Pope Francis has accused some members of his own Church, of living what he called, “hypocritical lives,” insisting that it is better to be an atheist than one of “many” Catholics leading a hypocritical double life.
In improvised comments in the sermon of his private morning Mass in his residence, he said: “it is a scandal to say one thing and do another. That is a double life.
“There are those who say ‘I am very Catholic, I always go to Mass; I belong to this and that association.’”
A Vatican Radio transcript quoted the head of the 1.2 billion-member Roman Catholic Church as saying that some of these people should also say “‘my life is not Christian, I don’t pay my employees proper salaries, I exploit people, I do dirty business, I launder money, (I lead) a double life’.
“There are many Catholics who are like this and they cause scandal.
“How many times have we all heard people say ‘if that person is a Catholic, it is better to be an atheist’?”
Since his election in 2013, Francis has often told Catholics, both priests and lay people, to practice what their religion preaches.
In his often impromptu sermons, he has condemned sexual abuse of children by priests as being tantamount to a “Satanic Mass,”.
He said that Catholics are in the mafia excommunicate themselves, and told his own cardinals to not act as if they were “princes”.
Less than two months after his election, he said Christians should see atheists as good people if they do good. [myad]
Nigerian youths, mainly members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have given all South African companies in Nigeria 48 hours ultimatum to relocate or face the consequence against the backdrop of the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.
Also today, Thursday, angry protesters attacked the MTN office in Abuja, the nation’s federal capital, breaking the glasses, wounding some workers and driving away others.
Eye witness accounts recounted that some of the company’s staff ran for cover in the washroom, while others locked themselves up in the secure vault area of the office even as the security guards who tried to stop the protesters were badly injured.
The students under the canopy of NANS also staged a peaceful demonstration carrying a banner, which read: “NANS against Xenophobic Attacks on Nigerians.”
While the students marched, the security men stood and watched to ensure law and order.
The President of NANS, Kadiri Aruna, said in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at DSTV office, a South African company, in Wuse 2, Abuja, that Nigerian students had resolved to condemn the attacks.
“We are saying that enough is enough as South Africans have openly attacked and bullied Nigerians.’’
Aruna said that after 48 hours, if nothing was done, messages would be sent to students in all university campuses to bring down MTN masts all over the country.
Aruna said that DSTV and Shoprite would also be affected as the union had put adequate strategies in place to make the action effective.
“All the South African business empires in Nigeria and their collaborators in Nigeria will be affected.
“I don’t want to say we will be barbaric but we will not be lawful in our actions; we will do it and face the consequences, enough of this rubbish.”
Aruna stressed that the poor treatment being meted out to Nigerians was particularly insulting given the role Nigeria played in ending the apartheid regime in South Africa.
“Nigeria contributed 80 per cent of the freedom the South Africans are enjoying today because we saved them from the jaws of apartheid.
“Who is South Africa to humiliate Nigeria? So they forget things so soon, let them go back to history and records to see how much financial assistance and what the country did to save them.” The union president said that the situation is inhuman and for this reason all reasonable Nigerians must react.
“In science they say you use malaria to cure malaria, now you use madness to cure their madness, and that is why we are advising them to leave Nigerian soil before 48 hours.”
He said that the Federal Government should not wait till the dying minute before evacuating Nigerians from South Africa.
Aruna said that it is time for government not to only condemn the attacks but take a firm stand by summoning South Africa’s high commissioner and if possible cut diplomatic ties with that country.
“Government should take extra-diplomatic measures in dealing with the latest deadly assaults because if nothing drastic is done it will become a regular occurrence.
“This is the time to place South Africa where it belongs.”
He said that the last time the xenophobic attack happened nothing was done, no action was taken and no arrest was made and that was why South Africans repeated the attacks.
Aruna said it was so unfortunate that during the attacks the South African Government refused to take up its responsibility of securing Nigerians and their properties.
“The government of South Africa is criminally quiet and they say silence is consent, and their police are folding their hands while they are killing Nigerians, this is conspiracy, enough is enough.”
