News

[OPINION] Pastor Ibiyeo-money: Get Behind Me, Satan!

Published

4 months ago

April 25, 2025

Editor

Tunde Odesola

Wracked by a head-splitting fever and a head-aching red eye, this article may not see the light of day. But if it’s ever published, dear reader, know that this article is a product of pain, lethargy, tiresomeness and hissing. The meaning of headache is truly a pain in the head.

When I woke up early Monday morning, the pain in my right eye was tormenting. I couldn’t differentiate between a comma and a full stop. The wider I opened my eyes to tell the difference between the two punctuation marks, the more the tail of the comma disappeared, leaving behind a dot that looked exactly like a full stop. By 11 a.m., my body felt like it had been run over by a bus. I took some pain-relieving tablets, got an eye-drop medication and headed into the day, all the same.

On Tuesday morning, I couldn’t open my bloodshot right eye. I felt my hands and legs were bound to a rock, like Oedipus. For relief, I felt like closing my aching eye all day, but work had sounded its worship bell, so I headed to answer the roll call. As I drove to work, I struggled to keep my right eye open, setting my eyes water to flow freely, and the left eye, in kinship sympathy, had joined the right eye to tear.

I hurt like a man under whose right eye three alligator pepper seeds had been tucked. By who? I shall reveal that later. Alone, I suffered seven plagues – headache, eyeache, runny nose, fever, tearing, sleepiness and lethargy. Do note that the whole of biblical Egypt suffered just 10 plagues in the hands of Moses.

The fast sequence of bad news breaking in Nigeria could be tricky for a columnist to follow, more so for a columnist outside Nigerian shores. Therefore, a columnist worth his salt will be on the news trail all day, every week, taking notes of newsy issues and zeroing down on one, two or more en route to the deadline.

On Wednesday morning, I had no eyes to follow Nigerian news, so I said to myself, “I cannot come and kill myself o; I will not write any article this week.” My only desire was just to shut my eyes in perpetuity. By the time I returned from work on Wednesday night, my enervated body was a little energised as butterflies from the nectarean Muse flew along my way. Briefly, I shook off my lethargy and started to monitor trending news from Nigeria.

Terrible news, as usual, sat snugly on the front pew. My news monitoring revealed that in the last few days, over 70 Nigerian Christians were reportedly killed in the Middle Belt region by suspected Muslim herders.

In the dying minutes of Wednesday night, I checked various talking points on Nigeria’s socio-political scene. There was no condemnation of the massacre by any big-name Nigerian cleric. However, there were get-rich-quick blasphemies by some church leaders. The blasphemies caught my attention. Instinctively, I felt like grabbing my laptop and scribbling. But while the spirit was willing, the body was weak as my head pounded and my eye peppered. I sat at my table, but the only request my body members were making was sleep, sleep, sleep while my eyes teared away, steadily.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR: OPINION: Letter To Alaafin Abimbola Owoade

“Why the silence from the Nigerian clergy? They don’t want to heat the polity? Did the government reach out to them not to speak up publicly? To whom do Nigerian clergy owe their allegiance? To God or Bola Tinubu administration? Or to Mammon?” Questions cascaded down my journalistic mind. Savage country, savage leadership.

Thursday afternoon, none had changed for the better among my troubled body parts. Headache. Eyeache. Runny nose and tiredness. Guess what? I never stopped going to work for a day. But I booked an appointment to see the doctor. Because I didn’t book an emergency appointment, I was scheduled to see the doctor on Friday. Today is Thursday – my deadline to submit my article, and I’m going to work in less than three hours. Can I still make it? I’ll try. I’ll try because I don’t want no thief-looking pastor to claim his god of Mammon struck me with sickness. However, if the article fails to make it to the newsstand, it’s not the god of the fake pastor who stopped it; it’s stress-induced fever, lest any thief should boast. I don’t have lip blisters as telltales of sickness. For me, the telltale signs of fever or any sickness in general are inflamed eyelids and reddish eyeballs. I’ve been like that since my years of innocence.

My red eye drips tears unabated. All the eye wants to do is shut down. It’s utterly painful opening it. Pastor Ibiyeo-money, who has never healed any known disability in any person, would claim his god afflicted me with a sight problem, and his congregation would roar, “Hallelujah!!!”

In an outrageous video, Ibiyeo-money said Jesus Christ hated poverty and that Christ never associated with the poor. The cold-blooded way Ibiyeo-money twisted the Holy Bible to assert his warped teaching belonged only in hell.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR: Shameful Letter On Tinubu’s Slavish Assembly

A fake surgeon clutching a scalpel, Ibiyeo-money grabs the balls of a man looking for the fruit of the womb, cuts open his scrotum, throws his testicles in a bottle, gives the bottle to him, and tells him his prayers are answered. But Ibiyeo-money himself sees a doctor monthly. He assures his congregation that his prayer was sufficient for their security while he goes about in bulletproof cars and a horde of armed security men. Ibiyeo-money is the healer who cannot heal himself. In looks and deeds, Ibiyeo-money is the archetypal Agba Yahoo. He talks slowly and self-assuredly – almost in a whisper – like a man of wisdom, age and grace, but will bow down on his face and worship Satan if he sees 30 shekels of silver. I didn’t have a clear picture of those Jesus chased out of the temple until now.

