Read Reno’s article below;

Who writes President Buhari’s statements? His spokesman is a pastor like me, yet he ignorantly released the President’s Christmas message which said inter alia that:

“The Holy Book describes Christmas as a festival of peace, joy, healing, hope and fulfilment.“

The statement above is a fallacy. The Holy Bible does not mention the word Christmas, neither does it mention that Christians should mark any festival surrounding the birth of Jesus the Messiah (Nabi Isa in Islam).

Christmas is a European holiday, not a Christian holiday.

It is celebrated in Nigeria and much of the world, for the simple reason that it was Europeans that brought modern day Christianity to Nigeria, Africa and much of the world.

I have read the Holy Books of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and while all of them acknowledge the Messiah, NONE of them instructs believers to celebrate Christmas or the birth of Christ.

In fact, God deliberately made sure we do not celebrate the birth of His only begotten Son, Yeshu’a (Jesus) by keeping the actual date of His birth from us.

No one on earth knows the date of the Messiah’s birth.

What the Holy Bible, and Jesus specifically, asks Christians to celebrate is the death of our Lord.

In Luke 22:19 Jesus says:

“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 11:26 reechoes the Messiah’s instruction when he said:

“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

The reason Jesus asked us to mark His death and not His birth goes all the way back to Solomon (Suleiman in Islam) who said in Ecclesiastes 7:1 that:

“A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.”

The very last thing Jesus said before ascending to heaven is in Matthew 28:18-20, where He said:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and TEACHING THEM TO OBEY EVERYTHING I HAVE COMMANDED YOU. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

These words are called The Great Commission in Christianity.

Jesus asked us to teach only those things He commanded us to teach.

Where did He command us to teach Christmas?

As a matter of fact, Christmas was not celebrated for 336 years after Jesus left the earth.

The first Christmas celebration was in the year 336 AD when the Roman Emperor, Constantine, converted the celebration of a pagan mass to mark the winter solstice which glorified European deities. That festival was marked on December 25.

Do not take my word for it. I urge you, in fact I appeal to you to investigate these statements I just made.

That Christmas has become part of the Christian tradition does not mean that it has become acceptable with God.

You and I know that Jesus condemned the Pharisees. Now ask yourself why Jesus condemned them?

Matthew 15:9 gives us the answer:

“But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

I have already factually established that Christmas IS NOT Christian doctrine. It is a command of a man. To be precise, the name of that man was Emperor Constantine who ordered everyone in the Roman Empire to celebrate the Winter Solstice as Christmas beginning from 336 AD.

This is the epitome of satanism because The Bible warns us in 2 Corinthians 11:14 that:

“for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”

If satan asks any true Christian to celebrate a pagan satanic ritual festival, they will never do it. So he just transformed a satanic ritual festival by giving it a new name-Christmas and voila, Christians begin to celebrate what Jesus did not command us to celebrate.

Christmas is an abomination and a blasphemous festival and the Bible warned us about it in 1 Timothy 4:1 that:

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”

Let me ask you a question. If Jesus and the Bible don’t teach Christmas, from where and who does it come from?

After reading this and you want to disagree with me, please quote the biblical verses that support your argument and not what your pastor or a book other than the Bible says.

Christians are the most gullible people. Today’s churches will celebrate anything as long as it is popular. Churches of this age even celebrate Halloween. Yes, Halloween. They attempt to Christianize it, but they celebrate it none the less.

But before I stray too far from my message, let me just state it for the record that President Muhammadu Buhari is wrong on Christmas. But I don’t blame him. I blame Femi Adesina who obviously read (and perhaps wrote) that statement.

The President can celebrate Christmas. Try as my conscience would, I could not persuade President Jonathan not to celebrate Christmas. It would have been political suicide. However, let no President lie against the Holy Spirit and say that “The Holy Book describes Christmas as a festival of peace, joy, healing, hope and fulfilment.“

Like Orubebe, ‘we will not take it, we will not allow it.’ The Holy Books say no such thing!

Reno Omokri

Life has been unfair to ex-Arsenal star, Emmanuel Eboue, who many months ago earned millions of pounds in wages, lived in a luxurious mansion, and drove flashy cars.

But right now, the former Ivory Coast star, is presently struggling to keep a roof over his head, after he lost all his assets to his divorced wife, Aurelie, UK Mirror exclusively reports.

Eboue is about to lose the only house he is left with, to his former wife, after a lapse of a 3-week deadline given by a judge to hand over the house.

