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Not long ago, one of Nigeria’s most fearless and vocal men of God, Primate Elijah Ayodele, leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, made headlines as he spoke his mind like he always does. The highly respected and popular man of prophet criticized a group of bishops who publicly endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in 2027.

Ayodele claimed that the endorsing clerics were acting out of personal interest and “hunger” rather than divine instructions. And clearly, the globally renowned cleric was not just sounding off, he was speaking with a palpable sense of responsibility. Hear him:

“They just want to secure their next meal, and that is why they are singing the praises of the president. The president must exercise caution before expressing joy over the endorsement because it is totally fake.”

Ayodele also rejected claims that the endorsements were based on divine direction, accusing the bishops of invoking God’s name for personal gain.

“They are not doing it based on divine orders or God’s direction; there is no way God would give such direction. They are only lying on God’s name because of food; it’s such a bad thing that these Bishops reduced the name of God to this level,” he said.

As it is with most of his public statements, Primate Ayodele’s remarks gained traction and got to the hearing of the Bishops. Responding to the “hungry bishops” remark during a media appearance, the bishop (identified in reports as Archbishop/Bishop Chianson) pushed back against the claim. He stated: “Primate Ayodele, I need to inform you that I own diamond and gold mines in Liberia, and you can check this. So there’s no way, there’s no hunger in this.”

The clerics maintained that their endorsement of President Tinubu was based on their own assessments, scorecards, and leadership evaluations for the country, rather than a quest for financial favors. But Primate Ayodele neither believes him nor agrees with his defense.

In a private telephone conversation with the Prime Citizens Publisher, Primate Ayodele re-emphasised his earlier remarks and position on the matter. “First and foremost, I still maintain my earlier stand, the Bishops’ endorsement of Tinubu has no spiritual backing, they went to endorse the President on their own and for selfish reasons. And I have no apologies for saying this,” he stated with conviction.

“I am not going to dignify them with any response, we are not mates,” he further added. “What I have accomplished spiritually, they will still need a very long period of time to achieve. I am not a career Bishop like many of them are, I am not desperate for money like them or looking for handouts from the government. God has blessed me more than enough and he is still blessing me.”

“They are like juniors to me, I will not engage in war of words with them, rather we will call them into a room and speak sense to them. We will lecture them on how to get involved in matters of national interest. There is still a lot they need to learn about how to deal with politicians.”

If there is one prophet presently in Nigeria that has established himself clearly as an oracle, one that foretells accurately what the future holds for different prominent individuals and the country at large, that prophet is no other than Primate Ayodele Elijah, the founder and leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual church.

Over the years, he has distinguished himself as different from the rest of the crowd. He is a different breed of prophet. What stands him out distinctly is his ability to hear from the Lord and make prophecies long before they happen. This is why he has earned the right to declare that the endorsement of President Tinubu for a second term has no spiritual backing whatsoever.

Primate Ayodele has been a consistent critique of The President Tinubu administration. Whenever they are doing well in terms of their policies and reforms, he tells them so and when they are not meeting the expectations of the people, he also lets them know. He has no grudge to bear with President Tinubu unlike what many think, what he has a problem with is clerics lining up to Aso rock to collect handouts using the name of God.

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——As The Lawmaker offers Bursary to 84 Outstanding Students, Certificates In ICT To 1000 Others

The four-day grand finale of the Free training on information and computer technology, ( ICT) Programme sponsored by the Member Representing Enugu East/Isi-Uzo Federal Constituency, Hon. Prof. Paul Sunday Nnamchi, came to a successful conclusion on Sunday, 20th September, 2026 at St. Therese Parish, Phase Six, Trans-Ekulu, Enugu.

The programme, designed to equip young people with essential digital skills and improve their capacity to thrive in today’s technology-driven world, featured Bursary Awards to 84 outstanding students and presentation of certificates to over 1,000 students and youths drawn from communities across the constituency.

Highpoint of the colourful event was the presentation of a special “Award of Excellence” to Hon. Prof. Paul Sunday Nnamchi in recognition of his commitment to youth development, education and community empowerment by the St. Therese Parish, of Catholic Church, Phase Six, Trans-Ekulu, Enugu.

Presenting the award on behalf of the parish, Very Rev. Fr. Franklin Udeze expressed profound appreciation to Prof. Nnamchi for his numerous contributions to human capital development and what he described as his outstanding performance in the National Assembly. He prayed that God would continue to bless, guide and strengthen him in his service to the people.

In his response, Hon. Prof. Nnamchi appreciated the parishioners, youths and students for the honour and recognition, noting that God’s grace and their prayers had been his strength.