He said the peaceful rally would continue and spread across the country. Over 50 police and, DSS operatives surrounded the DSTV premises and along the street making it impossible for newsmen to contact any DSTV officials for comments. South Africans were said to have threatened that the attack on Nigerians will continue, according to Charles Ngakula of Pretoria West, “We are tired of the crime in our area. These Nigerians must take their drugs back to Lagos”.
A Nigeria asylum seeker in South Africa, Segun Oluwa, said: “At 8am, people stormed into our house and shouted: ‘All foreigners must leave!’”
The men looted the house and set it on fire.Michael Olakunle, another Nigerian immigrant and a resident in the same house, said: “We didn’t do anything wrong. We don’t deserve what is happening to us. South Africans must watch out. There are also South Africans in Nigeria and we will do the same to them there.”
Oluwa and his housemates said the police witnessed what was happening, but didn’t do anything about it.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba was expected to brief the media in Parliament on the recent outbreaks of xenophobic violence in Johannesburg and Pretoria. [myad]
Ogun State has emerged as the best in the November/December 2016 Senior School Certificate Examinations by the National Examinations Council (NECO).
In the results that were released at the Council’s Headquarters in Minna, the Registrar and Chief Executive of NECO, Prof. Charles Uwakwe, 5,183 students from Ogun state obtained five credits and above in all subjects, representing 91.13%, while Zamfara State records the worst result with only 59 candidates obtaining five credits and above representing 25.65%.
Professor Uwakwe said that a total of 47,941 candidates registered, out of whom 47,118 sat for the examinations, and the number of candidates with five credits including Mathematics and English Language put at 28,530 (60.55%).
“A total number of 46,024 candidates sat for English Language with 33,303 credit pass representing 72.34%, while out of the 45,574 that sat for Mathematics, a total of 39,454 candidates got credit pass representing 86.54%.
“While putting the number of candidates with malpractice cases at 7,699 representing16.3%, Abia State records the highest case with 953 candidates representing 12.37%, with Edo state as least state in malpractices recording only eight cases representing 0.10%. English has the highest case with 1,162 candidates involved.”
Professor Uwakwe advised candidates to access their results on NECO website www.mynecoexam.com, using their Examination Registration Number and scratch cards.”
A report released by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBSrevealed that only 22.8% of the candidates, who sent admission applications to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, between 2010 and 2015, were successful. NBS said that JAMB received a total of 11,703,709 applications between 2010 and 2016 out of which 2,674,485 students. It represents 22.8% of the total applications admitted across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between 2010 and 2015. [myad]
The Commander of the Army Record Command, Lokoja, Kogi state, Brigadier-General Henry Ayamasowe has said that Boko Haram insurgents have been trooping down to Kogi State massively in the last three years, giving rise to the presence of Boko Haram members in the state.
The Brigadier-General, who paraded 17 criminals, including two Boko Haram kingpins before the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, at the Chari Megumeri barracks, said the people were picked up following a special operation of the army.
He said that the Boko Haram kingpin was arrested in one of the sect’s cell in Okene after a manhunt by men of the Nigerian Army.
According to him, dangerous weapons including AK 47 riffles, EIDs, 19 face masks with Boko Haram arabic inscription, locally made guns, phones, sim cards among others were recovered from the criminals.
Brigadier-General Henry Ayamasowe, said that the officers combed the entire central senatorial district of the state for about three days before the breakthrough could be recorded, adding that the operation also led to the arrest of armed robbers and kidnappers that have been terrorizing the state in the past few months.
Those who were paraded included the hoodlums that attacked a police station in Eika, Okehi local government area of Kogi state which killed two police officers about three weeks ago.
Speaking during the parade, Governor Yahaya Bello made it clear that all the houses where the people were arrested would be demolished as a deterrent for those going into crime in the state.
The governor noted that the state was a wrong place for criminals as his administration had resolved to smoke them out.
“We are going after them, we will get them and we are getting them, security agents and the entire people must be vigilant, my administration will not condone any form of criminality, where ever they are, we will smoke them out.”
Governor Yahaya Bello however said he would continue to invest in the security of the people, urging the people of the state to always volunteer information that would further make the state safer for them to work and live. [myad]
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recovered seventeen different type of vehicles from the former Comptroller-General of Nigeria Custom Service (NCS), Abdullahi Dikko Inde.