Speaking with Mirror, Eboue talked about hiding from bailiffs, talked about how he occasionally sleeps on the floor of a friend’s home, in a bid to avoid court officials who may be looking to enforce the judge’s order, how he travels by bus, and even cleans his clothes by hand because he has no washing machine.

The 34-year-old tells how his staggering riches-to-rags plight has pushed him to the brink of suicide.

In the exclusive interview with Mirror, Eboue says, “I want God to help me. Only he can help take these thoughts from my mind.”

Eboue, currently unable to play football because of ill-health, now suffers from mental illness after contending with the grief of a painful divorce and estrangement from his three kids.

Eboue also reportedly suffers from the shock of losing his grandfather, Amadou Bertin, who raised him, and his brother, N’Dri Serge, who was killed in a motorbike accident.

The former Ivory Coast defender who is presently unable to play football because of his ill-health as earlier stated, and a ban imposed on him following a problem with an agent, has expressed his desire to work with his former employers at Arsenal.

“When I talk about Arsenal helping me, I am not talking about money, it is about emotional support and opportunity to work there, to help the boys there and be happy”, he says.

The worried star also spoke about how he cannot afford a Lawyer no more, and how he’s about to lose his Enfield property;

“I can’t afford the money to continue to have any lawyer or barrister. I am in the house but I am scared. Because I don’t know what time the police will come. Sometimes I shut off the lights because I don’t want people to know that I am inside. I put everything behind the door. My own house. I suffered to buy my house but I am now scared. I am not going to sell my clothes or sell what I have. I will fight until the end because it is not fair.”

Watch the heartbreaking interview below;

A young adventurous Nigerian from Irua, in Edo State, has narrated how he was driven by poverty to sell his kidney for the sum of N15million in Malaysia.

The man, identified simply as Abu, said he had travelled to Kuala Lumpur in 2008 in search of greener pastures, when he ran into some Malaysians, who told him he could make good money by parting with one of his kidneys.

According to one of his associates, Sam Otarumene, who spoke to Sunday Telegraph, Abu was introduced to some medical agents in Malaysia who briefed him about the “business” and allayed his fears that he could die.

“He was told he could survive on one kidney, and was also assured that he had nothing to lose. Within a few days, some tests were conducted on him, and his organs were certified healthy,” Otarumene said.

Upon completion of the test, he was allegedly told he would be paid in Malaysian Ninggit, which when converted to Naira amounted to N20million. But the agents insisted on receiving 25 per cent of the sum, part of which covered his post-surgery recovery expenses.

An agreement was said to have been duly signed by himself, the agent and the family of the benefitting patient before the operation. He said that was a major requirement before the hospital accepted to perform the surgery.

He was checked into an unnamed hospital on a Friday in the February of 2009 and after preliminary medical procedure, sedated and his kidney harvested. Abu, allegedly received the money and after recovering from the surgery, returned to Nigeria.

Upon his return in 2010, he informed some of his friends about the “business,” and invested his money into private business.

“He first erected a storey building in Irua, and has since then been working with some politicians,” the associate mentioned earlier said.

Attempts to speak with him were rebuffed by Otanumene, who said the action was a guarded secret, because Abu only revealed it to a few of his associates, adding that he even showed them the scar left behind by the surgery. He, however, showed our correspondent a video recording purportedly showing Abu spraying cash when a local musician described as Emperor Wadada, celebrated his 25 years on stage last year.

Clad in white attire, the fair-complexioned Abu danced excitedly before the musicians, spraying money as his accolades resonated from the local amplifiers. He said Abu is married with children and living happily by following his dietary instructions.

Otanumene said that contrary to reports of organ theft, many Nigerians enter into deals to sell off their kidney for a fee, adding that only in few cases were those organs actually sold without the consent of their owners.

Against the latest round of fuel scarcity rocking many parts of the country, private oil marketers are calling for government intervention to enable them to access foreign exchange at a special rate for the importation of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol).

According to them, selling the product at N145 per litre is no longer feasible with the current exchange rate.

Private marketers stopped fuel importation last year due to shortage of foreign exchange and increase in crude prices, which they said had made it unprofitable to import petrol and sell same at N145 per litre.

The National Operations Controller, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Mike Osatuyi, said, “The problem is that the importation (of petrol) is being handled almost 100 per cent by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation as private importers have backed out because the increase in crude price has made the landing cost enter subsidy.