He stated further that, “one of his primary objectives in the National Assembly is to ensure that students across Enugu East/Isi-Uzo Federal Constituency acquire computer literacy and essential digital skills”.

Prof Nnamchi also emphasized that the world had become increasingly technology-driven and that young people must be adequately prepared to participate meaningfully in the global community.

Earlier, the Programme Coordinator, *Engr. Igwe Daniel Nwachukwu, praised the parents and guardians for entrusting their children and wards to the programme and for supporting their participation throughout the excise.

He encouraged the beneficiaries to make meaningful use of the knowledge and skills acquired, stressing that the true value of the programme would be demonstrated through their ability to apply what they have learned to improve their lives, create opportunities and contribute positively to society.

Delivering the Vote of Thanks on behalf of the beneficiaries, Miss Avian Chimeziterem expressed sincere appreciation to Hon. Prof. Nnamchi for remembering young people and providing them with such a valuable and impactful opportunity.

She thanked the lawmaker and resource persons for investing in their future and assured that they would make good use of the skills acquired during the one month intensive computer training programme.

The successful completion of the 4th edition, which trained 2,927 students marks another significant milestone in the lawmaker’s drive to promote digital literacy, youth empowerment and educational development in Enugu East/Isi-Uzo Federal Constituency.

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By Gloria Ikibah

Ghana has called for stronger regional cooperation among ECOWAS member states to tackle the growing links between climate change, environmental degradation, population displacement and insecurity across West Africa.

The call was made on Tuesday by Ghana’s Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, who represented President John Dramani Mahama at the official opening of the Second 2026 Parliamentary Seminar and Second Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Accra.

The seminar, being held under the theme, “Climate Change as a Driver of Environmental Degradation, Population Displacement and Rising Insecurity in the ECOWAS Region,” is examining the growing impact of climate-related pressures on communities, livelihoods and regional security.

Opoku-Agyemang said the interconnected nature of the challenges required ECOWAS countries to move beyond isolated national responses and develop coordinated measures capable of addressing both the immediate consequences and underlying causes.

She said: “We need stronger early warnings, better support for host communities, more resilient livelihoods and better coordination across our borders, acting before local pressures become wider humanitarian crises”.

The Vice-President said climate change should no longer be treated solely as an environmental matter, arguing that its consequences were increasingly being felt in development, humanitarian and security sectors.

She cited population displacement across the Sahel and neighbouring coastal states, noting that insecurity, environmental stress and disrupted livelihoods in one part of West Africa could increasingly place pressure on communities and national systems elsewhere.

According to her, Ghana was working with ECOWAS to strengthen early-warning mechanisms through improved data sharing, closer coordination and stronger links between national and regional response systems.

Opoku-Agyemang also called for greater efforts to mobilise climate finance and invest in resilient agriculture, water management, coastal protection and clean energy.

According to her, ECOWAS already had important frameworks covering free movement, disaster risk reduction, climate action and early warning, but the priority should now be to ensure that the frameworks were fully implemented and adequately funded.

The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima, also called for climate commitments to be translated into practical measures through legislation, budgets and effective oversight.

“Our role is to ensure that public policy and budgets devoted to climate resilience … contain also the humanitarian dimensions, economic, social, migratory, and security concerns,” she said.

Ibrahima said recent flooding along parts of the region’s coastline had demonstrated how closely climate, humanitarian and security challenges were connected.

She therefore urged parliamentarians to use the seminar to develop practical recommendations capable of protecting vulnerable communities and preventing environmental pressures from escalating into conflict.

The Ghanaian Parliament called on ECOWAS member states to strengthen legislation on environmental governance, climate adaptation, disaster preparedness and sustainable management of natural resources.

It also urged governments to improve protection for displaced persons, refugees and host communities, while creating opportunities for young people and women through climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy and entrepreneurship.

The Second Deputy Speaker of the Ghanaian Parliament, Hon. Andrew Asiamah, who represented the Speaker, emphasised that no ECOWAS member state can address the challenges alone.

He noted that rivers, ecosystems and environmental crimes did not respect national borders, making regional cooperation essential to tackling the problems.

Hon. Asiamah also warned that effective regional responses would require adequate financing, saying policies without the resources to implement them would remain largely aspirational.

The Head of the Ghanaian Delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, said the regional Parliament had an important role to play in finding solutions to climate change and insecurity because lawmakers were closer to the people.

He called for a coordinated and holistic approach to the challenges confronting the region.

The Second Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament will also consider the institution’s 2027 budget and activity programme.

The parliamentary seminar forms part of ongoing regional efforts to examine the relationship between climate change, environmental degradation, population displacement and growing insecurity in West Africa.