The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Ibadan on Thursday dismissed the petition challenging Governor Seyi Makinde’s victory at the March 18 governorship election in Oyo State.

Naija News understands that the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) and its candidate had approached the court to challenge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for declaring Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner after polling 563,756 votes.

Respondents in the petition are the PDP and INEC.

Ruling on the petition on Thursday, the tribunal, in its unanimous ruling read by its Chairman, Justice Ejiron Emudainohwo, dismissed the petition and awarded N1 million each as cost in favour of Makinde and PDP against APM.

Emudainohwo described the petition as frivolous, adding that it was scandalous for the petition to be filed 46 days after the party was aware their candidate was not interested in it.

The Judge insists that the cost must be awarded against the petitioner for wasting the time and resources of the respondents in filling their processes and for wasting the time of the tribunal.

Emudainohwo added that being forced to settle the cost would serve as a deterrent for the petitioner.

Earlier, APM’s counsel, Mr Henry Bello, had informed the tribunal that he had applied for a withdrawal of the petition against Makinde.

Bello said the party’s candidate, Adeniran Oluwaseyi, who was supposed to be the beneficiary of the petition, had lost confidence in the petition and has gone on to congratulate Makinde.

He said the petitioner (the party) has nobody to occupy the position even if their petition had been upheld and urged the court to strike out the petition.

Bello said the reason for filing the petition was because the party’s votes were not recorded in many polling units during the March 18 governorship election in the state.

He urged the court not to award any cost against the petitioner because they have committed resources in filing and prosecuting the petition.

He said: “Withdrawing the petition is not because the petitioner is not willing to prosecute the matter, but it is as a result of the attitude of the party’s candidate who is not a party in the matter.”

Bello added that the conduct of the petitioner and its candidate was worthy of sympathy and commendation, urging the tribunal not to award any cost against the petitioner.

In his response, the INEC counsel, Mr Kizito Duru, said he was not opposed to the petition and would also not be asking for cost.

In his reaction, PDP’s counsel, Mr Isiaka Olagunju, said he was not opposed to the petition’s withdrawal and urged the tribunal to award a cost of N2 million against the petitioner.

Olagunju said his client was entitled to the cost because issues had been joined, pleadings completed, pre-hearing completed, and their intention was to commence hearing when they received the withdrawal application.

He urged the tribunal to award the cost against the petitioner for wasting the time of both the tribunal and the respondents.

On his part, Makinde’s counsel, Mr Kunle Kalejaye, said he also got the withdrawal application the day the matter was slated for hearing, but he was not opposed to it.

Kalejaye said the petition ought not to have been filed by the petitioner, who scored 303 votes in the election against his client, who polled 563,756 votes.

He urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition and award a punitive cost of N10 million against the petitioner to serve as a deterrent to others.

Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to charge or release the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele to court within one week.

Emefiele, who was suspended as CBN Governor on June 10, sued the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the DSS Director General and the DSS for unlawful arrest and detention while seeking N5 million as damages against the defendants.

In his originating motion on notice, Emefiele sought to enforce his right to liberty and freedom of movement, arguing there is no basis for his continuous detention.

When the case on the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the issues surrounding the arrest and detention of Emefiele came up for hearing on Thursday, Justice Muazu maintained that it is within the jurisdiction of a State High Court to entertain the charges brought against the former CBN Governor.

He also noted that the DSS acted within the law and its mandate to arrest, detain and investigate for the prevention of breach of national security.

While the court noted that there was evidence before it to show that there was an order from an Abuja Chief Magistrate Court that permitted the security agency to detain Emefiele for 14 days to enable it to conclude its investigations, the judge nonetheless stressed that Emefiele’s fundamental human rights should not be breached under any guise.

Saying that DSS’ power to arrest must be guided by the provisions of the law that stipulated the conditions under which a Nigerian citizen must be held and for how long, Justice Muazu ordered the DSS to charge Emefiele to court within one or have him released.

While stating that though the applicant has not shown that his arrest and detention are unlawful, the presiding judge however emphasised that the charges brought against Emefiele are bailable, in addition to having rights to a fair hearing.

