Lagos Pastor, Tony Rapu, prays for Herbalist in his shrine

Dr. Tony Rapu recently premiered a weekly series tagged ‘My Lagos Diaries’ where he shares first-hand experience of challenges people face trying to survive in the city of Lagos.

He is the Senior Pastor of This Present House. He shared clips of his encounter with a herbalist via his page and wrote:

“This… highlights an interesting moment when we visited one of the communities on the Iwaya waterfront. We saw people climbing in and out of an elevated building. When we found out it was the local herbalist’s shrine, we decided to pay a visit. 

“He explained how his charms worked. When we began to explain the power in the gospel of Jesus Christ, he admitted he owned a Bible which he brought out as we prayed.”

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Female Journalist Beaten Up By Hoodlums… car damaged

This is so wrong. A female journalist was attacked by unknown hoodlums who invaded Owerri, Imo state capital. She said the thugs attacked her opposite the NUJ Secretariat along Port-Harcourt road, and the beat her up mercilessly in broad daylight.

The hoodlums also made away with her valuables such as cash, union I.D card and phone. Smh!

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WHAT!? 17,000 Live Bombs Found In A House In Imo State

The Nigerian Army has deployed soldiers to take over security of the premises housing 17,000 live bombs in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

Soldiers from 34 Artillery Brigade, Obinze, were said to have taken over the premises days back.

A team of bomb experts from 34 Artillery Brigade have been dispatched to site where the explosives are being stockpiled at No. 109, Achike Udenka Avenue in new Owerri, a densely populated area, to get a first hand information of the situation on the explosives, with a view to reporting to the authorities on the next line of action.

This is even as Professor Yakubu has raised fresh alarm over the presence of another 44,000, bombs in some uncleared locations across the southeastern part of the country, saying some of these explosives are located in schools, churches, markets and other public places.

Biafran Secret Service Fear 
The explosive expert who expressed delight over the concern of the army authorities, especially with the security challenges in the country and the establishment of a Biafran Secret Service recently, said “the soldiers would guard the place until we are ready to destroy the bombs.”

Beside the military authorities, Prof. Yakubu, said he had also been contacted by officials from the Department of State Security Services (DSS), who he said have been providing security for the premises after he contacted them over the issue during the 2015 general elections.

Security on the premises 
When The Sun made contacts over the security of the premises by soldiers, Public Relations Officer in charge of 34 Artillery Brigade, Captain Haruna Tagwai, said “the army has already provided security on the premises, but the property belongs to the Ministry of Defence.”

“If you want more fact about it, you can contact the press’s secretary in the Ministry of Defence.”

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EFCC Operatives Undergoing Trial For Corruption

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ) says some of its officials are currently being prosecuted for corruption in various courts across the country.

The Acting Chairman of the commission, Mr Ibrahim Magu, disclosed this at an interactive session with Editors in Abuja on Wednesday.

Magu, who did not immediately give the number of the affected officials, said he would not condone any act of corruption in the agency.

“Recently, we had to discharge about nine cadet officers because they have problem with their certificates from various institutions. We are also prosecuting a lot of officers. Some of them are already in court.

“There is a way you can help us. Just like you can help us with information regarding corrupt practices outside the EFCC, and proceeds of corruption, you can also assist in giving us the information.

“But, I assure you, I do not tolerate, I won’t condone any act of corruption in the EFCC .

“I cannot be everywhere but I am telling you I don’t spare any allegation no matter how little, we make sure we investigate.

“No allegation against the EFCC personnel is left uninvestigated. Even if there is allegation against me, we will refer it to the appropriate authority to investigate.’’

The EFCC boss said that the ongoing anti-corruption war was getting tougher, saying the fight had never been this tough in the several years he had spent in the battle.

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Billionaire Amancio Ortega is New Richest Man in the World

On Wednesday, Billionaire Zara’s founder, Amancio Ortega beat out Bill Gates to become the richest person on Earth, Forbes reported. He currently has a $200m edge over Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, due to a particularly good week for the stock of Inditex, Zara’s parent company.

According to Forbes, Ortega has crowded the world’s richest person three other times — but has always surrendered the No. 1 position within a day.

