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Christians celebrate Palm Sunday across Nigeria

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Nigerian Christians, on Sunday, joined their counterparts across the world to mark Palm Sunday, signaling the beginning of the Holy Week.

The day symbolises the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem where he triumphantly rode on a donkey a week before his resurrection. The event is recounted in each of the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

In most churches, Palm Sunday is celebrated by the blessing and distribution of palm branches or the branches of other native trees.

The day also marks the first day of the holy week and it is the last week of the Christian solemn season of lent that precedes the arrival of Easter.

Pope Presides Over Mass

In the Vatican, Pope Francis presided over mass in St Peter’s Square as he kicked off events leading to Easter, just a day after leaving hospital following a bout of bronchitis.

The 86-year-old’s admittance to hospital on Wednesday with breathing difficulties sparked concerns he may not be well enough to attend a series of rites in the most important week in the Christian calendar.

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But Francis had promised to be present, and he waved briefly to some 30,000 people as he rode in his popemobile through the square, which was adorned with over 35,000 plants and flowers.

He looked serious as he followed the procession through St Peter’s Square of religious figures, including red-robed cardinals, carrying large palm leaves and olive branches.

Palm Sunday marks the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. Easter Sunday, which this year is on April 9, celebrates his resurrection from the dead.

As a smiling Francis had left Rome’s Gemelli hospital Saturday after a three-night stay, he quipped to well-wishers who asked how he was “I am still alive!”

The head of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics has suffered from increasing health issues over the past few years, including knee problems which have forced him to use a wheelchair and walking stick.

Francis was expected to remain seated throughout the mass, while a cardinal conducts the ceremony at the altar.

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The Vatican said this was an arrangement adopted prior to the pope’s latest illness, as he is no longer able to stand for long periods.

Francis felt unwell Wednesday following a general audience in St Peter’s Square, but his condition improved after he was given antibiotics.

The hospitalisation was his second since 2021, when he underwent colon surgery, also at Gemelli.

His increasing health issues over the past year have sparked widespread concern, including speculation that he might choose to retire rather than stay in the job for life.

Francis marked 10 years as the head of the worldwide Catholic Church earlier this month.

He has pushed through major governance reforms and sought to forge a more open, compassionate Church, although he has faced internal opposition, particularly from conservatives.

He has repeatedly said he would consider stepping down were his health to fail him — but said last month that, for now, he has no plans to quit.

READ  Pope Francis celebrates Easter Sunday Mass

Francis’ previous stay at Gemelli in July 2021 lasted 10 days. He was admitted after suffering from a type of diverticulitis, an inflammation of pockets that develop in the lining of the intestine, that required surgery.

In an interview in January, the pope said the diverticulitis had returned.

AFP

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Testimony controversy: After backlash, Enenche apologises, meets Abuja testifier

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The woman who was accused of lying while giving testimony at the Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Abuja, Vera Anyim, has said she bears no grudge against the church.

 

This followed the controversy that trailed the treatment that was meted out to her by the church’s Senior Pastor, Dr Paul Enenche, on Sunday.

 

In a video that emerged online, Anyim, during her testimony in the church, said she graduated with a “Bsc in Law” from the National Open University of Nigeria.

 

She was however interrupted by Enenche who said she was lying. The pastor also questioned the credibility of the woman’s testimony while he chided her on how she spoke.

Enenche who said there was nothing like “Bsc in Law” immediately asked her to leave the pulpit.

 

The action however generated a flurry of reactions as netizens demanded an apology from the cleric.

 

But Anyim, in a post on her Facebook page on Monday, said she had put the situation behind her.

 

She made the statement after meeting Enenche and his wife, Becky.

Sharing photos from the meeting, she wrote, “I want to inform the whole world that I just had a warm meeting with my spiritual father and mother, Dr Paul Enenche, and Dr Becky Enenche.

 

“I don’t have any grudge against the church or them. I remain committed to serving God as a member of Dunamis Church.

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“I am thankful for the concern of the public.

 

“I have put the situation at my back, and I have moved forward, and I want everybody to do the same. Peace.”

 

The church in a statement on Monday said it reached out to Anyim over the issue, while it explained that concerns arose during her testimony at the Glory Dome on April 14, 2024, regarding her language proficiency and the clarity of her academic credentials.

 

It stated that her speech suggested a level of English proficiency below what might be expected of a university graduate, particularly one with a Law degree, while noting that discrepancies also emerged regarding the nature and duration of her academic pursuit, raising doubts about the legitimacy of her qualifications.

 

The statement added that the Senior Pastor’s actions stemmed from a commitment to upholding standards of excellence and integrity within the church community.

 

The statement read, “A scenario was created on Sunday the 14th April, 2024 at the Glory Dome, the Global Headquarters of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, when Ms Anyim Veronica Nnenna came out to testify of how God helped her graduate from the university, thus making her the first person to attain that feat in her family.

 

“These were the immediate triggers for the said scenario: First, listening to the testifier’s expressions as it borders on basic spoken English, conveys the impression that the minimum standard expectation of a graduate, especially a graduate of Law was not met.

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“Second, stating that she studied Law for 10 years begged the question of what her degree actually was.

 

“Third, she was unable to state exactly what the correct degree was for Law which is LLB, rather she said it was a BSc in Law which is largely unknown as a Law degree in Nigeria and possibly globally.

