Television Nigerian

Hassan Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, has endorsed the contentious Tax Reform Bills that President Bola Tinubu has sent to the National Assembly.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, Kukah stated that the laws might lessen the nation’s elites’ and public officials’ recklessness.

The priest stated that successful changes are crucial to the development of the country and that the proposals, if enacted, might improve fiscal administration and address financial mismanagement in Nigeria.

Read Also: Six Nigerians arrested in Libya over Drug trafficking

“This conversation presents an opportunity to address and end financial recklessness,” he said. It is ironic that Nigerians, who live in a nation with abundant riches, are forced to watch the recklessness and carelessness of the elite who mishandle them.

“These changes ought to guarantee the effective use of our resources and contribute to changing the narrative. I hope this is the start of a long road toward budgetary prudence and the growth of the country we all want to create,” Kukah stated.

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives decided to form an ad hoc committee to look into the reasons for the Central Bank of Nigeria’s 1,000 staff members’ mass retirement.

The House also decided to determine the N50 billion compensation budget for the apex bank’s disengaged employees’ settlement.

The House’s resolution came after a motion of urgent public interest, presented by Mr. Kama Nkemkama, the member for Ohaozara/Oncha/Ivo Federal Constituency, Ebonyi State, was adopted.

According to reports, as part of its planned personnel restructuring, the CBN is getting ready to retire some 1,000 workers.

Nkemkama encouraged his colleagues to rise to the occasion and demonstrate sufficient interest in the motion, which was headlined “Need to investigate the retirement of over 1,000 staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the associated N50bn payoff scheme.”

He stated that as part of its human resource reorganization plan, CBN announced a N50 billion payout plan to recompense the impacted employees, which the House has to look into.

“The abrupt mass retirement of more than 1,000 employees, including directors and senior management, is concerning to the House,” he continued.

“Raises critical questions about the criteria for selection, transparency, and adherence to due process in line with public service guidelines and labor laws,” he said of the developing situation.
He emphasized that worker disengagement “has socio-economic implications for the affected individuals, their dependents, and the broader economy, potentially leading to increased unemployment and public dissatisfaction.”

“The N50 billion payoff scheme may lack sufficient accountability and oversight mechanisms, posing risks of mismanagement and abuse of public funds in a sector vital to Nigeria’s financial stability,” Nkemkama, a member of the Labour Party, continued.

Read Also: Breaking: EFCC obtains court order for forfeiture of 150,500-square-meter estate

The House, led by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, decided to form an ad hoc committee to “investigate the mass retirement of over 1,000 staff of the CBN to ascertain the criteria, process, and legality of the exercise” after the motion was adopted.

“Examine the N50bn payoff scheme to ensure transparency, accountability, and proper utilization of funds,” the House also decided.

Additionally, the Green Chamber decided to “involve the CBN’s leadership in assessing the possible institutional and economic effects of mass retirement on Nigeria’s financial sector.”

In addition, the legislative body urged the apex bank to halt the retirement exercise and related payout plan until the House probe was over.

This is in line with its request that the Federal Ministry of Labor and Employment make sure that the impacted employees’ rights are upheld in accordance with Nigerian labor regulations.

A Lagos-based prophet, Godwin Ikuru, has issued a public apology for defaming and cyberbullying Dr Paul Enenche, the Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, and his wife, Dr Becky Enenche.

In a public apology published on a national daily, Ikuru expressed deep regret for his defamatory, abusive and hurtful comments directed at the couple, acknowledging that his words were not only misleading but also damaging and completely unacceptable.

Ikuru further admitted that his actions were fueled by malice, prejudice, and ignorance and that he violated the fundamental human rights of the Enenches, especially their right to personal dignity.

He acknowledged his ignorance of the law, noting that his actions amounted to cyberbullying, a crime punishable by imprisonment without an option of fine.