Despite Ortega’s enormous net worth, many people have never heard of him. He is an incredibly private man, is rarely seen in public, and has given just a handful of interviews throughout his incredibly successful career.

His career began when Ortega founded fast-fashion giant Zara with his then-wife Rosalia in 1975. Today, his retail company Inditex SA — which owns Zara, Massimo Dutti, and Pull&Bear — has 7,385 outposts around the world.

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Flood in Makurdi: 110,000 persons, 24 communities affected

More than 110,000 persons, 24 communities, including Makurdi the state capital, have been displaced by flood in Benue state.

The Executive Secretary of the the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Boniface Ortese who disclosed the this on Wednesday said over 2,769 households were also affected.

He explained that places affected included Achusa, Idye, Wurukum Market, Genabe, Industrial Layout, Demekpe, Wadata Market, Katungu, behind the Civil Service Commission, Agboughul-Wadata among others in Makurdi.

“In Achusa, 200 houses were affected with 5,125 persons displaced, in Idye 217 houses while 5,200 persons were displaced.

“Also, behind the Civil Service Commission, 200 houses were submerged in flood and 5,777 persons were displaced.

“At Genabe, 200 houses were affected with 5,021 persons displaced, 218 houses around the Wurukum market were affected with 1,000 persons displaced, and at Wadata market150 houses were affected and 4,300 persons were displaced.

“Similarly at Industrial layout, 69 houses were flooded and 4,310 persons displaced; Demekpe 111 houses were affected while 7,820 persons displaced,’’ the official said..

Ortese further said that 137 houses were flooded in Katungu, with 6,031 persons displaced while at Agboughul-Wadata 201 houses were affected and 5,728 persons displaced.

He said government was doing everything within its little resources to assist flood victims.

The State Government has however announced the official opening of two camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state.

“We hope Federal Government will come to our aid as soon as possible; the flood committee headed by my deputy will ensure that victims have minimum comfort while in the camps”.

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Another Ritual Killers’ Shrine Uncovered In Lagos

Two people were on Wednesday killed by an irate mob in the Mushin area of Lagos over suspicion of involvement in kidnappings and ritual killings.

It was learnt that while one was butchered and set ablaze on the road, the other, who had been beaten to a stupor, died at the police station after rescue.

According to Punch, the incident happened at Challenge bus stop, Mushin.

On August 9, two people were set ablaze by a mob in the Obadeyi-Ijaiye end of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway for allegedly operating a ritual den in the community.

On August 11, a man was also killed at the Ile Zik bus stop, Ikeja Along end of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, over a similar allegation.

It was gathered that the lynching of the suspects in Mushin started after a vulcaniser sighted a ‘mad’ man discussing with another person in a tunnel at the Challenge bus stop around 6am.

The vulcaniser was said to have raised the alarm as residents gathered around the scene.

However, only the ‘mad’ man was seen, as his interlocutor had fled.

The ‘mad’ man, who was tortured by the mod, allegedly confessed that his gang had been operating in the tunnel for the past three months.

Some members of the Oodua People’s Congress were said to have led a search team into the tunnel and found hundreds of syringes. The tunnel reportedly linked different parts of the community.

At the scene, some of the syringes allegedly used by the suspects were seen on the ground.

A resident, Mr. Sulaiman Adio, said the ‘mad’ man disguised as a woman when he was first sighted by the vulcaniser.

He said, “When the youths of the community tore his clothes, they discovered that he was actually a man. He was wearing a woman’s bra and wig to disguise. The discovery came to us as a surprise and the policemen came and took him to their station at Olosan.”

The police, after rescuing the suspect, smoked the tunnel around 6.15am and a suspected ritual killer came out.

He was reportedly hijacked by the youths, beaten and set ablaze.

The mob was later dispersed by some soldiers.

A woman, who identified herself as Lady Gold, said four Automated Teller Machine cards and three phones were recovered from the ‘mad’ man.

“We don’t know that we are living in the midst of ritual killers. The state government should act fast on the ritual killers’ dens discovered across the state.

“The ‘mad’ man told us before the police took him away that they used the syringes to incapacitate victims they dragged into the tunnel before butchering them,” she said.

