tuesday, March 17, with possible temporary disruption to roads in and around Windsor during the visit.
Thames Valley Police said it was being supported by the Civil Aviation Authority and National Air Traffic Services to enforce the flight restrictions. Persons with legitimate reasons for drone flying were directed to email [email protected].
-
news5 years agoUPDATE: #ENDSARS: CCTV footage of Lekki shootings intact – Says Sanwo – Olu
-
lifestyle6 years agoFormer Miss World: Mixed reactions trail Agbani Darego’s looks
-
health5 years agoChairman Agege LG, Ganiyu Egunjobi Receives Covid-19 Vaccines
-
lifestyle4 years agoObateru: Celebrating a Quintessential PR Man at 60
-
health6 years agoUPDATE : Nigeria Records 790 new cases of COVID-19
-
health6 years agoBREAKING: Nigeria confirms 663 new cases of COVID-19
-
entertainment1 year agoAshny Set for Valentine Special and new Album ‘ Femme Fatale’
-
news10 months agoBREAKING: Tinubu swears in new NNPCL Board