Ikuru reiterated that Dr Paul Enenche and his wife had never wronged him in any way and that the negative statements made in his videos were unfounded and untrue.

He commended the Enenches as respected servants of God and expressed deep regret for any distress or harm caused to them, their family, and their followers.

His apology reads below:
“I, Godwin Ikuru, wish to express my sincere apologies for my defamatory, abusive, and hurtful statements against Dr. Pastor Paul “Enenche and his dear wife, Dr. M. Becky Enenche. It has become clear to me that my words were not only misleading and fallacious, but also intense, hurtful, damaging, and completely unacceptable.

“I have also realized that my actions were motivated by malice, prejudice, hate, and ignorance. And being thus instigated by hate and bitterness, I acted in breach of their fundamental human rights, especially their right to personal dignity.

“I never knew that my actions amounted to cyberbullying, which is punishable with imprisonment without an option of fine, and this made me liable to imprisonment.

“A member of Dunamis International Gospel Centre invoked the provisions of this law, got me arrested, and charged me to court. Thus, I owe my freedom to the leniency of Dr. Pastor Paul Enenche and his wife for intervening in this case and tempering justice with mercy, as I acted in ignorance of the law.

“This should also serve as a deterrent to all those who engage in cyberbullying, especially against reputable and genuine men of God and fathers of faith in Nigeria, to desist from their nefarious acts or face the wrath of the law.

“I wish to reiterate the fact that Dr. Paul Enenche and his wife, Dr. Becky Enenche, never offended me in any way, and that any negative statement I made against them in those unfortunate videos is unfounded and untrue. They are reputable servants of God, and I hold them in high esteem.

“I had caused great embarrassment through my actions, and I beg them to please accept my most humble and sincere apologies. I have fully realized the consequences of my actions, and I am committed to making all necessary amends.”

Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, has expressed regret for the detention of one of the church’s pastors overseas.

He claimed that the pastor was jailed for using the phrase “Ladies and gentlemen” when speaking to the audience at a program.

He said that because the statement did not include all of the genders that their culture recognized, it was discriminatory.

This was revealed by the pastor on Sunday at the RCCG’s Throne of Grace in Lagos State during the church’s monthly Thanksgiving ceremony.
“My father’s house” was the title of his sermon, which was aired to every parish in the church.

“The end is closer than you might imagine. This is a wake-up call because things are getting worse. For merely referring to a group of people as “ladies and gentlemen,” one of my pastors overseas was imprisoned.

He claimed that several individuals had accused him of discriminating, posing the question, “What about those who are neither ladies nor gentlemen?”
Another unsettling tale of a woman who called her dog her husband was also related by the clergyman.
He related how the woman said, “I took him to the vet before coming,” in response to a question concerning her husband. She calls her “husband” a dog, saying, “He doesn’t talk.”

Seeing these instances as indicators of the end times, Adeboye voiced alarm about the decline of moral norms around the world.

Read Also: 2027 Merger talks: Obi, Atiku’s stance to be revealed in due time

“Take this issue seriously, those of you who are already followers of Christ. Don’t allow anyone to undermine your position. God is sacred. Those still playing church—singing, clapping, and enjoying things without genuine commitment—remember, Jesus is coming back. The devil is trying to harvest you, but you must not allow him to. I want to see you in my Father’s house,” he noted.

Adeboye, known for talking about national issues and the dealings of the church especially about incorporating alien cultures into its branches across the world recently faulted men with braided hair and women sporting false eyelashes and heavy makeup.

Expressing his discontent with the trend among church workers, Adeboye made it clear that such styles will no longer be tolerated on RCCG altars.

In an address at the church’s 72nd annual convention held in August, his comments highlighted his disbelief at the rising trend of these fashion choices among church members.

This edition of the convention with the theme “Heaven” started Monday, August 5, and ended on Sunday, August 11, 2024, at The Redemption City, Mowe, Ogun State (Lagos-Ibadan Way).