“When the crude price hit $59 per barrel, we could not sell petrol again at N145 per litre if we were importing on our own. It is only the government (NNPC) that is importing and can warehouse the subsidy.”

He said the government through the Central Bank of Nigeria should have intervened by providing foreign exchange at a special rate solely for the PMS importation for both the NNPC and private importers.

Osatuyi said, “Right now, the landing cost of the PMS is N154. If you are importing at N305 to the dollar, by the time you add bank charges, it comes to N307 to the dollar. If you apply that to the current crude price, the landing cost is N154-N155. By the time you add all the margins, the pump price is about N160-N167.

“Before private importers can resume importation, the exchange rate to a dollar must be N250 and we can sell at the price of N145 per litre.”

Commenting on the forex challenge, the Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Obafemi Olawore, also said, “I am told that some people have special rates. If they do, fine; let them give to us also. We will prefer a situation where we have access to forex exchange and we can import.”

The Executive Secretary, Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association, Mr. Olufemi Adewole, in a telephone interview with our correspondent earlier in the month, noted that the increase in price of crude oil had led to a corresponding increase in the prices of refined products.

“Landing cost of the PMS today has increased. By the time we land the product based on the international crude oil prices, petrol should be selling for between N165 and N170 per litre. But government is saying we should sell at N145. So, if there is no subsidy, we have to depend on the NNPC to give us the product,” he said.

A top official of a Lagos-based oil marketing company told our correspondent on condition of anonymity, “Unless government gives another ceiling price, it will not be good to sell at the current price if you import now. It is expensive to import now. Some people who have customers they don’t want to lose can just do small imports.”

Analysts at FBNQuest Capital, in an emailed note on Friday, said improved forex liquidity had led to some relief for players within the downstream sector.

“Initially, oil marketers depended solely on the parallel market for their forex requirements. However, there is now better access via the CBN’s official windows. Furthermore, over the past year, the naira has appreciated considerably on the parallel market, making PMS importation relatively affordable for marketers that still source forex from that market,” they added.

Several stakeholders, including the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, have expressed concerns about the current state of the nation’s downstream petroleum sector, especially a situation whereby the NNPC has become the sole importer of the product into the country.

The Director General, LCCI, Mr. Muda Yusuf, in a telephone interview with our correspondent, said, “It’s unfortunate that fuel queues have returned. But there is a very fundamental problem with our petroleum downstream sector, and the problem is that it is over-regulated. You cannot have a sector as big as that serving our size of population and we expect only the government provider to be supplying fuel. It is not a sustainable model.

“So, there is an urgent need to push back the role of government in the issue of retailing fuel, importing fuel and all of that. Right now, it is only the NNPC that is importing the PMS. Such a thing cannot be efficient; it creates room for all manner of abuses; some of which the marketers cannot disclose because of their own businesses.”

He said the private sector should be allowed to play a bigger role in importation, refining, distribution, marketing and other activities in the downstream sector.

Following the severe fuel scarcity the country experienced in the first quarter and parts of second quarter of last year, the Federal Government on May 11, 2016 increased the price of petrol to N145 per litre from N86, putting an end to fuel subsidy to marketers, in what was described as partial liberalisation of the sector.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, recently noted that the non-availability of forex and the inability of marketers to open letters of credit had then forced them to stop importation.

He said the NNPC was forced to take up the obligation of providing more than 90 per cent of the domestic requirement to cover the demand for petroleum products, adding, “The NNPC was not designed to provide this kind of service. Historically, the NNPC had done an average of 48 per cent of Nigeria’s fuel requirement.”

Source: PUNCH

President Muhammadu Buhari has just shared his 2017 Christmas message to Nigerians, saying; “I am deeply convinced that better days lie ahead for us as a nation as we make progress on all the major fronts where we have set our energies to surmount the challenges”.

Read the full message below;

Dear Compatriots,

I felicitate with all Nigerians, particularly our Christian brothers and sisters, on the occasion of this year’s Christmas day celebration.

The commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ is an important opportunity for us to show love to one another and encourage unity by spending quality time with our friends, families and the less-privileged.

It is also an occasion to draw inspiration from the exemplary lifestyle and teachings of Jesus Christ, who constantly stood for what is right, true and honest.

The Holy Book describes Christmas as a festival of peace, joy, healing, hope and fulfilment. It kindles great expectations in the heart, irrespective of the challenges of the moment.

As we celebrate this Yuletide season, let us devote some time to pray and appreciate the sacrifices of members of our armed services to keep our nation safe and secure.