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Shocking Photos After Deadly Hurricane Harvey In Texas

Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas on Friday and ravaged the southeast coast before moving back off shore where it has thundered on for days. It returned to land on Wednesday.

30,000 people in shelters across the state with another 10,000 expected to become displaced.

Already, 30 people are confirmed dead but death toll is feared to be significantly higher. A midnight to 5am curfew is in place to stop looters and other opportunistic criminals.

The cost of the damage is likely to reach $160billion. More shocking photos…

Vehicles are queuing to deliver supplies for victims at Pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church.

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Christian Couples… 5 Steps To End An Ugly Fight

When was the last time you had a fight, slept in separate bedrooms and had fantasies/fears that your marriage was over?

Thankfully, we’ve all been there and couples must learn how to pull out of these kinds of tailspins. Here is the counsel I gave a couple in similar situation.

First, know when to leave well enough alone. 

One of the worst things you can do when the situation is volatile is stoke the fire. There is a time when you need to leave well enough alone. When tired we don’t do our best thinking. When our emotions are frayed, we don’t reason clearly or well. Let the situation settle.

Second, step back to examine the problems. 

We don’t reason well when we are too close to the problem. We cannot gain perspective when our emotions are high. We must not only leave well enough alone, but must step back to reflect on the problem.

Third, quickly own your part in the problems.  

Having reflected on the problem, focus on your part in the problems. There is little value in focusing on what your mate has done wrong. Focus instead on your side of the street.

Scripture makes it clear we are not to judge or blame others. “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things” (Romans 2:1).

Fourth, listen to your mate for where/how they are wounded.  

Every fight is an opportunity to bring healing to your mate. While of course they may not receive that healing immediately, at some point they will be receptive to you owning your mistakes and offering to listen to them. They will, if done correctly, receive your apology and offer for connection.

Finally, agree to grow from the problems going forward.  

Every emotional melt down is an opportunity to step back, analyze what is happening, own your part and agree to do better next time. Hope is the great elixir to a broken and wounded heart. Offer it to your mate.

They couple came to the next day’s session wounded but ready to learn and grow. In a short time they had talked out what had happened, why it happened and what they would do better next time. The same can happen for you.

[written by Dr. David B. Hawkins]

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6 Ways To Minimise Risks In Your New Business

If you are the owner of a startup, you are definitely a risk-taker. The danger is that you may become comfortable with taking a risk that you can sometimes ignore smart and simple ways to minimise the impact of any potential failure.

In line with this, Jumia Travel highlights seven ways to reduce startup risks. Applying this will lessen the chances of your business failing.

Diversify your income 
You must not depend on one source of income as a business man. The reason for having multiple sources is to cushion the effect of business failure.

Save more money 
When you build a business, there is nothing more comforting than having a savings account. This will come handy when times are tough. Importantly, you should never go on a spending spree especially when your business is booming.

Do a market research 
You must never start a business without doing a market research. This is will give you an idea of your target users/audience as well as determine the sustainability of your product.

Business forecast  
You do not need superpowers to make a business forecast. There are basic things you can predict including when you are going to run out of cash, periods when turnover will slow and when you have to cut cost. If you cannot do this, you can employ an expert.

Work hard 
As an entrepreneur, you have to work round-the-clock. Despite this, you have to ensure that you do not only work hard but work smarter. In addition, you must find a work-life balance to prevent entrepreneurial burnout.

Insure against risks 
As a startup, the last thing you will think of is insurance. This is because you are probably bootstrapping to run your enterprise. Regardless, you should still insure your properties in case the business fails. It will prevent you from losing everything.

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Landlord Breaks Female Tenant’s Hand Over N3k In Lagos

A landlord, identified as Baba Olukoya, has been arrested by the police in Lagos State for attacking his female tenant, Glory, over her inability to raise N3,000 to pay rent to him when he was broke and seriously needed money to eat.

According to PM Express, the incident happened at Chris Idowu Street in Ejigbo, Lagos where they reside. It was gathered that Baba Olukoya had collected rent which had not expired before he became broke and needed money to buy food and drinks.

Baba Olukoya turned violent on Glory when he demanded for the money on the condition that she will deduct it when she will renew her rent.

But Glory disappointed him and told him that she was equally looking for money to eat and her rent had not expired. In anger Baba Olukoya carried a small iron rod and hit Glory’s hand and it got swollen, she was rushed to hospital.

