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Despite Protest, Pastors, Choir Attend Conference On Witchcraft

Published

4 years ago

November 27, 2019

Editor

The International Conference on Witchcraft on Tuesday kicked off at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, as scheduled, despite opposition to the conference from the Christian bodies.

It was gathered that the opening prayer for the conference was conducted by a Catholic priest, while the moderator was a cleric.

Music was also provided by the UNN Christ Chapel choir.

The conference, organised by Prof. B.I.C Ijomah Centre for Policy Studies and Research, UNN, met stiff opposition and criticisms, but organisers rebuffed the calls to cancel the conference, and instead changed the initial theme: “Witchcraft, meanings, factors and practices,” to ”Dimensions of human behaviours.”

UNN management had directed the organisers to drop the initial theme of the conference on account of outcries from various christian bodies.

However, speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference holding at Nsukka main campus of UNN, the Director of the centre, Prof. Egodi Uchendu, regretted how ordinary academic conference was twisted to cause confusion by social media and other media platforms.

“The casualty of this confusion went beyond being asked by UNN management to change title but also the withdrawal of our keynote speaker, Prof. David Ker.

“I am delighted that social media hyper on the conference didn’t deter participants and organisers from attending the conference, which is completely academic,” she said.

Prof. Damian Opata, in his paper titled “The wealthy are no witches: Towards an Epistemology and Ideology of Witchcraft among the Igbo of Nigeria,” explained that the way witchcraft was propagated and believed by some Nigerians had continued to kill the development of knowledge on the issue.

“Some people have killed the initiative for creative indigenous thinking because of mere belief in witchcraft.

“Pastors, prophets, seers in the foreign religions and charismatic priests of variegated persuasions very frequently use perceived attacks by witches and wizards to put fear in the minds and hearts of their various congregations.”

Continuing, he said, “The truth is, for those who believe that witches and wizards exist, it exists for them; and those who believe it does not exist, it doesn’t exist.

“What we are doing today is completely an academic conference; it’s unfortunate that some people tried on social media to give it different interpretations.”

Head of Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the UNN, Prof. Peter-Jazzy Eze, who spoke on what he titled, “Which witch? What Anthropology knows of the Adult Bugbear,” explained that witchcraft did not exist but only existed in the mind of the people who believed in it.

“Science and technology have overtaken the superstitious belief of witchcraft, which has no practical proof.”

Eze said it was time Africa dropped the belief in witchcraft and embraced robust knowledge in science and technology, “the application of which is very practical and verifiable.”

“If Africans can fully embrace science and technology, in the next 50 years, there will be nothing like superstitious belief in witchcraft, ” he said.

PUNCH

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Edo: Coral City To Accommodate 50,000 Residents — Commissioner

Published

6 hours ago

September 21, 2023

Editor

The Edo State government on Wednesday said it expected its proposed Coral City would accommodate not less than 50,000 residents when completed.

Edo State Commissioner for Physical Planning, Housing, Urban and Regional Development, Isoken Omo, who addressed a joint press conference with her counterpart in the Ministry of Communication and Orientation, Chris Osa Nehikhare, said that the reason for the new city, which she said started September 2022, was to reduce the pressure on the Benin City Centre.

“We have done the design, and we have 1,300 plots available for different land uses: residential, commercial, multi-purpose, religious, leisure, schools, markets, health centres, everything you need for a city to thrive, and it is coming with full infrastructure like roads, drainages, power, telecommunication, and others.

“We intend to house 50,000 people when it is fully completed. We have broken the project into four phases so that within the tenure of the current administration, we will do the first phase with the expectation that the subsequent governments will continue the project. We opened for subscription with 467 plots to jump-start the project,” Omo disclosed.

To achieve that, she added that a New Town Development Authority had been set up to oversee the comprehensive development of the project and appealed to Edo residents to begin to apply for plot allocation in the new city, assuring that the land acquired would come with title documents.

She said that the project would be in four phases, adding that after the initial subscription, subscribers would also be allowed to do staggered and instalment basis.

Also speaking at the press conference, Nehikhare reiterated the state government’s commitment to prioritising the people’s welfare.

Nehikhare disclosed that since the state government flagged off its free bus rides penultimate week, the feedback from the people had been most encouraging as commuters who had been using the free buses had been able to save their daily transportation fares.

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Seplat JVC Trains 350 Teachers In Edo, Delta

Published

6 hours ago

September 21, 2023

Editor

No fewer than 350 teachers drawn from Edo and Delta states respectively were, Wednesday, trained under the Seplat/Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP).

The 4th edition of the Seplat/Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP) which held in Benin was in partnership with Seplat/NNPC E&P.

Speaking, Seplat Director, External Affairs and Sustainability, Chioma Afe, said training is geared towards deepening teachers skills to deliver knowledge to students in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.

Afe also explained that STEAM scheme is to improve self awareness and knowledge of teachers.

According to her, “beyond that, we want to re-orient our teachers. STEAM helps creativity. We can teach Science to students creatively,” adding: “Teacher’s leadership is the process where our teachers collaborate with others to improve teaching to impact teachers.”

Also, the Adviser Community Relations of NNPC E&P, Mr. Owunari Levi, lauded Seplat for its support for the sustained growth and progress of the company’s oil and gas exploration pursuits.

Levi said: “This programme is one of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives designed to provide and build the capacity of Teachers residing within the NNPC E&P Limited/SEPLAT operational communities.”

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Tribunal Judgement: Police In Kano Impose 24-hour Curfew

Published

19 hours ago

September 20, 2023

Editor

The Kano state police command has imposed a 24-hour curfew, to guard against the breakdown of law given the recent judgement passed by the governorship election tribunal on Wednesday.

According to a statement signed by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Muhammad Gumel and made available to pressmen, the curfew takes immediate effect.

He said that given the Constitutional mandate of the Nigeria Police Force alongside the relevant Internal Security and Law Enforcement Agencies to preserve law and order in the State, the Kano State Police Command has mapped out strategies in that direction and called on the good people of the State to give the necessary confidence and supports.

He then added that “Kano State residents are called upon to note that combined Security forces have already been dispatched to the nooks and crannies including the entry and exits of the State to ensure enforcement and strict compliance of the Twenty-Four Hours (24hrs) Curfew order as communicated by the State Government via letter with Reference No: K/SEC/H/435/T.1/153 dated 20th September 2023 taking effect from 6 pm of Wednesday, 20th September to 6 pm of Thursday, 21st September 2023. Violators will be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.

”Finally, I wish to appreciate all the peace-loving People of the State and urge them to remain law-abiding as it’s in the best interest of all that we come together to maintain law and order in the State.