Rivers Explosion: Group Condemns Incident, Calls For Arrest Of Pro-Wike Protesters

The Rivers Christian Youth Vanguard (RCYV) has strongly condemned the explosion that occurred during a protest by the pro-Wike group in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, resulting in the tragic death of a protester.

The group also denounced the actions of the protesters and the victim, who died while attempting to detonate the dynamite, as “barbaric, insane, and a heinous crime against humanity and themselves.”

In a statement signed by Rev. Sunday Thomas, President of RCYV, the group urged the Federal Government to take immediate action and arrest the protesters, charging them with acts of terrorism.

The statement emphasised that the protesters’ actions have caused widespread disturbance and chaos in Port Harcourt City, leaving residents in a state of fear and panic.

“The Rivers Christian Youth Vanguard (RCYV) is appalled by the dynamite explosion that resulted in the death of a middle-aged protester during a march by the pro-Wike group in Port Harcourt on Tuesday,” the statement said.

“The actions of the victim and his fellow protesters are not only barbaric and insane but also a crime against humanity and themselves. It is distressing that the youth, mobilised by top political leaders from Obio/Akpor to express their support for the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, have caused such mayhem and destruction in our once peaceful city.”

The group has called on the Federal Government to take swift and decisive action to address the situation, ensuring that justice is served and the perpetrators are brought to book.

“We urge the police and other relevant agencies to bolster security in the state and be on high alert for the marauding terrorists,” the statement continued.

“We cannot allow such acts of terrorism to go unchecked, and we demand that the government takes concrete steps to ensure the safety and security of all Rivers citizens.”

RCYV has also advised Rivers youths to refrain from being used as pawns by disgruntled politicians, urging parents to take responsibility for shielding their children from such influences.

The group encouraged Rivers people to remain calm and allow the government and security agencies to carry out their duties without taking the law into their own hands.

“We call on all citizens to be vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the authorities. We are committed to promoting peace, unity, and development in Rivers State and will continue to work towards ensuring that such acts of terrorism do not occur in the future.

“The actions of the pro-Wike protesters are unacceptable and have no place in a democratic society. We urge the government to take concrete steps to address the root causes of such violence and ensure that justice is served. Only through collective efforts can we build a peaceful and prosperous Rivers State for all.”

Fidelity Bank Reaffirms Support for Digital Innovation in Africa

Leading financial institution -Fidelity Bank PLC -has restated its devotion to support the development of the African technology sector to actualize its potentials. This was revealed at the Africa Technology Expo (ATE 2024) which took place over the weekend.

Held at the Landmark Event Center, Victoria Lagos, the well-attended event provided an avenue for African businesses to display their creativity and gain opportunities in the competitive tech industry.

In her keynote speech at the event, Dr Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe,OON, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc, stated that Fidelity Bank is rapidly implementing a digital-based retail-banking strategy by creating an SME business hub to facilitate networking and collaboration among startups, content creators and other digital entrepreneurs.

“At Fidelity Bank, we are convinced that Africa can be the hub of emerging technology and we encourage stakeholders to close ranks to tackle the two main constraints to start-ups tech growth, namely: lack of investment -an internal issue, and inadequate support -an external issue.

“This informs our decision to partner with SPARK Africa and other stakeholders to host the African Technology Expo -a platform for start-ups and participants to meet with investors, growth partners and network amongst leaders in the industry. We are convinced that the 2024 edition can kickstart Africa’s Digital transformation and spur growth across communities and economies. Fidelity Bank seeks to water the seeds for this Digital transformation and we are delighted to host tech start-ups aligned with this purpose”, explained Dr Onyeali-Ikpe, who was represented by the bank’s Executive Director and Chief Risk Officer, Mr. Kevin Ugwuoke.

Speaking earlier at the event, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Commissioner for Innovation, Science, and Technology in Lagos State, Olatubosun Alake, highlighted the State’s intervention in the technology and innovation industries while acknowledging the role of tech startups in driving economic growth and social development.

