The Emeritus Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has pointed out that politicians driven by greed often select churches and preachers that do not challenge their corrupt practices.

The respected cleric emphasized that it is the duty of religious leaders to speak truthfully to their congregations to foster meaningful societal change.

Onaiyekan made these remarks during his appearance on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political show on Channels Television.

“I have noticed in Nigeria that greedy people have a way of choosing the kind of churches they go to and which preachers they listen to. If they go to a church where they are constantly being challenged and made uncomfortable, they won’t come back next Sunday but we need more of that,” the Cardinal explained.

He argued that building grand cathedrals filled with worshippers is not enough, adding that there must be a deeper, transformative impact on society.

“The official religious institutions we have in Nigeria have a task to do self-evaluation. They should ask themselves: have we been projecting the right message of our faiths? If we have been doing it, we will not have this kind of outcome.

“The kind of corrupt and godly outcomes have shown that the kind of religiousness that we have is not leading anywhere,” he stated.

Cardinal Onaiyekan cautioned against the complacency of religious institutions in Nigeria, urging them to reflect on their role.

“We cannot just be rejoicing that our churches are full, that we are building big churches. Very good but we still want to see where is godliness in all of these. And if religion does not lead to godliness, it is even worse than none at all,” he added.

The Archbishop lamented the growing corruption among the country’s leaders, whose mismanagement has deepened the nation’s poverty.

“There is so much impunity. People take a lot of things that don’t belong to them and nobody asks them. Whereas if a poor man steals a piece of yam in the village, they throw him in jail for six months or more. So, there is something wrong with the justice system,” he said.

Since last month when a new national coalition, Save Democracy Mega Alliance 2027 (SDMA’27), launched a campaign to amend Nigeria’s constitution to remove the President’s authority over the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and state governors’ power over the State Independent Electoral Commissions, SIECs, quite a number of Nigerians have applauded the move.

The coalition is also pushing for amendment in the constitution to equally remove the president’s powers over the judiciary, particularly in the appointment of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, as well as that of the Chief Judge of State in the case of state governors.

Before the group launched the campaign, there had been calls from several quarters to remove the powers to appoint the heads of the electoral body and judicial arm of the government from the president.

The argument behind the call is that such practice does not guarantee the full independence of both the electoral body and the judiciary because he who pays the piper dictates the tune.

The coalition is also arguing along the same line as it insisted that removing such powers from the president would prevent executive influence in the electoral and judicial systems by transferring the power to appoint heads of the two institutions to a new independent body to be set up thereafter.

Speaking at a briefing in Abuja, recently, the coalition’s spokesperson, Tony Akeni Le Moin, announced that the coalition would formally launch the campaign across all states, culminating in a “boot camp” finale in Abuja.

He tied the SDMA’27’s focus on two main constitutional amendments, stripping the president and governors of their powers to appoint INEC, SIEC, and judiciary heads and transferring these responsibilities to a body of non-partisan and integrity-vetted Nigerians.

The coalition which has been endorsed by prominent leaders and pro-democracy groups across the country, has also garnered support from Professor Pat Utomi, a well-respected political economist.

Utomi, who has described the movement as a significant milestone for Nigeria’s democracy since 1999, equally referenced the Justice Uwais Electoral Reform report as the most appropriate point to start from.

According to him, the report also recommended executive appointment reforms for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the judiciary, as insulating the institutions from executive influence would foster fair elections and improve governance.

The coalition outlined a three-point plan, including mobilising national consensus across political, religious, and civil society networks to create a unified demand for constitutional reforms. The group’s target is to build momentum for a national conference to formally propose the amendments and to lobby both the national and state assemblies to strip the executive of its overbearing influence on the INEC and the judiciary.

The step according to the group is to forestall the reoccurrence of the ugly incident that characterized the 2023 elections in 2027.

It warned that without the reforms, the 2027 elections would likely be a rehearsal of past electoral manipulations.

The group invoked Rev. Martin Luther King Junior’s words on the need for organised resistance, urging Nigerians to prepare for what they described as a “national emergency” to restore Nigeria’s democracy.

Commenting on the development, the president of the Middle Belt Forum, MBF, Dr. Pogu Bitrus told DAILY POST that it is not necessarily about who appoints, but most importantly about who fires.

Ho noted that in addition to who fires, the institution must be strengthened such that who appoints or fires doesn’t matter much as such a person would always be guided and put under check by such a strong institution in place.

He said: “The truth about the matter in Nigeria is not even about who appoints the head of the electoral body or the judiciary, but who fires who. Yes, who fires who matters to some extent.