The vehicles were listed as:
Black colour BMW 525i series, 2010 model with chassis number WBAFR7108BC262936.
ASH colour Hyundai Velester, 2012 model with chassis number KMHTC6AD4CU056038.
iii. Dark Blue BMW 325i, 2003 model with chassis number WBAEV31090KL48386.
Black colour Land Cruiser Prado Jeep, 2014 model with chassis number JTEBU3FJ50K082080.
Black colour Mercedes G wagon, 2013 model with chassis number WDB4632361X207661.
Black colour BMW 335i series, 2012 model with chassis number WBA3A91040F268895.
vii. Silver colour Peugeot 406, 2002 model with chassis number VF3BBRFNR81519018.
viii. Black colour Land Cruiser Prado Jeep, 2014 model with chassis number JTEBU3FJ10K082352.
Yellow colour Toyota FJ Jeep, 2007 model with chassis number JTEZU11F68K001301.
Black Toyota Avensis, 2013 model with chassis number SBIBL76L20E037245.
Dark ash colour KIA Cadenza, 2011 model with chassis number KNALN414BC5093288.
xii. Silver colour Porsche Cayene, 2009 model with chassis number WPIZZZ9PZ9LA12738.
xiii. Golden colour Honda Accord, 2013 model with chassis number IHGCR2634DA620609.
xiv. White colour Nissan Urban Bus, 2006 model JNITF4E25Z0715833.
White colour Nissan Urban Bus, 1996 model with chassis number JTFJXO29P605023996.
xvi. White Toyota Hiace Bus, 2010 model with chassis number JTGJXO2P4B5020268.
xvii. White Nissan Bus, 2009 model with chassis number JNITA4E250011697.
Nigeria’s Minister of environment, Hajiya Amina Mohammed has finally quit the Federal Executive Council (FEC) as she heads for New York, the United States of America, to assume her new duty as Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations.
At a valedictory session of FEC today, presided over by acting President Yemi Osinbajo, Amina Mohammed could not hold back the tears as her colleagues took turns to eulogize her and her contributions to the nation’s development.
Some of the ministers who spoke described Amina Mohammed as “Nigeria’s gift to the world” and expressed confidence that she would make the country proud in her new job.
The minister lamented that it s too early in the life of Muhammadu Buhari’s government to lose what they called “quality Federal Executive Council” member, adding that she had added much value to the federal executive.
They described her as a role-model and that her appointment as Deputy Secretary General of the UN is a celebration of excellence. [myad]
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has aroused open anger in Senator Dino Melaye as he returned without his assent, four Bills that were earlier passed by the National Assembly.
Shortly after the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki read a letter from Osinbajo on the return of the bills, Senator Melaye, representing Kogi West, expressed outrage, citing the principle of separation of powers.
According to him, the role of the Executive arm is to assent to laws passed by the National Assembly or go to court to seek redress, even as the Senate President said that he would refer the matter to the legal department for advice and interpretations of the law.
The bills which Acting President Osinbajo returned to the Senate unsigned are: the National Lottery Bill 2016, for which he cited the existence of pending legal issues; National Assembly’s power to legislate on the subject matter; the Agricultural Guaranteed Credit Scheme Bill, Dangerous Drugs Amendment Bill and the Currency Conversion and Frozen Order Bill. [myad]
The American Ambassador to Nigeria, W. Stuart Symington has said that Nigeria has the potential to change the world.
He said that he had just concluded a visit to all the geo-political zones of the country and has concluded that “Nigeria is one of the greatest countries in the world with the potential to change the world.”
Ambassador Symington spoke today, Wednesday, when he and the Commander of the US-Africa Command, General Thomas D. Waldhauser visited Nigerian acting President, Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
This was even as General Waldhauser expressed the readiness of the US government to accelerate its contributions to the peace and development of Nigeria.
According to him, there is a sense that “we want to get on and solve the problem,” adding that his visit to Nigeria at this time is about developing further, the friendship and trust that the two countries have in common.