He said: “Though I am in sympathy with the Applicant but my sentiment will not go far to deliver judgment by granting all the reliefs sought by the Applicant.

“The Applicant has not shown that his arrest, detention and investigation were unlawful.

“However, I am concerned that the application is not without merit. The Applicant is entitled to a fair hearing.

“At this point, the continued detention of the Applicant cannot be justified in the absence of any charge against him.

“At the very least, justice demands that Applicant should be released on administrative bail.

“Consequently, I hereby male an order, directing the Respondents to within one week, charge the Applicant to court or release him on administrative bail,”

Speaking with journalists after the court session, Emefiele’s counsel, Dawodu (SAN) expressed optimism that the government would respect the pronouncement of the court.

He said the process for Emefiele to regain his freedom would commence immediately.

“I think the judiciary is on the right track. Seven days have been given to the DSS to either charge him to court or release him on administrative bail.

“We are expecting him to be released on administrative bail today, as we speak, expecting him to be released today in obedience to the court order.

“I do not think that the President who is a newly minted president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will like to start his administration with the organizations under him disobeying court orders.

“He was at the forefront as a NADECO man to chastise military governments for disobeying court orders, now power is in his hand, we’ll see whether he, himself will obey court orders..”

Gov Hyacinth Alia on Thursday declared that no amount of propaganda would stop the ongoing recovery of Benue property stolen by officials of the immediate past administration.

The stolen assets are being recovered by the Assets Recovery Committee set up by the state government.

A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Tersoo Kula, quoted Alia as saying that no amount of propaganda by the People’s Democratic Party would stop the committee from doing its job.

“My administration will use every lawful means to recover all assets belonging to the State.

“What Ortom and his media men must know is that government is focused and determined to use every lawful means in recovering stolen assets.

“Benue people are solidly behind the government and its mission to recover the assets.

“The Assets Recovery Committee is on course and no amount of media facts-twisting and lie-peddling will stop it from carrying out its mandate.”

The statement said that Alia entered into a covenant with Benue people to deliver good governance and was committed to doing so.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the committee on Tuesday raided a private automobile workshop in Makurdi and recovered 20 cars suspected to belong to the state.

(NAN)

The House of Representatives on Thursday approved the request of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for an amendment to the 2022 appropriation act to allow the Federal Government take N500 billion for palliatives to Nigerians to cushion the pains of subsidy removal.

The House at the Committee of supply approved the President’s request after contributions by members of the House who called for proper utilisation of the funds for the purpose it was meant for.

Members took turns to commend the President for taking a bold step to remove fuel subsidy and showing to Nigerians that he was a listening President.

House Leader, Julius Ihonvbare who presented the request to members for debate said the country has a President who listens to the yearning of the people.

Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda however said the proper yardstick to measure a government is whether it is responsible and responsive.

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday asked the Senate to amend the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act and approve a request for obtaining a loan facility of $800million from the World Bank to finance the National Safety Net Programme of the Federal Government.

The President’s request was contained in a letter read by Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, at the plenary session.

In the letter sent to the Senate, the President said the $800million loan facility is intended to be used to support poor Nigerians and will be disbursed to poor households across the country.

He said the facility is an extension of the unconditional cash transfer being implemented by the Federal Government.

Also on Thursday, the President urged the Senate to approve a request of N500billion to provide palliatives to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.

Tinubu’s letter of request for the $800million World Bank loan, reads in part: “Please note that the Federal Executive Council led by President Muhammadu Buhari approved an additional loan facility to the tune of $800 million to be secured from the World Bank for the National Social Safety Net programme. Copy of FEC’s extract attached.

“You may also wish to note that the purpose of the facility is to expand coverage of shock responsive safety net support among the poor and vulnerable Nigerians. This will assist them in coping with basic needs.

“You may further wish to note that under the conditional cash transfer window of the programme, the Federal Government of Nigeria will transfer the sum of N8,000 per month to 12 million poor and low income households for a period of six months, with a multiplier effect on about 60 million individuals.

“In order to guarantee the credibility of the process, digital transfers will be made directly to beneficiaries’ accounts and mobile wallets.

“It is expected that the programme, will stimulate economic activities in the informal sector, and improve nutrition, health, education, and human capital development of beneficiaries’ households.