By the same token, and keeping with the spirit of the season, our gallant troops serving in the frontlines in the fight against insurgency; those wounded, lying in the hospital, as well as civilians who have suffered the brunt of evil and wicked elements these past years, deserve our fervent goodwill and sustained prayers.

The personal fortitude of these individuals will continue to inspire us to victory as we turn the tide against the enemy and annihilate those who work against the unity of our nation.

In this season of hope, let us remember to provide refuge to those who cannot enjoy Christmas at home with their families, or have been driven from their homes by insurgency or violence, particularly the Internally Displaced Persons.

Lately, we have witnessed an upsurge in the activities of trans-border syndicates who lure our youths to modern slavery through irregular migration. While we have stepped up our efforts to halt this wickedness against the upwardly mobile generation, and have evacuated some of our compatriots stranded abroad, we appeal to them to shun the allure of embarking on such perilous journeys.

I am deeply convinced that better days lie ahead for us as a nation as we make progress on all the major fronts where we have set our energies to surmount the challenges.

I wish you all Happy Christmas celebrations.

Muhammadu Buhari

Mrs Olalere had earlier told the court that her marriage of 11 years to her husband, Amidu Olalere, had been full of bitterness resulting from constant battery.

Igando Customary Court in Lagos has dissolved the marriage between Mrs Adeola Olalere and her husband, Amidu, over constant battery.

“I have fainted seven times during frequent beating by my husband. I sometimes landed in the hospital and regained consciousness two to three days after.

“Recently, he beat me to the point that I fainted and I was hospitalised for four days.

“When I was on admission, none of his family members came to see me and we all live in a family house. My husband also refused to pay the bills.

“There was a day he dragged me outside, stripped me naked and descended on me, using me as a punching bag. He did not stop until he saw blood coming out of my body.

“He is so rough, quarrelsome and violent in nature,” the mother of four said, describing her husband as a chain smoker and alcoholic.

“Whenever he brings his friends home to smoke and I complain, he will beat the hell out of me and will not leave me until I faint,” Adeola said.

The 39-year-old trader alleged that her husband had “turned me into his Automated Teller Machine as he collects money from me to give to his friends to buy Indian hemp.

“If I refuse to give him, it is always war in the house,’’ she added.

The petitioner urged the court to terminate the marriage, and that she was no longer interested because her husband might kill her one day.

“Please, end this loveless marriage; I may not be lucky to regain consciousness next time my husband beats me to a pulp,” she said.
Aminu, however, did not deny the allegation of battery.

“I beat her regularly because she is very stubborn and does not obey my orders; anytime we have a misunderstanding and I slap her, she retaliates and that makes me get angry the more,” he said.

The respondent accused his wife of starving him of sex.

According to him, whenever he reports the wife to the mother, she will ask him how many times he will be having sex with her daughter.

“My mother-in-law would ask me not to kill her with sex, instead of admonishing her,” he said.

He said his wife was going out without permission, and that he was the one cooking and washing the children’s school uniform on such occasions.

According to him, his wife moved out of his house with the children in January to stay with her mother.

The defendant said the mother-in-law would rain curses on him whenever he called the wife to return home.

“There was a day my mother-in-law cursed me, and I also cursed her that thunder would kill her.”

The President of the court, Mr Akin Akinniyi, said while delivering judgment in the case on Friday that the petitioner was adamant despite all mediation by the court and family members.

“Since the petitioner insisted on divorce after several interventions, the court has no choice than to dissolve the union in spite of the fact that the husband claims he still loves his wife.

“The court has pronounced the marriage between Mrs Adeola Olalere and Mr Amidu dissolved today; both parties henceforth cease to be husband and wife.

“Both are free to go their separate ways without any hindrances and molestation,” Akinniyi said.

– Dailypost

A young lady has burned to death in Agoloma community in Patani Local Government Area of Delta State penultimate Thursday.

The lady was identified simply as Bridget Sampou Oyindoubra died in the fire that started at midnight.

According to Newtelegraph, the fire started shortly after Bridget returned from an end of the year prayer meeting in her church.

Upon returning home, Bridget immediately went to bed and locked the door to her apartment.

A source said the fire may have been triggered by fuel the deceased stored in her apartment.

”The neighbours poured sand and water into the fire to stop it from engulfing the apartment, but their intervention could not stop the inferno,” said a source.

Bridget was said to have attempted to crawl out of her room to no avail.

