Business
Champions Royal Assembly: Tourists’ destination of sorts
At a time when Nigeria’s image has been battered by the dastardly outrage of the Boko Haram lunatics, Champions Royal Assembly is one of the outstanding oases of hope for the Nigerian image. The church is unarguably one of Nigeria’s fastest growing. Always filled to the brim and attended by a mix of the high, mighty, ordinary Nigerians and people from numerous nations, it is perhaps Abuja’s most talk about religious centre. Known as Champions Royal Assembly and headed by Joshua Iginla, the church has in just nine years catapulted itself to the pinnacle of serious evangelism in Abuja, granting spiritual cum material succor to millions of people.
Recently, the pastor, Brother Iginla, to the pleasant surprise of many, gave twenty two brand new cars to many Nollywood stars and some lucky members of the church. That got people thinking. What manner of pastor is this? In a nation where many a pastor have coveted church wealth to personal use and self aggrandisement, what inspired this man to give so generously and so uniquely? Considering the fact that most of the stars who entertain the nation and have brought so much glory to our nation worldwide are largely poor, this gesture from Iginla was not only timely and unique, it is a lesson for those who would rather spend church money on frivolities or on personal exaltation.
Located in a rather suburban section of Byazhin, Kubwa, a satellite town under Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Champions Royal Assembly has in nine years transformed that community to a big tourist destination of sorts, adding serious value, by its presence, to the economy, apart from its primary duty of imparting spiritual well being to the people.
Known around the world by virtue of its free-to-air satellite TV channel, Champions TV, where tourists from all corners of the world rivet their attention everyday for the wondrous works going on in the church, the church has become one of the most sought after by hundreds of thousands congregants and millions more TV viewers worldwide.
The first thing noticed was that though he could afford luxury living many times over, Iginla has largely chosen the low profile. He drives no flashy car. He chauffeurs himself most of the time to the church and mixes freely with people. Slender and self effecting, you would not believe that this is the man who moves the congregation to a frenzy on the pulpit and wows millions with his astounding gifts. In a world where pastors drive around in convoys that would turn even Heads of States jealous, Iginla apparently believes in no such things. He seems determined to follow in Jesus’ humble servant disposition. But, surprisingly, he ensures that his staff are well paid and made comfortable enough to help him in the challenge of shepherding a church fast becoming an international phenomenon.
What is indeed most stunning is the spiritual dimension. This reporter was struck pleasantly by the wondrous works of miracle going on here. You could easily see it and with the great output of miraculous happenings in the church, one can no longer wonder why such a young church has achieved so much and become so famous. There is something really special about the Joshua Iginla anointing and it radiated and glowed throughout my observation of the church. Despite the long hours on a given Sunday, there is never a dull moment. From the moving way Iginla preaches, full of inspiring sayings of scholarly dimension, to the soulful music of the well-groomed choir and to the astonishing miracles, you simply can’t be bored.
One given reason by observers is the humility and simple dispositions of the General Overseer, Brother Joshua Iginla. It was easy to see. According to a church member who pleaded anonymity, “In spite of the pressure of tending to the spiritual, and even sometimes financial needs of tens of thousands who flock into the church daily, Brother Iginla is never perturbed. He is blessed with this generous spirit that wants to give more and more of himself to everyone.” And in the words of another member, “This man of God is blessed with unbelievably divine energy to do the near impossible for his church.”
Everyone seems to agree that there is something divinely special about Iginla. Simple, unassuming and down to earth, Iginla who prefers to be addressed simply as “Brother Joshua Iginla” but is sometimes called Papa by church members has everything that has made great shepherds in his disposition. A very busy man, he, despite the stress and the drudgery, loves to have a one-to-one with his flock. On a given counselling day, thousands of people with myriads of problems seeking solution converge on the main auditorium for this personal touch and he calmly sits on the altar, attending to all before retiring for the day.
Iginla is in high demand around Africa and the world. If he’s not being invited from Gabon today, he is wanted in South Africa tomorrow. Devotees from Mexico, Colombia, US, Asia and many lands are itching to visit this church. On this particular day there were many nationals of Cameroon, Spain, Canada, Ghana, all tourists paying hard currency to visit our country in search of spiritual and sundry succour.
More than many other national institutions, the Joshua Iginla-led Champions Royal Assembly has brought so much pride to Nigeria; so much respect and impression that Nigerians could really be good people. Every day you visit the church, you meet hundreds tourists from around the world coming for one spiritual issue or the other while many also visit just to experience the joy of this Nigerian phenomenon. People call from around the world for information that could better enlighten them about the church. Visit the Champions website or Facebook page and you would be pleasantly shocked by thousands of posts from fellow Africans and other citizens of the world expressing warm, heartfelt impressions and goodwill about our nation as exemplified by the Joshua Iginla example.