“Given the above, I wish to invite the Senate to kindly grant approval for the additional loan facility of $800 million to be secured from World Bank for the National Social Safety Net Programme.

“While hoping that this submission will receive expeditious consideration by the Senate, please accept the assurances of my highest regards.”

The recent removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu’s administration has continued to generate discussions for and against the policy. While some support it due to the inherent benefits to the nation’s economy in the long run, others are clearly against the decision. This is due to the hardships they say the policy will impose on Nigerians. 

The removal of the subsidy, according to some experts, would free up resources for the development of other key sectors such as education, healthcare, transportation and critical infrastructure. The government also added that the decision would curtail perennial corruption in the system and provide it with surplus revenue to spend on other projects.

Either way one may decide to join, the fact is that the subsidy is in itself a form of palliative. Now that it has been removed, there is genuine concern that many Nigerians will be unable to meet the costs of healthcare, education, transportation, food and welfare. Unfortunately, the government has yet to propose tangible palliatives to mitigate the impact of its decision on low-income people. 

Aside from the inflationary effect of floating the naira, prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed beyond many Nigerians’ reach. And if the trend is left unchecked, the policy will exacerbate poverty and further push Nigerians into extreme poverty.

In addition, the authority widened its target by launching an innovative programme called the Group, Individual and Family Social Health Insurance Programme (GIFSHIP), as a deliberate attempt to enrol more Nigerians, not covered by other health insurance programmes, into the health insurance ecosystem. 

It will therefore be instructive for the Tinubu administration to speed up the implementation of these programmes to cover more poor Nigerians who cannot afford their own out-of-pocket health expenses. 

These and other programmes of the authority, if carefully harnessed and supported, will provide individuals and families with financial security. This is done by covering a significant portion of their healthcare expenses and will reduce the burden of out-of-pocket payments, particularly for those on lower incomes. 

It will also increase access to healthcare by offering affordable health insurance options; more individuals can access essential medical services without facing financial barriers. It will also provide a wide range of healthcare services a beneficiary will receive without incurring exorbitant costs. 

Therefore, the adoption of health insurance as a subsidy palliative is crucial for addressing rising healthcare costs and ensuring financial access to quality healthcare for all individuals. Health insurance, as a statutory palliative, will surely ease the health burden of subsidy removal. 

 Muhammad S. Shehu wrote from the NHIA State Office,Bauchi

To this day, the Late Governor Aper Aku, who was in office between October 1979 and December 1983 is regarded as the best governor of Benue State. He left sterling records worthy of an innovator.

But it was not all rosy for Late Aku, though a student of the great Joseph Tarka, for he faced severe problems in Benue, as a state with a long history of neglect.

However, the state has fertile land with great agricultural potential. Aku encouraged mass agricultural production, and during his tenure the state produced bumper harvests of local crops such as yams, cassava, soya beans, cowpea, maize, guinea corn, millet, groundnut, banana, mangoes and oranges. He turned the state into "Food basket of the nation." 

The Government established a number of industries to produce fertilizer and process agricultural products, located close to the areas where the produce was grown. Gov. Aku launched commercial enterprises such as the Benue Brewery, Benro Packaging, Benue Bottling Company, Lobi Bank, Ber-Agbum Fish Farm, Ikogen Cattle Ranch, Taraku Vegetable Processing Industry and Benue International Hotel in Makurdi. He initiated the Makurdi International Market and planned to establish a flour mill in Makurdi. Aku also built a state of the art State Secretariat

He constructed seven cottage hospitals in different locations of the state, established two Teachers Training Colleges at Oju and Makurdi and the University of Technology in Makurdi. He embarked on an ambitious program to expand the number of Secondary Schools. He built roads in Makurdi township and provided street lights, awarded the contract for the Art Council Complex and started work on the Makurdi stadium.

Professor David Iornem once referred to him as "a visionary leader ahead of his time."

The Coup d'etat of December 31, 1983 that ousted Aper Aku and his second republic colleagues in other states, marked the end of golden era in Benue political leadership.

Brig. Gen. John Atom Kpera who succeeded Gov. Aku watched all the lofty projects launched by Aku die irredeemably.

