We are not ashamed to be called the church of the rich – Oyedepo

The Founder of Living Faith Church aka Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, in an interview with Saturday Punch said the reason there are so many rich people in 33 year old church is because they know better than others and understand the importance of tithe (Let's not start with this tithe talk abeg, if I start now, we will start fighting here...lol). Read the excerpts from the interview below...

Why are there so many rich people in Winners? Because they know better than their contemporaries. If

you

what

know

don’t

you

have, you won’t know if you are deprived of it. The Bible is an open chequebook, it is by revelation we access what belongs to us; by faith we take delivery of it. Someone had access to our empowerment

a

is

she

and

programme

pepper seller, while others sell one basket a day, she sells six, seven. I learnt she had become the envy of all the

area.

her

in

sellers

pepper

Such person has an understanding that whatever she does, she prospers and she knows that when she

she

tithe,

her

pays

experiences open heavens. But in case people don’t know,

of

lack

for

perish

they

knowledge, and in case they think when you are rich you miss heaven, then they perish for lack of knowledge.

So, it’s right when people claim that this church is only for the rich? It’s for all the people who believe that Jesus already paid for them to be rich. And those who don’t believe, when they come they start believing when they see it happen in a lot of people’s lives. And we are not ashamed to be called the church of the rich. If they call your family poor, will you be excited? Nobody would be excited. Even when a family is poor, they hate to be called poor. No man in his right mind enjoys being called poor, and nobody truly wants to be poor, people may pretend. Which is more honourable between being a giver and a beggar? Most of us came in very poor, but the light of God’s word came on us and we walked out of poverty in grand style into wealth and riches.

How come there is such wealth in the church despite the poverty in the nation? The kingdom of God is funded by God’s resources. We are not funded by the

the

by

but

world,

the

of

economy

economy of the kingdom, which has a budget for all of its agenda on earth. We’ve been here since 1999 and we have

water

or

outage

power

had

never

shortage. The main players are Nigerians, the builders are Nigerians. There is no building here that any foreign expert took part in. There is no foreign company’s presence here, including the tabernacle. Some of the revered foreign companies here in Nigeria are technicians

political

all

are

they

and

Germany,

contractors, not that they have something special to offer.

Read the rest of the interview on Punch

Soldiers allegedly shaves man's hair because it was too bushy

Don't know whether to be sad or be amused by this story. Some army officers now go around shaving people's hair? According to a LIB reader, that happened to his nephew in Warri. His story below...

Something happened recently in Warri and I'd be grateful if you can share it on your blog so that people can be more aware of the madness perpetuated by army officers who are supposed to be protecting the citizens of this great nation.

On Monday the 19th of May, 2014, my nephew was a lone passenger in a Keke (commercial tricycle) on his way back from work along PTI road, Effurun. The Keke was flagged down by some soldiers for no obvious reason. They told him to come down and kneel down which he did. Before he could grasp what was going on, they had started to shave off his hair with a pair of scissors, claiming that his hair was too bushy. Attached is a picture of what his hair looked like when he arrived home.

Can't a responsible young man move about freely in his country anymore or is this a further attempt to provoke youths to restiveness? Unfortunately, the soldiers, who had been terrorizing residents and passersby in that area the whole day, had no name tags on their uniforms. The army Toyota Hilux with registration number 148 is the only exhibit by which they can be traced.

Flavour on His Rise to the Top: “The Money Was Not Coming”

Flavour is now a music superstar, but a few years before she shot into limelight, it wasn’t rosy.

In an interview with Hip Hop World Magazine, the “Ada Ada” crooner speaks on leaving Enugu for Lagos.

“In Enugu at that time, I was coming out big, and Enugu is a small city where everyone knows each other. So everyone knew the guy Flavour, and it was so nice and cozy, but the money was not coming. It was all about the girls because there are many universities here in Enugu so there were many babes (laughs) and wherever you went, you would see them.

And they liked me so much so I was feeling myself, feeling what I was doing. I felt that with the love I got from ladies here I could do anything – go to any club. Things were just so easy for me and I began to feel like a star, but I noticed that I wasn’t making money, and I wasn’t pushing myself. I had no competition so I forgot about my dream to push myself across borders due to the distraction I got mostly from women and then life in Enugu.

Enugu is so chill, and the people want everything easy. Even if you don’t have money to spend, as long as you dress cool, act like a fine boy and up your swag, girls will follow you. Then once in a while, you travel and come back, people will say that this guy has not been in town and he just came back. Those are the kinds of things people want to hear but it wasn’t working for me.