Acting President Osinbajo told the visitors that Nigeria is very open and willing to build a relationship with the US based on trust, “so that we would benefit from it and of course our relationship as nations would benefit tremendously from it.”
He said that Nigeria’s relationship with the US is a very important and that it has been so for many years.
Osinbajo said that Nigerian government is appreciative of US support over the last few years, adding that it is the belief of the Buhari presidency that the United States is committed to helping on the security challenges in the Northeast.
“The kind of warfare we are engaged with in many ways, are unprecedented for our military.”
The Acting President said that the sheer brutality and mindlessness of terrorists who are prepared to kill children in their sleep, abduct girls and prepared to die, even using teenage girls as suicide bombers is enormous. [myad]
Lawyer to President Muhammadu Buhari, Kola Awodein (SAN), has said that any attempt by anybody to soil Buhari’s time-tested reputation as incorruptible Nigerian will fail.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who reacted to news making the rounds that he gave Justice Niyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, currently standing trial for alleged corruption, the sum of N500,000.00 at the behest of President Buhari, during the contrived certificate issue affecting the then presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), described such allegation as “malicious, utterly ridiculous, and revolting.”
The lawyer said in a statement today, Wednesday that Nigerians know that President Buhari challenged the elections of 2003, 2007, and 2011, up to the Supreme Court, and that not once was he named as trying to compromise any Judge even though some of them were his schoolmates, or contemporary, at one time or the other.
“It is in keeping with the President’s time-tested reputation as a man of truth and integrity. Any attempt to sully that reputation is bound to fail, inexorably. “I am constrained to make in absolute good faith , in good conscience and in the interest of justice and fair play the following very short statement on account of the distorted news story currently being peddled as affecting the person of Mr. President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and my good and very noble self.
“The very simple and plain facts are as follows: “I have known as a friend and for well over 35 years Mr. Justice Niyi Ademola, a notorious fact known to majority of lawyers who have practiced especially in Lagos for over that same period more or less and also to so many other professionals of other disciplines and other prominent and not so prominent Nigerians.
“It is a fact that the sum of money mentioned was personally paid by me as a friend to Mr. Justice Ademola as a personal gift, as our custom well recognizes and demands, on the occasion of his daughter’s High Society wedding solemnized at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos, on the 9th of May 2015, which I attended in person.
“I was fully convinced then, as I remain today, that I could do no less as a friend of longstanding to fairly reasonably support him on that memorable occasion of his daughter’s wedding. “Anyone and everyone who knows me would readily and unquestionably testify that I am and have always been a man of impeccable integrity on and off the Courts and that such a record speaks always loudly for itself.
“I would conclude by stating categorically and without any equivocation that ANY link whatsoever with Mr. President, or any court case or cases, of my personal gift from my personal resources delivered to Justice Niyi Ademola by myself on that occasion or any suggestion whatsoever that it was anything but such a gift or that it ever came from Mr. President or at his instance or that I was acting, under any circumstances, on his behalf is most malicious, utterly ridiculous and in very very poor and revolting taste and most undeserving of any further comments.” [myad]
Unknown gunmen have kidnapped one Peter Breunij, a German professor of archaeology and his colleague, Johannes Buringer at Jenjela village in Kagarko local government area of Kaduna State.
Kagarko is some kilometres away from Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
Breunij is said to be the leader of a four-man team from the University of Frankfurt, Germany, working in collaboration with the National Commission for Museum and Monuments and other institutions on the relics of Nok culture in Nigeria.
A witness, who was part of the team working with Germans, told newsmen that the kidnappers left two ladies who were with the victims during the time of their abduction.
“They started coming one by one; the first two came with machetes, then others came with heavy guns. There were many people at the site who were working at the time, so they ordered us to lie face down and started shooting into the air in order to scare people.
“It was at that point that they asked the professor and his associate to follow them and they led them to the other side of the road. They made them to cross the road to the other side from where we were and began to lead them further into the bush.
“One of us who is a hunter suggested that we go after them, but only one of us agreed and the two of them crossed the road, chasing the gunmen,” he said.
“When the kidnappers realised that the two men were following them, they turned and opened fire, killing the hunter and the other man.” [myad]
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