“If the president can appoint but he has no powers to fire or to remove, that might solve the problem.

“It is the fear of being fired if you not do what they want that makes them do what they do rather than just because you appoint them, because even if you appoint somebody and you don’t grease his elbows and he doesn’t fear that if he doesn’t do what you want he might be fired, then he will not be obliged to do what you want him to do. So, it doesn’t necessarily matter who appoints who but who fires who.

“Secondly, the institution has to be strengthened to the level that people will even fear to do the wrong thing.

“For instance, in China, they have a rule that one can lose his life even in some common things we call gratifications here, not to even talk of the real bribery.

“If judges, INEC boss or any other person knows that if he does the wrong thing and it is traced that he can lose his life, he will not compromise, no matter the amount of money that is involved. That checks and balances can keep them away from doing the wrong thing and force them to do the right thing.

“So, it is not who appoints or who fires but as I said that who fires and the laws have to be strengthened such that the checks and balances are so stringent.

“And that if you do wrong, you know you could lose your life and all your families will be obliterated, so you will not do it.

“So, I think these are the things we need to introduce into the law, rather than who appoints and who doesn’t appoint.

“And then, we can strengthen the law to go beyond that, by saying that even the person who influenced them to do the wrong thing should equally be treated the way the offenders are treated.

“That way, we can ensure that things are done rightly. You know the problem is not that we don’t have laws on the ground. As I am talking, there are laws on the ground that I believe have checks and balances in this regard, but the institutions are weak; and because they are weak, these laws don’t mean a lot.

“So, we should know how to strengthen the institutions, whether it is INEC, the police, the military or the judiciary, so that they can be independent. They can have real probity, accountability and then a respect of law will come in.

“We have already messed the system up and it would require these draconian rules and laws to be able to do the right thing again.”

Also, in his submission, president of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, Alhaji Yerima Shettima expressed doubt about setting up an independent body to oversee such appointments.

He said the system has been so centralized that granting independence to such a separate body might not be possible because the president and commander in chief has enormous powers to do anything.

“The problem is with the independent body. How can you talk about independence when you have a system that is already centralized? And that is why I am an advocate of decentralization. Who is independent now in the country?

“Now, specifically, you are talking about the appointment of the INEC chairman which is the one that is expected to go through screening and be nominated by the NASS.

“That is what I am getting from other quarters but the fact still remains that we still have the commander in chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who oversees everything.”

He also expressed doubt about the capacity of the current National Assembly, NASS, to strip the president of such powers.

He cited the alleged rubber stamp disposition of the current NASS to buttress his argument.

He told DAILY POST that, “stripping the president of the powers to appoint the INEC chairman or the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, cannot happen under the watch of the current NASS that I know of.

“The current NASS is a total rubber stamp and they can’t do anything. So, I don’t even want to waste my energy by saying I believe or assume that anything like that will ever happen. Maybe in the future that will be done but not now.”

He also emphasised the need for strong institutions as the panacea to most of the problems confronting the country at present.

He equally advised that instead of the group or any other person or persons dissipating their energy pushing to strip the president of such power, they should come together and push that INEC as an institution should be strengthened such that it can no longer dance to the whims and caprices of anybody, including the president.

“So, rather than wasting our energy on that; let us see how we can strengthen the institutions. It is not about the independence of the INEC but about strengthening the INEC as an institution.

“There are a lot of reforms that need to be carried out in INEC. If those reforms can be put in place, I think we would have solved most of the problems confronting the INEC and the president will no longer have the capacity to influence the body,” he submitted.

Also speaking, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Lagos State, Adebayo Fadipe, lauded the move, saying it would restore the integrity of the electoral body.

He believes that the name ‘independence,’ as attached to the electoral body’s name, is just a mere whitewash as the body is under the firm control of the President who hires and fires at will.

He also lamented that chairmen of the INEC in the past have all compromised except one or two of them who distinguished themselves creditably.

“But if the powers are removed from the president and given to an independent body, meaning that the INEC chairman is no longer answerable to the president, I think we will begin to have a semblance of credible election in this country.

“The INEC chairmen have always been under the firm grip of the president who dictates what happens. And the past chairmen including the current one have always danced to the tune of the powers that appointed them and it should not be like that.

“They should be independent and work for the good of all Nigerians and not work for a group of individuals. That is why it has not been possible to have credible elections in Nigeria.

“But, if that is done, then it will open a new chapter of electoral credibility in Nigeria.