On his part, the Chief Innovation Officer of the Africa Technology Expo, Nnaemeka Clinton, pointed to the commendable growth and innovation within the African tech industry in his welcome address, noting that, “From the wider tech landscape of the African continent to the busy hubs of Accra and Lagos, we have witnessed relentless innovation that is shaping our future.”

He acknowledged the challenges faced by startups, including competition and the need for more support, but stressed the resilience and potential of African tech entrepreneurs.

Ranked as one of the best banks in Nigeria, Fidelity Bank is a full-fledged commercial bank with over 8.3 million customers serviced across its 251 business offices in Nigeria and the United Kingdom as well as on digital banking channels.

The bank has won multiple local and international awards including the Export Finance Bank of the Year at the 2023 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, the Best Payment Solution Provider Nigeria 2023 and Best SME Bank Nigeria 2022 by the Global Banking and Finance Awards; Best Bank for SMEs in Nigeria by the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2023; and Best Domestic Private Bank in Nigeria by the Euromoney Global Private Banking Awards 2023.

*Faith Meets Football: How Primate Ayodele’s Prophecies Have Influenced Nigerian Sports

Before now, there has never been any accepted relationship between football and faith. Both phenomena were considered as opposite sides and were never accepted to exist together. People have always held the opinion that God has no business with sport and in the case, football, until popular Nigerian prophet, Primate Ayodele proved otherwise.

Primate Ayodele, the Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, is known for his prophecies on different sectors and unlike others in the prophetic ministry, the cleric captures education, government, politics, religion, traditional institutions, sports and many other sectors in his prophecies. In his prophecies about sports, he speaks on football, boxing, wrestling, etc. and truthfully, many of his prophecies on these subjects have come to pass.

Most especially in the Nigerian football system, Primate Ayodele has been duly recognized as the only prophetic voice that accurately gives divine revelations, counsel and prophecies about coaches, players, NFF presidents and tournaments from time to time. His impact is well-known among stakeholders in the football system and this is why the current NFF president, Ibrahim Gusau, despite being a Muslim, has established a relationship with the prophet after he accurately foretold his emergence as President when he wasn’t even planning to contest.

One major thing Primate Ayodele is known for is that he doesn’t prophesy to please anyone, no matter how close you are to him, he would say it as he received it from the throne of heaven and it is on the premise that he warned the NFF president before the last AFCON which was cheaply took away from the Super Eagles and more recently, the choice of Finidi George as the coach.

In 2023, during an event to celebrate his annual thanksgiving, Primate Ayodele publicly assured the NFF president who was in attendance that the Super Eagles will reach the final stage of the AFCON tournament and if they can listen, Nigeria has all it takes to lift the cup. However, he later advised the federation to change the coach and warned against using some players during the tournament. Unfortunately, his warnings were not adhered to and this cost the country victory at the finals.

On Finidi George, Primate Ayodele in a viral video mentioned that the ex-eagles player will be a disaster to Nigeria’s football. He made it known that the choice of Finidi George will put Nigeria’s football in shambles and his administration will not be any good to the country. These revelations were made before Finidi George had any major match and surprisingly, the prophetic revelation of Primate Ayodele came to pass at the very first major outing of Finidi George and this led to his disgraceful resignation, making his administration one of the shortest Nigeria has ever had.

Beyond Super Eagles, Primate Ayodele’s prophetic prowess transcends into the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) as his prophecies about the just concluded 2023/2024 season have been fulfilled. In November 2023, He prophesied the fate of some clubs including Abia Warriors and Doma FC.

For Abia Warriors, Primate Ayodele revealed that the club will not win the first to third position while Doma FC will not have a good outing.

These were his words:

‘’Abia warriors might not be able to make 1st to 3rd in this season.’’

‘Doma FC will not have a good outing this season. They will have a series of troubles, confusion and they need to be careful.’

Just as he revealed, Abia warriors finished 12th and Doma FC got relegated.

With his antecedents, Primate Ayodele has been able to establish that God is interested in every area of man’s life and that there is a place of faith or religion in every man’s dealings.