By David Owei, Bayelsa

Christian leaders and organisations have again been admonished to set aside every form of unhealthy competition among themselves in order to win more souls for the Kingdom of God.

The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, gave the admonition when the National Vice President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), South South, Archbishop Emmah Isong, paid a courtesy visit to his office in Government House, Yenagoa on Monday.

The Deputy Governor expressed concern that rivalry among various denominations of the Church promoted through teachings by some ministers of the gospel, was doing untold harm to the spread and impact of Gospel of Jesus Christ.

He, therefore, advised Christian faithful to pursue the fulfilment of the Great Commission by embracing oneness and unity of the faith in propagating the gospel.

According to the Bayelsa Number Two Citizen, “it is rare to hear the undiluted message of salvation from the pulpit nowadays”, noting however that the real Church that was refined by fire on the Day of Pentecost would re-emerge when the various branches of the Church stopped the unhealthy competition.

Senator Ewhrudjakpo, who thanked the PFN bloc for their unrelenting support for the present administration in the state, urged them to sustain it, particularly their prayers for the continued peace, security and success of the government and people of the state.

While assuring the visiting National Vice President of the PFN of government’s support, the Deputy Governor promised to relate their requests to the state Governor, Senator Douye Diri for consideration and necessary action.

Speaking earlier, the National Vice President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), South South, Archbishop Emmah Isong, described Bayelsa State as a fortress of the Christian faith in the South South geopolitical zone of the country.

Bishop Isong, who pointed out that the PFN was quite delighted with the various contributions the State Government had made to the body of Christ, solicited the state’s support towards its 40th anniversary celebration, as well as the construction of the new PFN national Secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The PFN National Vice President was accompanied on the visit by the State PFN Chairman, Pastor Tam Seth Eyedoude, and other executive members of the Christian body in the State.

By David Owei,Bayelsa

Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Bomadi, Most Rev. Hyacinth Egbebo has cautioned Christians against believe in fake prophecies and consultation of fake prophets for miracles.

He alleged that some clergy parading miracles in the name of the Lord were witch-doctors who stage-manage miracles to deceive unsuspecting members of the public with the intent to exploit them.

The Bishop gave the admonition at the weekend during the Priestly Ordination Ceremony of Rev. Fr. Mark Inedi which held at the Christ The King Catholic Church, Imiringi Deanery in the Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

Our correspondent who monitored the ecclesiastical ceremony reports that earlier in 2024, the newly ordained Priest having certified part of the requirements of the Church was ordained as a Deacon at the Diocesan headquarters in Bomadi, Delta State, paving way for him to be officially ordained as a Rev. Fr. on the 12th of July 2025 after certifying the remaining requirements of his formative years in the Major Seminaries.

“The Catholic Church gave the Holy Bible to Christendom. Christ never came with the Bible, though he was born of the Holy Blessed Virgin Mary. Christians Should refrain from believe in fake prophets and miracles.

“Yes, they say the Catholic Church doesn’t perform miracles and doesn’t prophesy, but we’re the origin of Christianity, and we’re the early Church who still speak and use Latin to teach the word of God. Catholic is original.

“I don’t intend to ridicule any pastor or man of God, but pastors and Churches should stop deceiving people with fake prophecies and stage-managed miracles”, he said.

Meanwhile, speaking with newsmen shortly after his ‘Maiden Mass/Thanksgiving’, Rev. Fr. Inedi promised to discharge the duties of his calling with respect, obedience and humility to the Church and humanity in general.

The Priest thanked the Bishop of the Diocese, his colleague Priests, his parents and others for the support given him through out his formative years in the Seminaries, noting that it was a herculean task, but God made it possible for him to succeed in his vineyard which culminated into his ordination ceremony.

“By God’s grace I’ll try my very best as a Priest in the discharge of my Priestly duties to the Church and humanity. It was indeed challenging, but God enabled this day to become a reality.

“I want to thank and appreciate the Lord Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Bomadi, His Lordship Most Rev. Hyacinth Egbebo for the encouragement and support. I also want to thank all my Senior Colleague Priests, my parents, relatives, family members, friends and classmates for their unrelenting support through out my formative years. May God continue to bless all of them”, he said.

In their separate remarks, the duo of the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bayelsa State Chapter, Very Rev Fr. Joseph Opelema, and the Priest in charge of the Imiringi Deanery, Rev. Fr. Peter Ikuli described the formative years of Priesthood as very challenging.

Opelema who also doubles as Vicar-General of the Diocese advised the newly ordained Priest to be steadfast, courageous and dedicated to the growth of the Church and progress of the larger society.

He emphasized that Catholic Priests were called to serve humanity and exemplify the teachings of Christ in their conducts.

“The trajectory of increase in the number of indigenous Priest from and around the Imiringi Deanery and surrounding parishes was due to Opelema’s resilience and successful ordination as a Priest in 1994.

“If Joseph Opelema hadn’t succeeded as a Seminarian and ordained successfully having been the first prist from this area many of us wouldn’t have become priests today”, Rev. Fr. Ikuli said.

By Abdul-Ganiyy Akanbi

To prevent future recurrence of critical service failures observed during the 2025 Hajj operations, a civil society organization, CSO, the Independent Hajj Reporters, IHR, has called on the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON and the State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards, SMPWBs to immediately organize an appraisal of this year’s holy pilgrimage.

The organization, in a statement signed and released on Sunday by its National Coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammed, urged NAHCON and relevant agencies to establish an open platform to review the 2025 operations.

IHR emphasised that the review should be a candid self-evaluation based on factual references, avoiding self-congratulations or political grandstanding.

While acknowledging improvements in some areas, such as the first phase of the airlift and services in Mina, the group highlighted the need for an investigation into sensitive failures in security and medical screenings.

Specifically, the IHR called for a probe into how dangerous criminals found their way into the pilgrims’ registration database without detection, which led to the arrest of wanted kidnappers during the outbound and return flights.

It also urged authorities to revisit the widespread complaints regarding inadequate medical attention both in Makkah and Madinah, and why the system failed to spot a nine-month-old pregnant lady from Zamfara State who gave birth during this year’s Hajj.

The statement also addressed the embarrassing situation surrounding the payment of allowances to some ad-hoc officials in Makkah and the uncoordinated flight manifest and issue of inadequate bed spaces in Madina, stating that these issues should be on the review agenda.

“Most state pilgrims’ accommodation during this year’s Hajj is located far away from the Grand Mosque in Makkah, thereby denying pilgrims the opportunity to regularly observe prayers at the Haram. There is a need to revisit pilgrims’ accommodation guidelines to prevent a repeat in the 2026 Hajj,” it stated.

The IHR noted that the 2026 Hajj preparations have already begun, and therefore, urged NAHCON to promptly implement the newly released calendar of events from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.

It stressed that the calendar allows no room for delays in implementing Hajj activities, particularly concerning services in Saudi Arabia and pilgrims’ registration.