Kpera was appointed Military Governor of Benue on 4th January 1984, the first military leader born in the state to govern the State. His only "achievement" was initiation of the policy of forcing the people to clean their environment under the supervision of soldiers. On his dismissal as governor, he said of the State's treasury that he left it empty because he met it — empty.

Ever since, Benue has become the proverbial child born into affluence, but dies in abject penury. Not even Rev. Fr. Adasu in the defunct third republic could make a notable difference. From George Akume, to Gabriel Suswam, to Samuel Ortom, the story has remained the same.

On May last year, Catholic Bishop of Gboko diocese — His Lordship, William Avenya, in compliance with relevant canonical provisions (sanctioned) dispensed Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia of his priestly ministries, for joining partisan politics, in the race for governorship, which breaches section 285.3 of the revised Code of Canon Law: "clerics are forbidden to assume public offices which entail a participation in the exercise of civil power."

Fr. Alia (now Governor Alia), is a contemporary deja vu of Late Rev. Fr. Moses Adasu who resisted all wise counsels not to soil his clerical cloak, joined partisan politics, and was elected Governor of Benue state on January 2, 1992.

Today, a month and half on the saddle, the light is not green for Gov. (Fr.) Hyacinth Alia. The illusionary sentiments and hope expressed by his people when he replaced his Chasuble with Agbada, is fading away with maddening speed. He has already made two far-reaching decisions which political pundits considered unbecoming of a "man of God."

His recent decision to sack over 13,000 workers and 23 Local Government Council chairmen in the state has raised eyebrows and caused significant concern among the public. Such drastic measures, taken to rectify alleged irregularities in the recruitment process, warrant careful scrutiny.

We must agree however that his swift action sends a ringing message that tough measures are needed to combat corruption and restore integrity in public service. But, while it is important to uphold transparency and accountability, such a mass sacking without proper investigation and consultation has raised questions about fairness and the governor's understanding of due process.

Such decisions come with a lot of unintended consequences.

The overwhelming dismissal of local government council chairmen also raises concerns about the governor's respect for democratic principles. While it is crucial to address corruption and ensure transparency, stripping elected officials of their mandates without concrete evidence of wrongdoing undermines the democratic fabric of governance. It also sets a dangerous precedent.

Critics argue that Governor Alia seems to lack sufficient consideration of alternative courses of action to address the alleged irregularities in the recruitment process. Instead of immediately resorting to mass dismissals, other options such as thorough investigations, audits, or creating systems to verify the legitimacy of appointments could have been explored. Such alternatives would have allowed an opportunity to weed out any corruption while minimizing the negative consequences for innocent workers.

A balanced approach that investigates and rectifies alleged irregularities while safeguarding the livelihoods of innocent workers should have been adopted.

One thing is clear, the "theocratic" approach to leadership which Fr. Alia enjoyed as a priest for over two decades is taking toll on him. Democracy is definitely a strange ally to him. In the Catholic Church which had been his constituency, the laity doesn't wield civil liberty to hold the hierarchy to account, as they do in secular democracy. 

More so, how did he fair in his apostolate before he joined politics? If Fr. Hyacinth couldn't make the parishes he administered, in his days, as Parish Priest better than others in the diocese, when he had the unbounded hierarchical power, how did anyone expect him to be a better political leader, in a democracy where bureaucracy holds sway.

Perhaps, he is seeing the entire state as his Parish, and thus sacked the workers the same way he would the parish Catechist. His leadership philosophy and his apostolate as a priest is definitely clashing with his current statutory position as governor — the political leader of a state.

"All recent appointments into the State Civil Service made by the outgone administration from May 2022 to date are hereby nullified with immediate effect" decreed Gov. Alia militarily.

“All Civil Servants and or persons appointed Permanent Secretaries from the month of January 2023 to date should revert to their previous positions forthwith,” Fr. Alia’s chief press secretary, Tersoo Kula conveyed.

His suspension (sacking) of democratically elected 23 Local Council Chairmen of the state, after a kangaroo recommendation from the state House of Assembly is raising Cain from death. He did this against a subsisting National Industrial Court ruling.

