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Cleric To Osinbajo, Tinubu, Akeredolu, Others: Nigerians Are Getting Poorer

Published

3 years ago

November 12, 2022

Revd Stephen Ayodeji Fagbemi of Cathedral Church of St Andrew’s, Imola, Owo, has told Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu and other top politicians that Nigerians are getting poorer on daily basis.

He stated this at the funeral service of the late mother of the Ondo state governor , Rotimi Akeredolu, Lady Evangelist Grace Akeredolu held at the Cathedral Church of St Andrew’s, Imola, Owo.

President Muhammadu Buhari was represented by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo at the funeral service.

Other dignitaries present at the service include, Governors of Ogun, Prince Dapo Abiodun; Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Osun, Gboyega Oyetola and Oyo, Engr Seyi Makinde, represented by his wife, Olufunke.

Also in attendance include, former Governors of Ekiti state, Dr Kayode Fayemi and wife, Erelu Bisi; Ogun, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Ondo, Dr Olusegun Mimiko; Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare, Minister of Science and Technology and Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora

Revd Fagbemi, who lamented before the bigwigs politicians that “The poor are getting poorer, said Nigeria needs a change that will ensure safety and security in villages.

Rev Fagbemi said: “We need a government that understands economics. Life is hard in this country. Let our leaders be careful to help us move things forward. The best place to start campaign is hospital.”

He told candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, that God has placed him where he is going to make a difference.

“Go to hospitals and schools and see what Nigeria is like. I encourage you to go to FMC here in Owo to campaign and see what the future holds.”

Revd Fagbemi urged Governor Akeredolu and his siblings to immortalise their mother because she lived a life of service to God and humanity.

On his part, Tinubu begged Nigerians not to give up on the ruling party, ahead of next year’s general elections.

Tinubu, assured Nigerians that the ruling “APC would do better.”

Governor Akeredolu, in his response to the sermon, said there were crops of politicians in the Southwest that the people could be very proud of.

Akeredolu said: “We have listened to to your political sermon. It was wonderful listening to the sermon. I will not contend with you but I know as politicians we are doing our best. It might not be good for everybody.

“You should also say the things we have done. Continue to pray for us so that we will do our best.

“We will look at it. It is not that we are not trying. We have our shortcomings. We have crops of politicians in the Southwest we can be very proud of.

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Headline

42 Killed In Israeli Attacks, Says Gaza’s Civil Defense

Published

12 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Gaza’s civil defence agency reported at least 42 people killed in Israeli attacks on Sunday, as the Israeli army prepared for a new assault on the Palestinian territory’s largest city.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said there had been several air strikes around Gaza City — which the military is gearing up to capture — including one in the Al-Sabra neighbourhood that killed eight people.

Attacks were also reported elsewhere across the territory, he said, with the “total tally currently rising to 42 dead”.

The army did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the figure.

“The situation is extremely dangerous… Each day, each minute, there are bombings, martyrs, death and blood — we can’t take it anymore,” Al-Sabra resident Ibrahim Al-Shurafa told AFP, explaining strikes and shelling were ongoing.

“We don’t know where to go. Death follows us everywhere,” he added.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.

The October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel’s offensive has killed at least 62,686 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.

AFP

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Venezuela Frees Eight Opposition Leaders

Published

13 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Venezuelan authorities released eight opposition leaders from jail early Sunday, including a former congressman and two Italian citizens, and granted house arrest to five others, an opposition politician said.

Most of those released had been charged with corruption in opposition-run mayoral offices.

Also set free was Congressman, Amirico de Grazia, detained amid protests that erupted during President Nicolas Maduro’s reelection in 2024.

“Today, several families are once again embracing their loved ones. We know there are many left, and we have not forgotten them; we continue to fight for everyone,” two-time former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said on X.

Opposition leaders Victor Jurado, Simon Vargas, Arelis Ojeda Escalante, Mayra Castro, Diana Berrio, Gorka Carnevalli, as well as Italian nationals Margarita Assenzo and de Grazia were released, Capriles said.

Nabil Maalouf, Valentin Gutierrez Pineda, Rafael Ramirez, Pedro Guanipa, and David Barroso were placed under house arrest.

The Italian government confirmed the release of de Grazia and Assenzo, who must appear in court to clarify the conditions of their release. It also vowed to continue working on securing the release of other detained Italians.

“We have always said, and we maintain it: we will talk to whomever we need to talk to so that there is not a single political prisoner in our Venezuela!” Capriles added.

AFP

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Russia, Ukraine Exchange Prisoners Of War, Civilians

Published

13 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Russia and Ukraine each sent back more prisoners of war on Sunday in the latest in a series of exchanges that have seen hundreds of POWs released this year, the two sides said.

Large-scale prisoner exchanges were the only tangible result of three rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul between May and July.

They remain one of the few areas of cooperation between the two countries since Russia’s offensive began in 2022.

“On August 24, 146 Russian servicemen were returned from the territory controlled” by Kyiv, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram.

“In exchange, 146 prisoners of war of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were transferred” to Ukraine, it added. Ukraine did not confirm any figures for the release.

Russia also said that “eight citizens of the Russian Federation—residents of the Kursk region, illegally detained” by Kyiv were also returned.

Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August last year, seizing hundreds of square kilometres (miles) of territory in a major setback for the Kremlin.

Russia deployed thousands of troops from its ally North Korea as part of a counterattack but did not fully reclaim the region until April.

Among the Ukrainians released on Sunday was journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Khyliuk was kidnapped in the Kyiv region in March 2022. He is finally home in Ukraine,” Zelensky said on social media.

Also freed was former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolayenko, “who spent more than three years in captivity,” Zelensky’s aide Andriy Yermak wrote on X.

“In 2022, he was on the list for return, but Volodymyr voluntarily refused to be exchanged in favour of a seriously ill prisoner with whom he was sharing a cell in a Russian prison,” Yermak said.

AFP