I had too many distractions, and was just misbehaving. And then I decided to help myself. No one could talk to me; everyone was just saying, “you’re doing good”, because they were only seeing the small Enugu town. One day, I said to myself, ‘is this how I’m going to become that musician, that ambassador for music, that icon? The answer was ‘No’. So I decided to push myself higher.

I had (heard of) Obaino music in Alaba. He was interested in me, and when he called about marketing my album, I came to Lagos to see him and that’s how I began to get used to Lagos life. It was kind of difficult because back then, I always travelled by night buses in order to avoid the hassles of the day.

I didn’t care about the risks involved and even when I got to Lagos, I had no place to stay. I had a friend but he would always demand that I give him money to fuel generator but after he collected money, he would switch off the generator after sometime I would wake up at night due to the heat, so it was very difficult. But finally, we’re here.”

Karen Igho is married! Shows off wedding ring

BBA winner Karen Igho showed off a wedding ring last night on her instagram page but I thought she was just being her naughty usual self and didn't take it serious. But when she posted 2 more pics and wrote that she's off the market, it made me curious and I reached out to a real source who confirmed that Karen is indeed married.

"It didn't happen this month or last month, she just chose now to reveal it. Can't say much about it for now though" her publicist told me

What I am trying to find out now is, who the guy is, and when they got married. Big congrats to her!

Ugandan President mocks Pres. Jonathan for accepting international assistance

He actually made an ignorant statement (my opinion). While speaking at a campaign rally recently, Uganda’s President, Yoweri Museveni mocked President Jonathan for accepting foreign assistance to help fight Boko Haram. The former guerrila fighter said he'd rather commit suicide than ask the international community to protect his people against terrorists

“I have never called the United Nations to guard us. Me, Yoweri Museveni to say that I have failed to protect my people and I call on the UN: I would rather hang myself. We prioritized national security by developing a strong Army, otherwise our Uganda would be like DRC, South Sudan, Somalia or Nigeria where militias have disappeared with school children.

“It would be a vote of no confidence in our country and citizens if we cannot guarantee our security. What kind of persons would we be?” He said

Ajegunle ‘Bird Woman’ Children Surface, Deny Their Mother Is A Witch Witch

Two men – children of the unidentified elderly woman who was almost lynched by a mob in the Ajegunle area of Lagos after being accused of witchcraft – have identified the victim as their mother. And according to them, the octogenarian was not a witch, but a victim of nature and had been missing from home.

The elderly woman was attacked by a mob which accused her of being a black bird that transformed into a human being. The mob also said that while being beaten, the woman had confessed that she was a witch, that she had flown to Ibadan, Oyo State for a meeting but got tired on returning from Lagos and fell from the sky. Fortunately, the woman was rescued by the police and taken to the Area B Command.

Sources at the command have now told PUNCH Metro that two sons of the victim came to the command on Thursday after seeing their mother’s picture in the newspapers. The source said the two men explained that their mother had wandered off some days ago and they had been looking for her. The men, who said they lived in the Iju Ishaga area of the state were said to have been puzzled as to how their mother walked all the way to Ajegunle.

A policeman at the command said:

“This morning, two men came to the command claiming that they were the sons of the woman. The men said their mother was not a witch and were very angry with the manner the rumour was spreading. They said they were shocked that youths could attack an old woman in her 80s and they were even asking for justice because the woman sustained bruises on her head.”

Another police source at the command said that the Area commander, ACP Ndubueze Anene, had transferred the woman to the command headquarters in Ikeja for further investigation. He said the sons had also gone to the headquarters to provide evidence that the woman was indeed their mother.

Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, told PUNCH Metro that the woman was not a witch and warned residents of the state against jungle justice. When asked if the woman had been released, Braide said:

“Yes she has been released to her son. The family said due to her old age, she was very ill and was brought from Ibadan to Lagos to stay with one of her sons. The woman’s daughter-in-law said she went to buy drugs for her nearby, but by the time she returned home, the woman had left the house.”

Jude Okoye shows off his new ride

He shared the pic on his instagram page this evening. Is that a Hummer? Nice ride!!!