The court judgement, which was delivered on June 15, 2023, followed a case instituted by the then-serving council chairmen. They got judgement in their favour to the effect that their tenure should run full course as provided under the law without let or hindrance from any quarters.

Fr. Hyacinth breached the ruling and handed them over to EFCC. These are men who have the electoral mandate of their people with constitutional executive powers to administer their Local Government Areas.

In the build-up to the 2023 elections, I took a short trip through the recessed walkway of my mind into Nigeria's political history. Though the destination of this ruminating voyage was the early 20th century province of Zungeru, where the amalgamation of what today became Nigeria took place, something dreadful struck my mind, as I pondered on the class of 1979 governors in the defunct old 19 states. Of these 19 governors of the second republic only two — Senator Jim Nwobodo of old Anambra State and His Highness Auwal Ibrahim of old Niger State are still alive. The rest alongside their President and Vice are all dead. This was just 44 years ago when they were the 21 most powerful people in Nigeria vested with unfettered executive powers. Today, they are gone and unreferenced.

Even the two that are still alive no longer make news. It should serve a huge lesson to the current crop of politicians that political dynasty is not an eternal enterprise but their scorecards will be their only legacy either in negativity or positivity.

May Benue succeed and my daylight spare us!

You may have seen it. The list, of course. Those who think that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not moving fast enough to appoint ministers have offered to help. They have composed their own ministerial list for him and shared it on social media. It’s trending now.  

Just one look at it, however, and you would know that it’s an improbable list, even for a Banana republic. It didn’t make sense. Going by the list, not a few commentators are already relishing the prospects of Adams Oshiomhole as Minister of Works; Nasir El-Rufai as Minister of Interior; and Nyesom Wike as Police Affairs Minister, among other fabrications.

It might appear silly to ask, but why the desperation? It’s partly because in many respects, we don’t want anything that resembles a return to the Muhammadu Buhari era. It took Buhari one-eight of his first term of four years or roughly the time General Murtala Mohammed spent in office to compose his cabinet. While Buhari was scratching his head, trying to find his footing, the country ran on voodoo, psychedelically called body language, which really meant nothing.

When Buhari finally came round to it, especially in his second term, he appointed a number of ministers – and some non-ministers, in fact – that made people regret that he made any appointments at all.

I stopped obsessing about ministerial lists long before Buhari appointed ministers. A number of his ministers and appointees made the office a joke to see. Yet, never lacking in the ingenuity of self-help, they managed to make it serious business for themselves.  

When he reconstituted federal boards in 2017, Buhari appointed three dead people into positions. I guess the anxiety about the next ministerial list is partly because the public is genuinely concerned that Tinubu must avoid these mistakes of the past.

In some ways, Abuja sets the tone for governance, regardless of many years of the bad habits it has foisted on a failing federal structure. Forming an early cabinet might help not just the rest of the country, but also partners outside, to have an idea where the country is headed and how to engage the continent’s largest and perhaps one of its most intractable enigmas.

To sustain the speed and momentum of a number of the far-reaching decisions taken by President Tinubu from his first day in office, also, he needs to get his cabinet in place as quickly as possible. But surely not on the timeline of speculators who have not only named his cabinet for him on social media but have also assigned portfolios and given them a resumption date.

I have learnt, over the years, to pay some attention to what is happening in states and local governments, too. A lot going on in Abuja could be undone by governors who, for example, decide to run amok. And we’ve seen them before.

We saw how the wellbeing of the whole could be severely impaired by the sum of the parts, for example, when Ahmed Sani Yerima was governor of Zamfara State. The introduction of “political Sharia law” in that state and its distorted application watered the seed of radicalism not only there but also in many parts of the North West.

Apart from militancy in the South South, President Olusegun Obasanjo spent a chunk of his time dealing with the serious security fallouts of Yerima’s rascality, not to mention the supercharged testosterone of the former governor that could not be restrained until it found a consort in a 15-year-old Egyptian girl. The fellow appears to be back in circulation.

It’s not funny. Once Yerima stoked religious tensions in Gusau, the flames leaped across 12 other states in the North, raising an army of angry people, especially among the young population, for whom problems common to new democracies, such as corruption and inequality, were framed as moral questions to be addressed by the religious police.