In his atrocious sermon, I suspect Ibiyeo-money was talking about Jesus of Port Harcourt, and not Jesus of Nazareth, who was born in a manger by a poor carpenter father and who rode on a donkey into Jerusalem, instead of a horse. Because I don’t worship money like Ibiyeo-money, I solemnly offer to teach him for free the importance of Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem.

Preached on a Mount of Beatitudes, Jesus’ seminal sermon called “The Beatitudes,” was an opportunity to overplay wealth acquisition, but He downplayed it by emphasising poorness, meekness, righteousness, mercifulness and peacefulness. In the sermon, Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit; For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” I can see Ibiyeo-money is rich in spirit.

In ‘The Beatitudes’, if Jesus was averse to poverty, He wouldn’t have rewarded the poor in spirit with the kingdom of heaven. He would’ve preferred people like Ibiyeo-money who are rich in spirit.

Since all these donkey’s years of professed anointing, miracles, signs and worship, hasn’t the man of god come across the teaching of Jesus which says in Matthew 19:24, “I’ll say it again–-it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God!” If Jesus glamorised riches as Ibiyeo-money does, he wouldn’t speak against wealth acquisition.

Both the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible contain 1,189 chapters. Ibiyeo-money just needs to daily read four chapters of the big Bible he carries about like a signboard, and about nine and a half months, he would have read all the references I pointed out to him.

I’ll close with these passing shots. Jesus told some of those He healed or taught to sell all their earthly property and follow him. If Ibiyeo-money was the one taken to the peak of the world by Satan, and told to bow down and worship, what would he do? I hear him shout, Get beside me, Satan!

Email: tundeodes2003@yahoo.com

Facebook: @Tunde Odesola

X: @Tunde_Odesola

News

Nestle Sacks CEO Over Office Romance

Published

2 hours ago

September 1, 2025

Editor

Swiss food giant, Nestle, on Monday dismissed Laurent Freixe as chief executive with immediate effect over an “undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate.”

The multinational behind Nespresso coffee capsules and KitKat chocolate bars said Freixe’s dismissal followed an investigation.

In a swift move, Nespresso CEO, Philipp Navratil, was appointed to take over by his fellow board members.

“The departure of Laurent Freixe follows an investigation into an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate which breached Nestle’s code of business conduct,” a statement said.

The board said it had ordered an investigation overseen by chairman Paul Bulcke and lead independent director Pablo Isla, with the support of outside counsel.

“This was a necessary decision. Nestle’s values and governance are strong foundations of our company. I thank Laurent for his years of service,” Bulcke said in a statement.

A company veteran, Freixe joined Nestle in France in 1986. He ran the firm’s European operations until 2014, steering them through the subprime and euro crises that began in 2008.

He headed the Latin America division before his promotion as CEO.

Freixe had only been in the top spot since a surprise switch in September 2024, entrusted with reversing soft spending by consumers for the company’s food and household goods.

Nestle’s share price slumped by nearly a quarter last year, raising concerns in Switzerland, where pension funds invest heavily in the company, whose brands also include Purina dog food, Maggi bouillon cubes, Gerber baby food and Nesquik chocolate-flavoured drinks.

Nestle shares closed up 0.13 percent at 75.49 Swiss francs on the Swiss stock exchange.

– Net profits –

In late July, Nestle reported a 10.3-percent drop in first half profits as it struggled to turn around its fortunes amid sluggish consumer spending in China, even as it passed on higher cocoa and coffee prices to consumers.

New chief executive Navratil had been an executive vice-president at Nestle, which is headquartered in Vevey on Lake Geneva.

“The board is confident that he will drive our growth plans forward and accelerate efficiency efforts. We are not changing course on strategy and we will not lose pace on performance,” insisted chairman Bulcke.

Navratil started his career with Nestle in 2001 and took on various roles in Central America, leading the coffee and beverage business in Mexico from 2013 to 2020, when he took over responsibility for global strategy and innovation for the Nescafe and Starbucks brands.

He became chief executive of the Nespresso brand in July last year and joined the company board in January 2025.

“I fully embrace the company’s strategic direction, as well as the action plan in place to drive Nestle’s performance,” said Navratil, pledging to “drive the value creation plan with intensity.”

News

VIDEO: Motorists Stranded As Bridge Fails On Lagos-Benin Expressway

Published

3 hours ago

September 1, 2025

Editor

Motorists and passengers were stranded for hours after a truck fell near a failed portion of a bridge along the Isoko axis of the Lagos-Benin Expressway, exposing the river beneath and rendering the route impassable.