Photos: Wizkid & Davido Playing Photos: Wizkid & Davido Playing Around In Benin For #StarTrek Sho Around In Benin For #StarTrek Show

If you think Davido and Wizkid are having personal beef among themselves, then you need to see this! The two talented young Nigerian artists are presently in Benin for a show. Maybe the two of them will cook a hit song together for the first time in their music career anytime soon. See more photos below;

Asari Dokubo uses children for anti-BringBackOurGirls campaign

The ex-Niger Delta militant is obviously still convinced that there are no missing school children. He shared photos of children campaigning against Chibok. See more pics below

Don Jazzy joins #BringBackOurGirl ca

I just wonder why now after 33 days. Mavin record boss Don Jazzy joints #BringBackOurGirls campaign and sends a daring message across to Boko Haram terrorists saying… Message below:

If you like move our girls underground. We will find you. And you can’t escape the wrath of God. You will be kissed by Karma. #BringBackOurGirls

Man dies digging grave to steal skull in Osun state

An unidentified young man in Ilobu community, in the Irepodun LGA of Osun State, was found head deep in a grave in the early hours of Wednesday May 14th, after allegedly attempting to cut off the head of a corpse, buried in Tonto compound in the area, Saturday Tribune reports

The suspect’s accomplices fled in terror after seeing half his body get stuck mysteriously in the grave. His death has generated concern among the terrified residents of the Ilobu community.

It was gathered that the victim and his partners in crime allegedly came to Tonto compound in the early hours of Wednesday with a plot to exhume the corpse of an aged woman and sever her decomposed head, allegedly for ritual purposes. Continue...

A credible source in the community, who did not want to be named, told Saturday Tribune that “this particular corpse was buried five years ago and the suspected ritualist attended the burial in Ilobu.” He explained: “There are indications that he did not dig the grave alone. What we discovered is that he may have been attempting to cut off the head of the corpse when something suddenly hooked him as he managed to force half of his body into the grave to cut off the head.

“He got hooked and died on the spot, a development which possibly compelled other ritualists to run away from the scene so that they may not be affected by the mysterious thing that killed (their colleague).” While commenting on how the residents of Ilobu got to know about the incident, since it happened in the wee hours, the source said a woman who was hawking ogi (a local corn meal) early in the morning of Wednesday spotted the torso of the suspect sticking out of the grave and raised the alarm.

“His corpse was discovered around 6.30am and his head was covered in mud. The residents here alerted the police division in Ilobu and they later came to evacuate the body and put it in their van before taking him away,” he said. Saturday Tribune was informed that the remains of the suspected ritualist were subsequently taken to and deposited at the mortuary of the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH), Osogbo, the state capital.

When contacted, the Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Mr Ibrahim Maishanu, said he was aware of the incident, and that the police would conduct investigation to determine what led to the suspect’s death.

He said the police could not confirm that the suspect was a ritualist because of the circumstances surrounding the discovery of his corpse at a grave in Ilobu; that they would have to investigate the matter before giving any concrete information on the incident.

Source: Nigerian Tribune

Rocket attack on Soye village in Borno state kills 31, injures many

Here's a breaking news report from NTA. A rocket attack on Soye Village market in Bama LGA of Borno state has left 31 people dead and many injured. Below is how they are reporting it

The number of the dead following the rocket attack on Soye village market near Bama which killed 29 and injured many others has risen to 31. Chairman of Bama local government area, baba Shehu Gulumba has visited the general hospital in the area to sympathize with victims and also made a fifty thousand naira cash donation to a boy who sustained severe burns. Three out of the seven who were injured having died; the remaining four are receiving treatment in Maiduguri while five have already been discharged.

Photos: Peter Okoye Debuts New Photos: Peter Okoye Debuts New Look Look

Peter Okoye decided to change his look and believe me the handsome father is looking more cute than ever, Nice haircut and s*xy bod. More photos below..

Made-in-Nigeria vehicles to roll out next month – FG

Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom has revealed the Federal Government's plans to roll out made-in-Nigeria vehicles into the market next month, June 2014. The Minister made this known when he received a delegation from Automobile Peugeot, France in his office in Abuja, Punch reports.

The minister, while addressing the delegation which included the company's Vice President, Mr. Yves Moulin, said the newly introduced auto policy is quite effective and is attracting automobile brands to establish assembly plants in Nigeria. Continue...

"The automotive policy is derived from the National Industrial Revolution Plan, and we are happy with the response we have been getting from the automotive industry worldwide; and with your coming, it shows that this policy is working. When the policy was introduced, people criticised it and most of them do not understand the benefit of the policy. We have had several stakeholders from the automotive industry approaching us to set up assembly plants and spare parts plants in the country. I want to assure up you on behalf of the government that we will do everything to make sure the policy succeeds.” the minister said

Meanwhile the first set of Peugeot cars assembled here in Nigeria would be reeled out next month, says Managing Director, Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Limited, Mr Ibrahim Boyi. He said this was made possible due to the Auto policy placed by the government.