Now, one wonders what compatriots at the Federal and State tourism organizations are doing to recognize this ‘hidden’ tourism treasure and explore its fantastic opportunities to further boost the image of Nigeria. So much has been done in the tourism ministries to promote the image of Nigeria at home and abroad without any seriously positive and discernible outcome. We spend millions on tourism fairs, gatherings and events worldwide yearly with trickles coming as dividends. Have we really considered the tourism potentials of places like Champions? This is not necessarily about religion. The Yorubas would say ‘’if your masquerade dances well, one would be elated’’. In bringing positive light upon our nation around the world, in attracting thousands of foreign visitors to Abuja – visitors who come here to see the good side of our land and relatively boost our economy while also boosting their personal spiritual well-being – Joshua Iginla has helped to advance our tourism industry. The earlier the tourism authorities found a way of reaching out to institutions like this for collaboration and idea exchange the better for us. Religious tourism is a money-spinner for countries that value it and explore its many ramifications. Saudi Arabia, Italy, India and China have earned much from religious tourism through the Hajj, the Vatican and Catholicism etc. What stops Nigerians from encouraging religious tourism, cashing in on the leading light already provided by the Champions Royal Assembly? The Redeemed Church is also helping in this through the influx of foreign visitors during its Holy Ghost Congress. But Champions, to me, is unique in its clearly daily hosting of throngs of visitors from around the world. All of these visitors have something good to say about our country. Why wouldn’t our government assist institutions like Champions to continue to promote our land a s a nation of blessed, talented people?
I think our tourism authorities should work with icons like Joshua Iginla to further boost the image of Nigeria. One clue? The church’s Champions TV, seen around the world, can be used as a medium to further advertise the good things that would keep drawing people from around the world just like the Champions Royal Assembly is doing. Pastors like Iginla can also be encouraged to use their extensive media networks to promote Nigeria as a beautiful land of peaceful, God-fearing people and not the image of a hell-house of violence that the Boko Haram sacrilege is giving it.
Another potential tourist attraction, apart from its spiritual ramification, is the architectural wonder that Brother Iginla’s church is putting up as its world headquarters. Christened “City of Wonders,” this colossal church auditorium will turn the Faith Tabernacles and other cathedrals green with envy considering the sheer, ornate magnitude and avant garde nature of its architecture. I am sure that this is one church made to remain influential for hundreds of years to come.
NNPCL and Corruption’s Final Throes
By Pius Olasanmi
In the twilight of the Obasanjo administration, when Nigerians were still capable of being outraged, when Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) of refineries was a buzzword that still held some mysticism to bamboozle citizens, during a conversation, a certain man said something profound. The man said, “As a businessman, if I were the owner of these refineries, knowing that they are three decades old, I would take the last money I have, hire bulldozers, raze them to the ground, and obtain loans to build new ones.”
When we pressed him further on why he would engage in such waste, he explained that repairing the refineries is the real waste. He explained that even if the TAM were honestly carried out, a thirty-year-old refinery would never compete favourably with a new one that would integrate contemporary technology. Operating at its best, such a refinery would never be comparatively more efficient. It is therefore pointless to have spent another one naira on the refineries at that point.
A few months later, I had a conversation with a then-lawmaker on an entirely different matter. I mentioned that the National Assembly has failed by not crafting legislation that would criminalise and punish public office holders who foist wrong decisions on the country. The logic: a public office holder need not steal to be punished, wrong decisions should attract penalties for an office holder who opts for the worst of all options when there are less injurious ones.
These established premises speak to the ongoing nauseating efforts at revisionism by those who wrecked the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its previous iteration, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Notably, this campaign to rewrite history is traceable to Engineer Mele Kolo Kyari, the disgraced immediate past Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL and his hirelings. They have suffocated the news and the public opinion space with even more lies than they spun while in office.
The Saint Kyari campaign is anchored on convincing Nigerians that the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna Refineries were fully functional when he was booted out of office. So brazen is the campaign that one of its talking heads challenged the group chief executive officer (GCEO), Engr. Bayo Ojulari, to “inform Nigerians categorically what happened to the functioning refineries he inherited from his predecessor, Engr. Mele Kyari.” The effrontery.