Sadly, a high court in the state gave a bizarre ruling that circumscribed the freedom of adherents of other faiths or even non-faithers resident in the state guaranteed in the Constitution. “Political Sharia” became a convenient distraction for political leaders who deflected accountability after collecting billions of naira from Abuja that they squandered on themselves.

No template of ministers by Obasanjo could have foreseen the monster that this zealotry would morph into years later. Boko Haram, ISWAP and other franchises of insurgency found recruits from this religious hotbed from which the country has still not recovered.

Of course, the North did not have a monopoly of such cautionary tales. When a junior minister in Obasanjo’s government, Nenadi Usman, decided to publish a monthly account of what state governments were getting from the federation account, for example, it turned out to be a scam-fest of who is who. There was very little to show for the billions collected. Governors up and down the country had gone rogue, helping themselves to the treasury and stashing abroad whatever was left.  

A report by Matthew T. Page, entitled, Dubai Property: An Oasis for Nigeria’s Corrupt Political Elite, said, “A 2014 report, for example, claimed that Nigerian buyers accounted for 60 percent of all serviced apartment sales in Dubai. Likewise, in 2012, the sales manager of a Dubai real estate firm claimed Nigerians had invested up to $6 billion in Dubai property over the three previous years.”

Beyond the description of the buyers as “politically exposed persons”, the general descriptive classifications contained in the report showed that “security sector leaders” and “governors” were high at the top of the list of the Nigerian owners of Dubai.

While we obsess about the coming ministerial list, we need to keep an eye on what is happening in the states, too. It might be useful not only to be interested in what the governors are doing, but also in who they’re appointing to do what and how, especially with rubber-stamp assemblies.

Of course, it would be unfair to tar all states with a dirty brush. Lagos, especially since 1999, Ekiti (under Governor Kayode Fayemi), Kaduna, and Rivers have made significant strides and will do well to stay on course. I understand, too, how what happens at the centre– what ministers do or fail to do once bitten by Abuja-mylitis – can affect how states are run, especially in areas of procurement and sovereign guarantees.

But for too long, states have been on a long leash because Abuja’s poor reputation has made it the trough of every rogue. That’s why we’re obsessed with who is the next minister and who’s not.

Nobody knows more than Tinubu that even though he carries the same party flag with Buhari, he does not have the luxury of Buhari’s honeymoon period. And should he make any wrong choices – hopefully not – given the scale of the challenges facing the country, he must immediately remove such appointees, instead of indulging them like his predecessor, as if it was some complicated conjugal misery.

Perhaps by Tuesday when the official list is finally released and laid before the Senate, appointment mongers on social media would take their business elsewhere; maybe to the ethno-religious market, where the tribe and religion of the new appointees would almost certainly become the new articles of trade.

*Akoki Aaron Mojolaoluwa, Grand Prize Winner; Olugbenga Dominion Mojolaoluwa, (1^st Runner-Up); Ezima Chinasa Margaret, (2^nd Runner-Up)

The Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange (WSICE) is pleased to announce the winners of the2023 Essay Competition, which is the 14^th edition of the annual youth mentoring and mental capacity development initiative.

The 2023 edition of the competition focused on Nation Building, Good Governance, and National Development. Students from different schools were required to explore Wole Soyinka’s Humanism, Artistry, and Nationalism in their thought process and writing.

The announcement of the Essay winners coincides with the 89^th birthday anniversary (July 13) of the Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, the eminent literary artist, teacher, and rights activist, whose exemplary life and career as a global culture icon and humanist, inspired the project.

Since its launch in 2010, the competition has served as a platform to mentor the youths to imbibe the culture of participating I socio-cultural and political discourses in their environment. It enables the young ones to engage in healthy dialogue about national and international issues, testing the creativity and intelligence of the participants, and building their self-esteem.

A record number of one hundred and eleven (111) entries were received from fifty (50) schools from which 89 finalists were selected through a rigorous process of adjudication by a panel of literary workers and social workers.  

After the exercise Akoki Aaron Mojolaoluwa, a Senior Secondary school (SS) 2 student of Adedokun International School, Ifo, Ogun State, emerged as the Grand Prize winner of the WSICE 2023 Essay Writing Competition.

