President Bola Tinubu has congratulated political scientist, public administrator and Federal Civil Service Commission Chairman Prof. Tunji Olaopa as he clocked the milestone 65 years on Friday, December 20, 2024.

In the president’s congratulatory message signed by his Special Adviser on
Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga on Friday, he lauded Olaopa as a reputable intellectual and advocate of public service reforms and institutional strengthening who rose to the zenith of his civil service career.

According to the statement, before Olaopa’s retirement, “he served as Permanent Secretary in various ministries before proceeding to establish the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy – ISGPP. He later lectured at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, near Jos.

“President Tinubu commends Prof. Olaopa for his contributions to nation-building through his engagement in public service and interventions and his scholarly contributions including numerous books and writings, which have helped shape public policy.

“The President charges Prof. Olaopa with instituting reforms that adequately position the service as the bedrock of purposeful administration and governance.

“President Tinubu extends his warmest wishes to the esteemed professor, hoping for many years of good health and meritorious service to the country.”

The Advocacy for Alleged Witches  (AfAW) has condemned  a court ruling in Enugu that acquitted, Michael Chukwuilo, a suspected murderer of Ms Mgboebuba in Enugu. Ms Mgboebuba was accused and subsequently beaten to death and buried in the forest for witchcraft.

In a statement by AfAW’s Director Dr Leo Igwe, he said that “In 2022, an informant drew the attention of AfAW to the accusation, persecution, and murder of Ms Mgboebuba: ‘Mgboebuba ate witchcraft and was killing our people. The number she killed was a lot. Through the efforts of her daughter (‘Chikwado’ and her husband) whom she was preparing to kill too, that was how it was discovered what she was doing. Awgu people caught her and questioned why she was killing innocent people who have clean hands, she said that her enemies were the ones that she killed. The names of the people she was preparing to kill were numerous. She had killed too many people and was going to kill more before she was caught. My father and mother, Okeke Kele, and his son, Onyebuchi, his daughter, and his grandchild were among the names found in the book of the people she had killed. The people of Awgu joined hands to drag her to Orie Awgu marketplace, mocked her, dragged her to her father’s compound in Obugo village, and beat her to death, then they carried her corpse and threw it away in the evil forest at the farm settlement of her husband’s village, Ululor’.

“Since 2022, AfAW has been working with the relatives of the victim to bring all those implicated in the murder to justice. As in many cases, the police were reluctant to intervene, arrest, and file charges against the suspects.

“AfAW worked with the widower to pressure police and other state agencies to arrest one of those who masterminded the brutal murder of this woman. Yesterday, the family’s legal counsel sent this message: ‘Good day, the court finally ruled against us, the judge said that the evidence given by our witnesses could not prove the ingredients of the offense of murder and that there was no confessional statement from Michael Chukwuilo. I was surprised to hear such a ruling today in court because he admitted in his statement that he reported your wife to the village council and his statement was admitted before the court.’

“AfAW is deeply saddened by this development because it is a huge setback to efforts to end witch persecution and murder in Nigeria. The police and courts must rise up to their duties and responsibilities to diligently investigate and prosecute cases of witch hunts. Witch killing persists because of impunity. Witch hunting continues because perpetrators get away with their crimes. This court ruling is a serious blow to measures to hold witch hunters accountable. It is unfortunate that, as in many cases of witch persecution and murder, the justice system in Enugu has failed Ms Mgboebuba and her family. The justice system has failed the advocates against witch-hunting across the country, continent, and the world.

“This court ruling is a painful instance of justice delayed and eventually denied. Look, Mgboebuba’s matter is a murder case and a serious crime under the law. It was publicly committed. Mgboebuba did not die while sleeping. A local mob beat her to death and buried the body in a forest. The police were nonchalant. AfAW believes that the police compromised in investigating this capital offense. It took intense pressure and mobilization before the police made an arrest. The government of Enugu was indifferent and negligent in prosecuting the case. It showed no interest in bringing the killers to justice. The government is sending the wrong signals to the world. It is saying that it is unable to protect and defend alleged witches in the state. Mgboebuba’s family members say that they would fight on; they would appeal the judgment. And the Advocacy for Alleged Witches would support them every step of the way.”