We have not forgotten so soon the charade that followed the baffling claim that Nigeria has spent $2.8 billion on the repair of the refineries, while they are not churning out even a single litre of refined product among them. Saint Kyari and his goons played all manner of tricks, all of which embarrassed President Bola Tinubu, who had counted on ticking off the return to productivity of the refineries as part of his achievements, only to realise that he was deceived into celebrating phantoms. Tragic.
Lest we forget, 200 trucks were arranged as props in a well-directed video clip to celebrate the re-streaming of the Port Harcourt Refinery. The disappointment. Nigerians were to learn from several reports that the Port Harcourt refinery was not producing and was instead using old, stored petroleum products to load trucks. Worse still, the Kyari crew was passing off sanction-tainted Russian-sourced crude oil refined in Malta as locally refined products. More insult was piled on the assault on our collective sensibility with the lies that the Port Harcourt Refinery exported semi-finished products. Brazen.
Meanwhile, Kyari and his hirelings called those who pointed out or protested these glaring scams all manner of names. They hid behind industry technicalities and jargon to create the impression that those of us who knew Nigerians were being robbed did not understand what we were saying. The point remains that a $2.8 billion investment can potentially build a refinery with a capacity of around 100,000 barrels per day (bpd). Of course, the actual capacity of such a refinery will depend on various factors, including the complexity of the refinery, the technology used, and the location. That is the amount that Kyari’s regime at the NNPCL took and did not give Nigerians refined products.
Fast forward to Kyari’s sack and the appointment of Engineer Bayo Ojulari, who has demonstrated that things can indeed be done differently. Kyari’s exit was expectedly followed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) going after him and his associates. The extent of the theft is better understood against the backdrop of N80 billion being found in the bank account of one of his associates. They went on the run.
Perhaps because the EFCC was biding its time on securing international warrants for the arrests of these characters on the lam, they have become emboldened. They have decided to fight back and rewrite the story of their participation in the greatest fraud against Nigerians. Engineer Ojulari’s renewed mindset, which is entrenching a semblance of the transparency Nigerians demand, became their natural target. The demons that once roamed around the corporation came out with malevolence. They started spinning stories of corruption to tarnish the incumbent who refused to hide their crimes. The objective: bring Ojulari down. But alas, he is winning the war as it stands.
His innocence is proven, and it is glaring that those who want him out are mere charlatans who can no longer ply their corrupt wares because of the impact of the new reforms. Corruption in the NNPCL is in its final throes. The fake news being unleashed against the incumbent leadership is akin to corruption’s last kicks as reforms in the sector strangulate it and its practitioners. The reforms must take place in the NNPCL, whether the industry demons like it or not.
As a parting shot, Kyari and his associates would do well to prepare their defence. In addition to accounting for the $2.8 billion they laundered in the name of repairing the moribund refineries, they must also answer for the poor decision to fix that which is irretrievably broken. Awarding contracts for Turn Around Maintenance of 59-year-old refineries that a right-thinking person had suggested should be demolished almost twenty years ago, when they were only 30 years old, is criminal. Trying to deceive Nigerians that the fake repairs worked is treason.
Olasanmi is a public affairs analyst writing from Lagos.
GRANDIS 5STAR LUXURY APARTMENT & SUITES SET TO REDEFINE LIVING IN VICTORIA ISLAND
Set to Rise elegantly against the Lagos skyline, is the Grandis 5Star Luxury Apartment & Suites. According to Adejuwon Ademola, The General Manager of the Development company, it is more than just a residential building
“it’s a lifestyle statement. Standing 17 floors high in the heart of Victoria Island, this revolutionary masterpiece of modern architecture will offer a panoramic 360° view of Eko Atlantic, Victoria Island, and Ikoyi, transforming every apartment into an exclusive penthouse experience for the world’s most discerning elite.”
Developed by Dumarco Construction Limited, a globally acclaimed company with decades of delivering complex, high-value projects in the highly regulated petroleum, oil, and gas industries, Grandis 5Star brings unmatched international safety standards, uncompromising quality, and timeless elegance into Nigeria’s luxury property market.
> “When you live in Grandis, you’re not just buying a home—you’re investing in peace of mind, world-class safety, and an effortless luxury experience that will remain pristine for decades,” says Adejuwon A. Ademola, General Manager of Dumarco Construction Limited.
The Gold Standard in Safety and Quality
Dumarco’s roots in the oil and gas sector mean the company operates to some of the strictest safety protocols in the world. Every stage—from conceptualization, design, construction, to long-term maintenance—follows internationally accepted procedures and quality assurance measures. Cutting corners is simply not in Dumarco’s vocabulary.