The WSICE also wishes to congratulate the following students:

First Runner-up: Olugbenga Dominion Mojolaoluwa - Salawu Abiola Comprehensive School (SNR)

Second Runner-up: Ezima Chinasa Margaret, Anglican Girls Grammar School (SNR)

We thank all schools and students for their participation and remain committed to our goal of fostering unity, bolstering integrity, and instilling qualities of good leadership as values, stated Dr Teju Kareem, the Executive Producer of the annual WSICE.

Below are the WS 89 finalist names and schools in no particular order:

WS 89 FINALIST

Media & Communications Unit

www.wsice.org

Tel: +2347082713477

"But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. For last night an angel of God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, 'Don't be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What's more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you'. So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said" (Acts 27:22-25).

     It is time to hang on to his word. When God speaks, it is final. Many Christians enjoy every aspect of serving God, but when things get so rough that demand absolute faith in God's word to scale through, you see them faltering and disappointing God. Following God's leading at normal situation does not require much struggle. But during uncertainties and perilous times, it could be the most herculean decision to make. Following God is not a tea party. It takes a man or a woman who is ready to plunge into any situation believing and holding to his word. Yes, following him is a big risk. Sometimes you are required to go from the known to the unknown. Other times from the natural to the supernatural. But in all depending on nothing but what he has said concerning that particular situation.

      There are so many Christians in the church today, but very few that God can boast of. I mean very few that God can boldly say, "Yes, this is my faithful son (or daughter). Devil, go and try him them and see how he they will stand for me till the end." You know from the scriptures that God boasted of people like Job, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. But, can he do same with anyone today? Can he boast of you? We fail because we don't want to hold on to his word till the end of our trials. We fail because we don't want to take any risk in his name. We also fail because we don't want to lose our comfort.

     Now, anybody that will follow God must be ready to 'hang' on to his word even when every other thing has failed. You must be ready to march on even when the road looks very gloomy or bleak. When it looks senseless to still believe what he had told you. I know you understand what I am talking about here. In that your situation, you already know that every solution tried has failed. Just go get a word from the Lord. Brood over it and begin to walk on it. If truly that word is from God for that specific situation, it will never disappoint. It doesn't matter how complex the enemy might try to make it, you will prevail at last because God has spoken! When God speaks, it is final. Nothing will be added or subtracted from it. It might take time, meet opposition, be mocked and even in some cases be forgotten, yet, it will ultimately come to pass. Stop looking at your circumstances; rather focus on the word of God.

     Now let's go back to our main text - Acts 27. But if you want to follow the story from the very beginning, you can start from chapter 21.When Paul was arrested in Jerusalem by the Jews; who accused him of teaching against the Jewish laws and defiling the temple by bringing in Gentiles into it. You know how the Apostle was rescued by the soldiers, handed over to the Jewish Council, then to governors Felix and Festus and was on his way to Rome to stand before Caesar (the Roman emperor).That you're in the will of God does not guarantee that the enemy will not fight you. But our confidence is that the word and the will of God will always prevail. Though Paul was being bungled to Rome in chains and as a prisoner, it was the original plan of God that one day; the Apostle will take the gospel to Rome. And he (God) allowed that problem to be the vehicle for that particular purpose. When the Apostle finished addressing the Jewish Council and was brought back to the fortress by the commander, the Lord appeared to him that same night, "That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, "Be encouraged Paul. Just as you have told the people about me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome". - Acts 23:11. I hope you got that? So it was God that sending Paul to Rome in chains not his enemies? Wow! This present problem will be a vehicle to your destiny!

    God planned that Paul would take the gospel to Rome. Also, remember that at the beginning, when Paul was converted, the Lord told Ananias concerning Paul, "But the Lord said, Go and do what I say. For Saul (Paul) is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I must show him how much he must suffer for me" Acts 9:15. So, from the beginning, God made it known that Paul was going to be his instrument to take the gospel to the kings and the gentiles. Now, the Apostle was being taken to Rome (in chains) to stand before Caesar. But on the way, the enemy rose up against the journey. Like I said earlier, that you're in the will of God does not guarantee that the enemy will not fight you. But our confidence is that the word and the will of God will always prevail.