A friend of the deceased,Agoinzov Nkemluv, moruning her passing on Facebook page said: ” RIP Bridget, we miss you. Just burnt to death in her house an hour ago.”

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Worldwide, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, on Saturday in Osogbo declared that the coming year, 2018 would be far better than the outgoing 2017 for the country.

In a report by Tribune, the man of God while made it known during Christmas visitation and “Let’s Go A Fishing” programme organised by his church in Osogbo, capital of Osun State.

According to him, despite the hardship faced by the people, the year 2018 would be better, just as he implored the citizens not to lose hope in the future of Nigeria.

Adeboye, who arrived Osogbo City Stadium, venue of the programme around 8.45 am said Jesus Christ died for everybody, saying it was imperative for everybody to love Jesus, who he described as the solution to myriad of challenges, confronting the world.

Making reference to the book of John, Chapter 3, Verse 16, he charged Nigerians and Osun people to love Jesus Christ, noting that solution to socio-economic problems in the nation, Africa and the global community lies in Jesus.

He, however, expressed happiness for being in his home state, Osun. He offered special prayer for the State, assuring that God would remember past sacrifices of the people of Nigeria, just as he encouraged all to move much more closer to God, with a view to get more favours and mercy from the Almighty.

Dibal Yakadi, the Commissioner of Police in Niger today advised Nigerians against accepting wrapped gifts from strangers during the Christmas and New Year festivities.

Yakadi, who gave the advice in Minna in an interview said such gifts could turn out to be parcel bombs and be dangerous if opened. He also urged the people to be security conscious, especially while attending public functions during and after festivities. He disclosed that the command had already taken proactive security measures to deal with threats to peace before, during and after the Yuletide.

“We will continue to utilise the avenues of intelligence-led policing, community, visibility policing as well as constant intelligence-led raid on criminal hideouts,” he said.

He called on residents to provide useful information on suspicious movements of people, saying this would assist security officials to apprehend criminals at the planning stages of their activities. “We are battle ready to deal with any form of security threats to enable people celebrate the festivities in a peaceful atmosphere,” he said.

He urged officers and men of the command to continue to put in their best as hard working ones would be rewarded, while the indolent personnel would be sanctioned accordingly.

A middle-aged man who pretended to be mentally ill has been apprehended in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

Our correspondent learnt that the man, whose name could not be ascertained, as of the time of filing this report, was apprehended near the state Ministry of Environment and Forestry along the Ahmadu Bello Way in Ilorin.

Sources said when he was searched, a cheque of N100m, pictures he allegedly took with top politicians in Nigeria, four automated teller machine cards, male and female condoms, Valium injections and Infinix Hot 5 phone were found on him.

The sources said the man, who would have been lynched by a mob, was rescued by another man dressed in a native attire.

An eye-witness who pleaded anonymity, said she got there when people caught the fake madman. She said she witnessed how the man was searched.

According to her, she ran away when it seemed the mob might lynch the suspect.

The picture of the man and a brief description of what transpired when he was apprehended quickly spread through the social media.

But the Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ajayi Okasanmi, said he could not confirm the discovery of the fake madman, adding that all he saw was a picture of the purported man circulating on the social media.

The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has banned the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force from conducting stop and search operations on roads except when necessary.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some group of Nigerians recently in the social media, called for the scrapping of SARS over alleged harassment of innocent Nigerians, using the hashtag #EndSARS.

Following the allegation, the Inspector- General of Police promised to restructure and reposition the unit for effective service delivery.

Mr. Idris also warned members of the group against acting as bodyguards, delving into land matters and debt collection that were considered civil.

He further warned that members of the unit must only embark on operations with the permission of the commissioner of police in charge of SARS in the police commands.

“You must operate in official uniform clearly marked for identification.

“I just want to warn you all here that any officer caught engaging in these activities will be dealt with accordingly.

“The Nigeria Police force under my leadership shall operate strictly guided by the human rights principles as enshrined in the United Nations charter on human rights,” he said.

He mandated the Inspector-General of police’s monitoring units and the X-squad and other over sights unit of the force to monitor the activities of the SARS.

The police boss noted that the establishment of the unit was due to activities of the men of the underworld.

He said as part of measures to check the unit, they would be solely mandated to confront only armed robbery cases and violent crimes in the country,

Mr. Idris also said men deployed to SARS would undergo training, continuous assessment and psychometric test to determine their suitability or otherwise.