> “In the oil and gas industry, there’s no room for compromise. We’ve brought that same discipline and zero-tolerance for mediocrity into property development,” says Ademola. “That’s why Grandis will be one of the safest and most enduring residential developments in Nigeria.”
To ensure transparency and prevent (project complacency), Dumarco deliberately separates the developer, contractor, and consultant roles, engaging only the most competent professionals in each respective field. Dumarco’s project team includes globally recognized contractors such as Julius Berger, Cappa & D’Alberto, and Elalan, Migliore Construczione & Tecniche (MC&T) and their partners VENCO IMTIAZ CONTRACTING COMPANY (VICC) based in Dubai, UAE, Business Contracting Limited, alongside leading consultants like Morgan Omanitan & Abe, LAMBERT, and James Cubitt.
Grandis – Investments, appreciation, returns and profitability
Our selection process for the location of the project alone was pains-taking and completely thorough scientific process. Top professional companies were employed to conduct a scientific data acquisition and analytical survey of the entire Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Lekki and Eko Atlantic before a project site is selected. Analyzing and acquiring areas developmental charts and trends, studying and gathering historical and present sale prices, rental charge and occupancy rates over a 50 year period from every individual street before the selection of the location of any of our developments especially true for the Grandis Project
He adds,
“Our clients and residents can be rest assured that the location of Grandis has been scientifically proven through all existing data to provide our clients with a 100% occupancy rate, highest developmental location, highest rental income and investment returns. ”
The Grandis Experience
Located minutes away from international corporate headquarters, embassies, and landmarks such as Eko Hotel, Radisson Blu, and the Radisson Red, Grandis offers unmatched convenience for professionals, diplomats, and high-net-worth individuals. Every residence is designed for both indulgence and efficiency, with high-grade finishes, smart-home systems, and private amenities that ensure seamless living.
From sunrise over the Atlantic to the glittering Lagos night skyline, residents will enjoy uninterrupted luxury, supported by discreet and highly trained staff, advanced security systems, and a design that prioritizes comfort and privacy.
> “We designed Grandis for people who want everything—security, elegance, convenience, and the assurance that their home will look as spectacular in 20 years as it does on day one,” Ademola notes.
A Legacy That Lasts
With its combination of visionary architecture, peerless safety, and meticulous maintenance planning, Grandis is built to remain iconic for generations. Thanks to Dumarco’s meticulous approach, the building’s service charges are expected to remain low while its value and appeal continue to appreciate over time.
In a market often marred by shortcuts and substandard practices, Mr Ademola says
Grandis stands as a beacon of what luxury living should be—safe, spectacular, and built to last.
“Grandis 5Star Luxury Apartment & Suites — Where safety meets sophistication, and every detail is designed for a life well-lived.”
He added
Website -www.dumarcoltd.com
Project website – www.26idowutaylor.com
Email [email protected]
Tel / WhatsApp +234 9077777883
GM – Adejuwon A. Ademola
Tinubu Overhauls NTA Leadership: Media Powerhouse Rotimi Pedro Takes Helm as DG
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced a major shake-up at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), appointing renowned media executive Rotimi Richard Pedro as the new Director-General in a move widely seen as a bold step toward modernising the state broadcaster.
Pedro, a Lagos native, brings nearly 30 years of expertise in broadcasting, sports rights, and marketing communications across Africa, the UK, and the Middle East. A trained entertainment and intellectual property lawyer, he also holds an MSc in Investment Management and Finance from City University Business School, London.
In 1995, Pedro founded Optima Sports Management International (OSMI), which rose to become one of Africa’s leading sports content providers—distributing premium events such as the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, FIFA World Cup, and CAF competitions to audiences in over 40 countries.
His career highlights include top roles at Bloomberg Television Africa and Rapid Blue Format, as well as advisory work for FIFA, UEFA, Fremantle Media, and the African Union of Broadcasters (AUB). At the AUB, he was instrumental in securing exclusive pan-African free-to-air media rights for all CAF competitions.
Alongside Pedro’s appointment, Tinubu named Karimah Bello from Katsina State as Executive Director of Marketing, Stella Din from Plateau State as Executive Director of News, and Sophia Issa Mohammed from Adamawa State as Managing Director of NTA Enterprises Limited.
Industry insiders credit Pedro with building commercially viable broadcast platforms, driving sponsorship growth, and delivering world-class content to African audiences. His appointment marks one of the most significant leadership changes at NTA in years—signalling the government’s intent to strengthen the broadcaster’s competitiveness in a fast-evolving media landscape.
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