The matter was reported to the police at Ejigbo and Olukoya was arrested and taken to the station.

At the station, the landlord pleaded with the police that he did not attack the woman with normal eyes as he was hungry and needed money to eat.

He offered to treat the woman which will be deducted from the house rent and promised to maintain peace with his tenants.

The police then released him on administrative bail and asked them to come back after treatment to known the outcome of the treatment and settlement.

Sadly, it was not Olukoya and Glory alone that were having issues over rent in the area, many tenants whose rents had expired are complaining that they could not afford to renew it due to hardship.

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How Close Is God In Your Moment Of Stress?

How near is He to me in this moment? 

starts to reveal itself within my internal conversation when I feel uncomfortable with my productivity or in my marriage or my children’s heart issues.

How near is He to me in this moment? 

feels like something I might or could ask when I’m finished flogging myself for something that I’ve missed or over a mistake I’ve made or even a sin that I’ve committed — and even the worst of my mind-lashing doesn’t purge that ickiness and ache out of me.

How near is He to me in this moment? 

crops up, perhaps, even just a day after I’ve received all the applause from the ones to whom I’ve wanted to give praise and I wake up feeling bone dry from it all, drunk on what was never meant to be my drink.

How near is He to me in this moment? 

is the life-line of the image bearer, the one made in God’s likeness.

And it is the rarely-asked question of the one who has not accepted the grace of these God-imposed pauses.

It is in these harder, hidden places that we can see Him reaching.
His reach happens in minutes, over laundry and dishes and across the car console as we make our hand into an olive branch to our spouse, when no is looking. His reach is a set of eyes during our 3am feeding hour and our 4am cleaning-up-vomit and changing sheets for the third time that night.

His reach is not a result of stingy eyes and a scrutinizing glance (as we so often might receive it to be), it’s a mercy-look and a kind whisper that we don’t always hear when we’re scolding ourselves.

And His reach moves the heart in hiding to want to look back and, soon, to lock eyes. When we feel His kind “I see you”, a thousand human hands applauding us feels like a loud distraction from that which has truly enraptured us.

This “hidden version” of you doesn’t need more discipline to look longer at God — the hidden you needs to see the layered fire in His eyes for you, when you’re crazy-weak, and you won’t want to look away.

We don’t need another media fast or a longer Lent or more mustered will-power to say no to all the bad things (though, these, in and of themselves can be important steps to take in the right time). We need a long, permissible (though unconventional) look at Beauty and we need the open ears of a child to hear what He has to say back to us, about us.

Days filled with intermittent looks at Him who is looking gently and knowingly back at us, and then the hidden and misunderstood pockets of our life become spaces of receiving and becoming beauty.

Three o’clock in the afternoon looks different when I’m not grittingly forcing myself to look at a God who I believe is mostly frustrated with me. Three o’clock in the afternoon looks different, even when I’m tripping over legos and receiving texts from a misunderstanding acquaintance — if I get five minutes of quiet where I can be reminded of how much He enjoys me, even the weak me.

Three o’clock in the afternoon then moves from being the resented, hidden hour of the day, to the one where I am privately re-upping for another few hours of internally radical living under the expansive Truth of how He sees me.

When I see the truth of how He sees me — when I don’t just read but I experience the gentle Father of His Word, alluring and inviting me (even in the midst of my mess and confusion) — being hidden from the applause of the crowd or the accolades of friends or being thwarted in the promotion I craved, pales in contrast.

When I see Him, seeing me with kind eyes, I begin to crave the hiddenness that offers me those eyes.

My heart starts to move and to grow when I remember again that I’m seen by Him.

[written by Sara Hagerty]

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I’m Still Lagos Police Commissioner – Fatai Owoseni

The Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, on Wednesday said he was not aware of the appointment of a new police commissioner for the state as reported online.

CP Owoseni told newsmen at the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, that he was yet to receive any directive concerning a new police commissioner in the state.

“When we get the information, we will let you know,” Owoseni told journalists in reaction to reports of his reassignment, which was published by some online media platforms.

Some online media organisations had reported that the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has appointed a new police commissioner for Lagos State. 

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