 

“These prompted the Senior Pastor. Dr. Paul Enenche, to stop the testimony immediately as a product of a ‘lie.’ However, relief came when it was later confirmed that she actually graduated from a university.

 

“It must be pointed out clearly here that embarrassing the testifier publicly with the attendant media frenzy was never intended; whatever happened was under the spur of the moment.”

 

The church disclosed further that the Senior Pastor was rather based on his and the church’s aversion to seeming mediocrity and any appearance of untruth.

 

“While we remain resolute in our passion for excellence, intolerance of mediocrity and falsehood, we wish to reiterate the fact that no harm or hurt was ever intended by the Senior Pastor against Ms. Anyim Veronica. The Senior Pastor feels deeply concerned and had already reached out to her.

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“As a commission, we regret every inconvenience, hurt, and embarrassment this unfortunate scenario has caused to Ms Anyim Veronica Nnenna. We remain committed to her physical welfare as well as her spiritual growth. God bless us all,” the statement added.

 

Some photos confirming that the woman graduated from NOUN were discovered on her Facebook page and shared online.

 

Reacting earlier to the treatment meted out to her, Vera lamented that she was disgraced and labelled a liar by her spiritual leader because she couldn’t speak English and mistakenly said B.Sc instead of LLB.

 

In a post on her Facebook page on Monday, she stated that she graduated with a 3rd class from NOUN and was no. 2262 on the list of graduates from the school.

She wrote: “It’s disheartened because I couldn’t speak English like lawyers. I was labelled a liar for mistakenly saying B.Sc instead of LLB. Actually, I graduated with a Third Class at NOUN. The rejected stone can become the cornerstone. We’re reminded not to look down on anyone.

 

“You can’t imagine what I endured throughout the service. How shattered I must have felt to be disgraced by my spiritual leader in such a manner? I am no. 2262 on the list. I, Vera, deserve better now.

“The Devil came to steal my testimony but Jesus said NO!,” she stated in a separate post.

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Sack non-performing appointees, review your policies, El-Rufai tells Tinubu

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Former governor of Kaduna, Nasir el-Rufai, says President Bola Tinubu should sack appointees in his cabinet who do not deliver on their mandate.

 

El-Rufai, who spoke in Maiduguri, Borno state capital, on Monday, urged Tinubu to look into the possibility of adjusting some of his policies that are not yielding expected results.

 

“You appointed a person into a position and he is not working according to the expectation, you should have the humility to tell him that I need a better person, go and do something else,” NAN quoted him as saying.

 

The former governor urged Nigerians to pray and assist the administration in its efforts to make things better.

 

“What we must do as citizens is to pray for our leaders for God to guide them to see or do what is right,” he said.

 

“For God to give them the humility to reverse themselves when necessary and do the right thing; that’s how society progresses.”

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Good morning! Here Are Some Major News Headlines In The Newspapers Today: Dangote, modular refineries to pay naira for crude

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1. The Federal Government has eventually complied with the demands of domestic crude oil refiners and other operators in the sector, as it declared on Monday that indigenous refineries can now buy crude oil in naira or dollars. It also declared that the total crude oil and condensate reserves in Nigeria increased to 37.5 billion barrels as of January 1, 2024, with a life index of 68.01 years.

 

2. The State Working Committee of the Kano chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has sanctioned some ward party leaders who earlier suspended the national chairman of the party, Umar Abdullahi Ganduje. Leaders in Ganduje ward in Dawakin Tofa Local Government had on Monday suspended the APC national chairman.

 

3. Nigeria witnessed its sixth power grid collapse of 2024 on Monday, as electricity generation on the system collapsed from 2,583.77 megawatts at 2 am to 64.7MW around 3 am before the grid was restored later in the day.

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4. The naira has continued its resurgence against the United States dollar, appreciating N1,136/$ at the official market and N1,050/$ at the parallel market at the close of trading activities on Monday. This was as traders predicted the dollar’s fall to below N1,000 before the end of the week.

 

5. A Lagos Coroner inquest set up to unravel the circumstances that led to the death of Sylvester Oromoni Jnr., a 12-year-old student of Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos, has said that he died of natural causes. The coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri stated that the deceased’s death was avoidable but for parental negligence, while absolving staff of the college of any complicity.

 

6. The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, on Monday, said the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government has so far rescued over 1,000 kidnap victims without paying a ransom. Ribadu said this when he received 22 students and staff of the Federal University of Gusau, Zamfara State, rescued on Sunday.

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7. Tears flowed freely from family members on Monday as the remains of the late Nollywood make-up artist, Abigail Edith Frederick, were entered into her family home in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. The late artist, 24, was laid to rest in her hometown in Ikot Udoma, Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

 

8. Former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, says fuel subsidy is back, but many Nigerians do not know this. Fielding questions from newsmen in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, on Monday, El-Rufai said the federal government is now paying more than before.

 

9. The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, has stated that a fire incident at the Afam Power Generating Station was responsible for the grid collapse that occurred on Monday. A statement by TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, said the incident caused a partial disturbance of the nation’s grid.

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10. Two persons have been reportedly killed in Minna, Niger State capital during a free-for-all in Maitumbi area of the state. The deaths were as a result of a clash between two rival gang groups in the area, on Monday.

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