Check out Genevieve Nnaji's Mercedes Benz G Wagon (G 63) AMG

The car is said to be worth over N25m. She's had it for a while though. (Pic source - Maestromedia)

'Many Nigerian artistes lead fake lives' – Duncan Mighty

In an interview with Punch published today, Port Harcourt first son, Duncan Mighty, called some of his colleagues out, saying a lot of them lead fake lives and lie about their acquisition...

“A lot of Nigerian artistes’ lead fake lives. They claim to be what they are not, just because they want to meet up their peers and fellow artistes. I live in my own house (it has a swimming pool, lounge and studio) and I make bold to say I didn’t buy it. I built it from the scratch. But a lot of these artistes will claim they bought a house for N300m or N400m. But I didn’t spend up to that amount to build my house. If you have that amount, say N500m, you don’t go and buy one property. There are many things to do with money. They claim they have state-of-the-art cars, but that is not my priority. I have choice cars, but it takes a lot of money to maintain such cars.”

Adamawa villagers today killed 70 Boko Haram men searching for food

According to a report by Sahara Reporters, no fewer than 70 members of Boko Haram were killed today May 16th by members of a vigilante group in the Madagali town of Adamawa state and captured seven alive who they handed over to the police.

The vigilantes reportedly acted after they were tipped off by a local food vendor that the militants were coming to get food before heading out for a major operation to raid villages in the area, usually carried out at night.

With this information, the vigilantes mobilized, laid ambush and patiently waited for the men of the sect. The men, numbering about 100, showed up later at night to pick up their meal and that was when the vigilantes attacked them, killing most and arresting the ones that survived the assault. Continue...

Today's attack is reportedly the second time this week that local vigilantes have defeated Boko Haram men. A security source told SaharaReporters that resident in many remote areas in the North seem to have decided that the best way to repel incessant attacks by Boko Haram insurgents was to take matters into their own hands.

A vigilante member involved in today's ambush told a Sahara Reporters correspondent that Nigerian soldiers appear unable or unwilling to wage an effective war against the insurgents.

"They (soldiers) seem to be helpless and to fear the Boko Haram warriors who terrorize us here. But we are not afraid. They are men like us. And we are tired of folding up our hands and allowing them to kill us, to kill our wives and to kill our children."

Source: Sahara Reporters

"Jose Mourinho is a fool for questioning my age' -Samuel Eto'o

Well, Sameul Eto'o can talk now because his contract with Chelsea is finished. He's finally responded to his former coach Jose Mourinho's comments about him being older than 33. Speaking with reporters in Abidjan yesterday, the 3-time African footballer of the year called Mourinho a fool for questioning his age

"I am 33 years old. And it is not because a fool called me an old man that you must believe it. And you may have noticed that the old man was better than the youngsters.'

Eto'o also hinted that he will play for a European club next season rather than sign a lucrative deal in the Middle East. "Some believe I am going to retire in the US or the Middle East, but I have regained the joy of the Champions League and I am going to carry on playing in the Champions League."

Sudanese woman gets death sentence for marrying a Christian man

Pregnant 27 year old Sudanese woman, Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag has been sentenced to death by hanging by a Sudanese court for apostasy, (that is, renouncing ones faith or religion) after marrying a Christian man Mariam, whose father is Muslim but raised orthodox Christian by her mother, was earlier sentenced to death by hanging on Sunday May 11th but was given till today May 15th to have a rethink and convert back to Islam before the verdict would be enforced. However during a court appearance today, Mariam maintained that she's a Christian and there's no going back.

"We gave you three days to recant but you insist on not returning to Islam. I sentence you to be hanged to death." Judge Abbas Mohammed Al-Khalifa told the woman in court today, AFP reports Continue...

Khalifa also sentenced Ishag to 100 lashes for "adultery".

“I am a Christian and I never committed apostasy,” she said in court.

Defending the judgement of the Sudanese judge, Ahmed Bilal Osman, Sudan's information Minister, said such judgement is not only delivered in Sudan but also in other Islamic countries

"It's not only Sudan. In Saudi Arabia, in all the Muslim countries, it is not allowed at all for a Muslim to change his/her religion." he told AFP

The death sentence will reportedly be carried out after Ibrahim gives birth.

Ini Edo offered scholarship to study Law at National Open University

She announced it on her instagram page this afternoon. Congrats to her!