A viral video from the scene showed queues of trapped vehicles as frustrated road users called on the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to urgently repair the dilapidated sections of the highway.

One stranded passenger, who was filmed in the video, lamented that the incident left commuters stuck for over two hours, halting both vehicular movement and the flow of goods.

He said, “I’m currently standing on the Benin-Lagos Expressway, and where we are now is Isoko Camp. This is a bridge, a very short bridge, and this message is to the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, the one who is building a road from Lagos-Calabar Highway, the road to nowhere. This place is currently shut down.

“This truck fell here, and there’s no way. Look at this place. Vehicles are blocked. Look this way, everywhere packed up.”

The visibly frustrated commuter revealed the deteriorating state of the bridge, pointing to exposed sections above the river, which he described as a threat to lives and businesses.

He criticised the Federal Government’s focus on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, accusing Umahi of neglecting critical economic routes such as the Lagos-Benin Expressway.

“This is an expressway, and we have a minister. This is the Lagos-Benin Expressway yet, our minister, dey do Lagos – Calabar Highway,” he said.

“This is what we have. Do you know how many people pass here? As I’m speaking to you now, if you look up, trailer. If you know the number of trailers that are here and are trapped, it means the economy of Nigeria is affected. Because the number of goods and services has been shut down. Everywhere is shut down.

“This road now, everywhere is at standstill. This vehicle is even lucky that it didn’t fall into the water. And we have a Minister of Works wasting money, saying Calabar Expressway.”

He further argued that the Lagos-Benin Expressway carries more economic importance than the Lagos-Calabar Highway, urging the minister to prioritise repairs.

He said, “Mr. Minister, let me educate you. If you have a small economic sense, you will know that this road alone is affecting Nigeria’s economy. But that Calabar Expressway, it’s not affecting anybody. If you go there now, you won’t see vehicles parked lined up there. The only place where you will see vehicles lined up is on this road. So if the Minister has more direction, he will go and fix this road.

“I see when they say they need more money, they are borrowing more money to put in the road we don’t use. Then the one we use is abandoned. So please, those who are close to the Minister, talk to him. We are stranded here now. We have been here for over two hours now, and nothing is moving.”

The video has gained the attention of concerned citizens on social media, some of whom describe the road as a “death trap” and joined in calling for quick intervention on the road.

Watch video below:

https://x.com/MobilePunch/status/1962577345832714466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1962577345832714466%7Ctwgr%5Edf307ccd0eb71fe84e2d24b726307513398112b3%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpunchng.com%2Fvideo-motorists-stranded-as-bridge-fails-on-lagos-benin-expressway%2F

News

Bauchi Govt Inaugurates Pastors, Imams Peace Building Committee

Published

5 hours ago

September 1, 2025

Editor

Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state has inaugurated a 32- member Pastors/Imams peace building Committee to promote peaceful coexistence in Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa Local Government Areas of the state.

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony on Monday, the governor said the move was necessitated by the need for the government to consolidate on the peace it had built and sustained over the last six years.

According to him, this peaceful coexistence had recently been threatened by the actions of unpatriotic elements within the state who didn’t wish the state well and were bent on hiding under the cover of farmer-herder clashes to taint the gains Bauchi has made so far.

While acknowledging that minor incidences are common, especially during the farming season, Mohammed said that the dimension of the recent threats in the areas was indicative of a deliberate attempt to cause disharmony.

He said it was to also portray the state in bad face in order to sully the recognition it had attained as one of the most peaceful states in not just the Northeast sub-region but in the country at large.

“We will not allow our hard earned peaceful coexistence to be truncated by the special grace of Allah. We have invested massively over the last six years in security and peace building measures and mechanisms.

“I will not allow anyone, no matter how highly placed, to scuttle the serenity and harmony that we have attained upon which our development and growth lies. I will deal decisively with all shenanigans fueling this crisis.

“I want to assure the citizens of the state that we are working very hard and continuously with the security agencies to contain every situation around the state”, he said.

The governor said the committee is to embark on religious, sensitisation to promote peaceful coexistence and encourage inter-group communication.

He said they are to also mediate disputes and foster dialogue between different groups where necessary, act as bridges by leading initiatives for inter-faith dialogue and understanding.

Mohammed added that they are to utilize their religious institutions to provide the platforms for community engagement and mobilisation of people towards peace building efforts, influencing attitude and behaviors.

The committee, the governor said, is to leverage on the teachings of religious sacred texts to inspire others to embrace the values of love, forgiveness, eschew hatred and violence.

Responding, Rev. Benson Bature and Imam Faidu Musa, Chairmen, Council of Imams and Pastors of the two LGAs who are the co-Chairs of the committee vowed to discharge their assigned duties even if they would have to pay with their lives.

They said they knew the miscreants were being pushed by some people that didn’t want peace to reign in the two LGAs, pledging to fish them out and hand them over to the authorities.

According to them, this would be done in no distant time as the religious leaders were working in unison, adding that even if a member of the committee is found culpable, he would be handed over to the authorities.