“All the manipulations that have come to characterise our electoral jurisprudence will become things of the past and the country can become a reference point for other countries when it comes to conducting credible elections,” he told DAILY POST.

Dangote Refinery and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria have signed a 60 million-litre weekly Premium Motor Spirit supply deal.

This comes as IPMAN confirmed that fuel prices have marginally reduced across its member filling stations nationwide.

The Spokesperson of IPMAN, Chinedu Ukadike, disclosed this to DAILY POST on Sunday while giving an update on the direct petrol deal with Dangote Refinery.

Recall that on November 11, 2024, IPMAN announced that it had reached an agreement with Dangote Refinery to lift petrol directly.

The development raised hopes of a fuel price drop.

In a fresh development, Ukadike stated that Dangote had agreed to supply its members with 60 million litres of fuel weekly.

He noted that petrol prices had dropped by between N10 and 50 across filling stations due to the deal it secured with Dangote Refinery.

“While the discussion is still ongoing, Dangote has offered to give us over 60 million litres depending on our patronage.

“The 60 million litres is to be given weekly. And we can take and distribute it across the country once we start lifting the product from the refinery.

“It is obvious now that the prices of the products have crashed. You would have noticed the drop in prices by N10, N15, something N50 or so, and this is due to competition and deregulation in the oil and gas sector,” he stated.

Afrobeats star, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has announced that he will be commemorating his 32nd birthday with a N300 million donation to orphanages.

The singer disclosed this via his X handle on Monday morning.

He explained that the donation would be made to orphanages and a charity that fights against drug abuse among youths.

He promised to share more details in subsequent posts.

The OBO crooner wrote, “Once again, for my birthday this year, we are donating to orphanages and a charity that helps young people stay away from drug abuse & addiction. This year is N300m. Details to follow soon.”

This is not the first time Davido has donated to charity in commemoration of his birthday.

In November 2021, Davido donated N250m to 292 orphanages in celebration of his 29th birthday.

The Emeritus Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has described the administration of President Bola Tinubu as a ‘minority government’, stating that more Nigerians voted against him in the 2023 election.

Naija News reports that the cleric while featuring on the Sunday edition of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political programme on Channels Television, said Tinubu, the then-candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), should switch from campaign mode to governance mode and serve Nigerians well.

Onaiyekan warned Tinubu against running a polarised government where his political cronies are rewarded with appointments, noting that it was not the best way to move the country forward.

He urged the President to do his best to move the nation forward as he would give account of his stewardship to God.

He said, “There are Nigerians who did not vote for APC. Granted that APC got the highest number of votes and that is why they have the right to rule us. But they also forget that there are millions of Nigerians who did not (vote for the APC).

“Whatever the rules say, the reality is that more people vote against Mr President than those who voted for him.

“Even if you are a minority government, which is what I call what we have now, you still have a duty to serve the people and to do all you can to give everybody what is their right, and to rule well.

“Mr President, it’s about time you switched from campaign mode to governance mode. Elections are over. Campaigns are over. You now have to govern and govern the whole of Nigeria and every Nigerian.

“And therefore, the whole system whereby high political offices are given as a reward for those who were political activists, I don’t believe that that is the best way to move the nation forward.

“I would say, now that you (Tinubu) have been declared the President of Nigeria, sit down comfortably on that chair. As a religious leader, I would say God has allowed you on that chair. If God puts you there, you must then know that he is watching you and that He will be asking you what you did on that chair.”

Former Governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Segun Showunmi, has called on the party chieftains to get serious and fix the ongoing crisis in the party.

Naija News reports that Showunmi made this call in a post via his X handle on Monday, stating that the party had failed to secure victory in three off-cycle elections, which clearly shows that the PDP has become its own enemy.

He said the party’s core principles and objectives have been broken, and there is a need to review operating manuals from wards down to states and the national level.

Showunmi state also called for the reformation of the opposition party and not to continue with assumptions; hence, they will not get big northern states.

The post read, “PDP, PDP, PDP!!! It is time to truly reform. After having 3 back to back elections that did not yield to forming a government, especially the last outing that has shown clearly that we have become our enemies. There is no point passing the bulk or blame game, no this is the time to get serious and fix our party.

“Our core principles and objectives have been broken, from our need to review our operating manuals from wards down to states to national, we can no longer get by the way we have done, it is not unusual for a 25 years organization especially a political party to ask itself pertinent questions around why do things happen they way they have for a while now, and how do we forestall a reoccurrence. (First written 21/08/23.)