Balastro II, Fontana in Resistencia Chaco Province of Argentina is a lesson in the tragedy of existence. The high level of poverty is terrifying! Life here is a simulacrum of Thomas Hobbes horrific classification: “Brutish, nasty and short”. This place in Latin America is described as the “poorest of the poor” in Argentina. Neglected and forsaken in poverty, sickness and diseases with over one million children living in uncertainty over one malnourished meal daily without hope, happiness and future, it was an unimaginable, dark and miserable existence. No food, no water, no roads, no electricity, and all the basic needs of life were in complete abeyance with the exception of a field for football! The physiognomy of destitution bedeviling the community is apparent and embarrassingly suffocating. It takes grace to survive daily.

These are the people Pastor Evelyn Joshua and Emmanuel TV Partners of Synagogue Church Of All Nations SCOAN have gone to put smiles on their faces.
If hard times will always reveal true friends Pastor Evelyn Joshua has demonstrated that the greatest gift you can give someone is your time, your attention, your love, your concern, hope and unshakable faith by providing them with basic needs of life to make them to live as true human beings!

Over 500 families living in penury and inhuman conditions benefited from the truckload of food items, clothing, domestic and educational items worth over 20 millions of Argentina Pesos including cash gifts of $1.5 Pesos for these “wretched of the earth”.
The whole community was agog and electrified. The enthusiasm and joy in the people was palpable and beyond description. It was a big miracle, like the mana from heaven for them to see the enormity of life- transformative goods brought to them free not by their white counterparts but by a black team of Christians from Nigeria on the African continent!

Fontana is really a backward society where witchcraft, worshiping the dead, and all sorts of occultic practices and idolatry are still very rampant. The society is also battling with the menace of hard drugs among the youth especially and other social afflictions.
With joy, dancing, singing and happiness, the open football field for the reception was painted red with the best of their traditional honours and courtesies in uncontrollable simultaneous appreciation.

“We have brought for you the gospel of love from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. You must completely surrender your life to Jesus Christ for your joy to be full and have a lasting happiness” Pastor Joshua declared as the throng of enthusiastic villagers enveloped her in joyful excitement beholding her in a way reminiscent of how Paul and Barnabas were considered extraordinary beings at Lystra during their evangelism .

“We are one with you. The seed of love planted in us with you by Jesus Christ would remain alive. Your challenges are our challenges and your joy is our joy. To you mothers, my sisters, life is full of challenges. Accept Jesus and bring your children up in the way of God so that you can have joy. Please ensure you build in them the fear of God and let them be given sound education and upbringing.This place has become our second home. Let the words of God continue to grow in you and walk in the light of God so that we can continue to rejoice together in Christ Jesus,” she further admonished and inspired the people in frenetic jubilations.

Aduana Solidod Gornama, a 37-year-old homeless mother of five was specially elated to see the gifts: “This is a miracle. May God continue to bless the woman of God. This will go a long way in our lives to save us from untimely death and hopelessness,” she said.

Viviome Piluen Colrol is a jobless housewife with her children and husband living in a sandwiched-like ghetto apartment. “Today is the happiest day in my life. This help is coming when all hope is gone. May God continue to be with the woman of God and SCOAN,” she said.

Jorge Aditouio Movoz, a community leader also living from hand to mouth has this to say: “Words are inadequate to express our joy in this community to Pastor Evelyn Joshua for these marvelous gifts. We are all overwhelmed to see you from Nigeria, coming here to bless us in this way. We thank God for your love and kindness to us in our abject poverty and miserable existence. May God continue to bless you and your church. This is marvelous to us”.

Clearly the mills of God grind slowly but they grind exceedingly fine. This is the legacy and foundation laid down by the God’s General, Prophet TB Joshua.

“By the grace of God we have put our hands on the plow and we can’t look back. We are committed to changing lives, changing nations and changing the world for the salvation of souls and a better humanity as the Lord directs us to move,” said Evelyn Joshua.

Obviously this is a move of God. A white pastor in the crowd overwhelmed by the stupendous generosity said quietly: “God is awesome! We used to pray for the black people, it’s the black that are now praying for us. Glory be to His Holy name”.

Without doubt there will be a better world and humanity if love is allowed to practically lead in human affairs as embedded in SCOAN. Greater things are coming!