“I have reason to return to it after our dismal performance in off-season elections. We must review our election management framework, we are due for a stricter audit and reverse logistics review of precisely who was assigned what and how did they the task.

“We can not pretend we don’t know that resources assigned are majorly diverted and that somehow it has now become fashionable to be careless with the day-of-the-vote activities only to come back and blame everyone but ourselves.

“We must rethink what we mean by campaigning where we gather our so-called members in rallies and excite ourselves by claiming we are campaigning, we can not be speaking to the converted who are quick to betray when there is a large pool of voters who don’t get persuaded to come out and votes.

“It is idiotic to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. The attitude of our serving governors to elections needs to be compared with those of our rivals and we will see clearly where we lost or if it makes you happy where we were rigged.

“What type of relationships do we build with critical election stakeholders, students, civil societies, opinion moulders, strong boys as we prefer to call them who are local enforcers and protectors of their territories, what about with the security and with Inec or do we consider them the exclusive preserve of the ruling party.

“The business of assumption is over. There is no basis for us to be losing under the circumstances We are losing because we are not doing the right thing. Do not be deceived we can not win an election simply by playing up tribalism, for both parties now have national spread The big northern votes won’t just fall into our laps. We must run a stylized campaign to make them come.

“Yield this responsibility to those who are passionate and knowledgeable and watch our rivals crumble. They are made of clay feet almost like Goliath and I wearing the full armour of the holy spirit in the order of David will slay them. It starts with preparing ourselves That’s why I preach reformation of our party.”

A former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, has condemned the party’s National Chairman, Umar Damagum over a report of meeting President Bola Tinubu.

Ologbondiyan challenged Damagum to issue a clarification regarding the alleged secret meeting with Tinubu.

In a statement he signed, the PDP chieftain urged the party leaders to rescue the party from the “stranglehold of Damagum and his backers if the party must be revitalised to perform optimally as an opposition political party.”

He said: “How can the head of the leading opposition party be accused of ‘nicodemously’ meeting with the President of the ruling government, and he would have no response to provide?”

Expressing concern over PDP’s loss in Saturday’s Ondo State governorship election, Ologbondiyan stressed that successive off-season elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun may suffer the fate of Kogi, Imo and Ondo States if the substantive National Chairman is not restored.

“It is reprehensible that the Acting National Chairman is supervising the dishevelling of the party.

“Amb. Damagun has the least of interest in working for the success of the party in any election,” he added.

The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Myson Nejo, has expressed concern over the alleged vote trading that characterised Saturday’s poll in Ondo State.

While frowning over the development, Nejo, who came third in the election with 4,138 votes, maintained that he lost the election due to his refusal to buy votes.

According to him, those who could afford to buy votes from the electorate won the election.

Nejo, who stated this on Sunday, stressed that despite losing the election, he was satisfied with himself.

“I thank the good people of Ondo State for voting for me. Without giving them any money, they still voted for me. I want to believe that my vote is a valid vote because there was nothing like vote-buying or any unethical practices on my side. So far, I want to believe I’m a winner in this election,” he said.

On the issue of vote-buying during the election, Nejo pointedly stated that votes were being bought for as much as N20,000, describing the development as worrisome.

“People were buying votes for N20,000 or N15,000, and in my polling unit, it was N10,000 to N15,000. Because I didn’t have money and I told them I wasn’t going to give even a kobo to buy votes, I ended up with only two votes in my unit and about 40 votes in total.

“But I don’t care. People were calling me, asking for money in exchange for their votes, but I stood my ground. If they want to vote, they should vote. I wasn’t going to give a kobo to buy votes,” Nejo said.

Popular Nigerian rapper, Chibuzor Nelson Azubuike, also known as Phyno has stated that music is a jealous and tasking” career.

According to him juggling marriage and music together is incredibly difficult.

Sharing his thoughts on celebrities getting married, Phyno opined that most celebrities careers crash when they get married.

He stated this in a recent episode of the In ‘My Opinion’ podcast.

He said, “Check everybody, statistically, I feel so [most celebrities’ careers crash when they get married].

“Music basically is a jealous career. That’s why people drop out of school to face music. The ones that had to juggle the two, you have to give them kudos because it’s not easy. Sometimes, some people get to a certain fame level and rush back to school and come back to continue from where they stopped because you have to actually face one. Music is tasking; it takes all your time

“Another thing about music is that it is what you pass through that you put into it—life experiences—except if you use songwriters. But if you write your songs, you can’t be talking about happiness when you’ve got a girlfriend that’s stressing you.”