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Christians begin Lent today with Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday, which it marks the first day of Lent, a 40-day prayer and fasting season that ends on Thursday, April 17, Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday.
Ash Wednesday starts with a Mass when ashes are applied on the foreheads of believers in the shape of a cross. The tradition of marking oneself with ashes comes from ancient traditions wherein it symbolises mourning, mortality and penance, a sign of humility and reminder of the mortality of the human race. For Christians, it is a demonstration that man is “Dust, and to dust you shall return” as aptly captured in Genesis Chapter 3 Verse 19.
The ashes also signifies the readiness of the recipient to embark on the 40-day spiritual exercise, which rests on four pillars – fasting, prayers, abstinence and alms giving. It affords us the opportunity to be sober with God, to hear Him and to follow His directions.
Generally, Sundays in Lent are not counted in the 40 days because each Sunday represents a “Mini-Easter” and the austere spirit of Lent is tempered with joyful anticipation of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Lent began centuries after the death of Christ and is believed to have been inspired by his 40 days fasting and prayers in the wilderness. The earliest mention of a 40-day Lent was in the Canons of Nicaea in 325 AD when early Christians observed it as a way to prepare for Easter.
The Lenten period is filled with services, meditations, studies, teachings, retreats and other forms of rejuvenating gatherings and programmes, which delves into Holy Week activities.
Indeed, Lent signifies adherents’ willingness to deprive themselves and reach out to those who are most in need. The season of abstinence also helps Christians to shed bad habits while embracing self-love towards purifying themselves into a much more single-minded response to the divine call and will. It reminds them to prepare towards offering themselves to be broken up, body and soul, and transformed by God’s merciful love, in fact towards state of being made holy.
This is because Lent has become a time of preparation, an opportunity for deeper relationship with God through personal reflection, which prepares believers’ hearts and minds for Good Friday and Easter. So, essentially, the Lenten season prepares the believer for Easter through constant prayer, mortifying the flesh, repentance of sins, simple living and self-denial.
As Nigerian Christians join the rest of the world in observing the Ash Wednesday and the start of the Lenten season, we at Daily Trust felicitate with them. We congratulate the faithful for witnessing another Lenten season.
We therefore urge them to live faithfully and peacefully with their neighbours including people of other faiths, sharing and extending hands of love to them during this period. They should exhibit the virtues of the season in their day-to-day activities.
Specifically, we admonish all Christians to use the season to imbibe the values of adding value to human existence by actively responding to those in need and reaching out to families and neighbours who are going through hard times. After all, this is the only way to imitate God through the promotion of the good of one and all.
Moreover, we urge them to live in total submission to the will of God, using the period to re-evaluate their lives to ensure a better society for everyone.
We admit that this year’s is no doubt coming at a very auspicious time; a period when many Nigerians are frustrated, and some even angry as they battle the challenges of insecurity, including economic, religious and ethnic issues.
This period, therefore, creates an opportunity for citizens to turn to God and pray for the leaders to make the right decisions. They should also pray so that the citizens would be able to surmount the challenges. It is also a time to pray for unity of the country so that as we work together, we can find solutions to all our problems.
We urge them to pray to God to give leadership at all levels the wisdom to do right to all people and for the citizens to discharge the duties of their citizenship with patriotic intent by holding the leaders accountable.
In addition, we also implore Nigerian Christians to adhere to Pope Francis’s Lenten message for 2025 entitled “Let us journey together in hope” and examine their lives to ensure they reflect the reality that life is a pilgrimage while working together in faith. Let this Lent season reawaken the redemptive power of hope, and the certainty for better tomorrow through the virtues of prayers and fasting.
News
SAD! ISWAP terrorists reportedly k!ll 2 sons of Police Inspector

Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) have reportedy launched a deadly attack on Buni Yadi in Gujba local government area of Yobe State, killing two children of a Police Inspector, Mallam Jibril Mohammed, setting their corpses and house on fire.
A credible intelligence source confirmed that the attack occurred in the early hours of Monday around 1am in the Shuwari Baban Layi area of the town.
One of the resident who did not want his name in print said the assailants infiltrated the town and targeted the home of Inspector Mohammed of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and started shooting sporadically.
Another security information confirmed that the terrorists set the house ablaze and killing two of the police officer’s children before escaping.
LEADERSHIP gathered that upon receiving intelligence report on the attack, troops of 27 Task Force Brigade, Sector 2 Operation HADIN KAI swiftly mobilised to the scene.
However, the terrorists fled upon sighting advancing troops, abandoning their bicycles in the process. (LEADERSHIP)
News
CRYPTO: Trump to Host Top Industry Leaders

U.S. President Donald Trump will host top crypto industry leaders at the White House on Friday, marking a significant shift in the administration’s approach to digital assets.
The summit comes as the cryptocurrency sector enjoys renewed momentum following Trump’s election victory.
The event, led by Trump’s newly appointed “crypto czar,” Silicon Valley investor David Sacks, will bring together prominent figures in the space, including Gemini founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. Reports suggest that Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Michael Saylor, the head of Bitcoin investment firm MicroStrategy, will also be in attendance.
Trump’s engagement with the industry has been personal as well as political. In January, he launched his own “Trump” memecoin in partnership with the exchange platform World Liberty Financial, following a similar move by former First Lady Melania Trump.
These ventures have drawn accusations of conflicts of interest.
During his campaign, the crypto community overwhelmingly backed Trump, pouring millions into his effort to unseat Joe Biden, whose administration had taken a more skeptical stance on digital currencies and imposed tighter regulations. Now, industry players are looking for policies that will accelerate crypto adoption and provide long-sought legitimacy.
The summit comes at a crucial time for the sector, which continues to grapple with the fallout from the collapse of FTX, once one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges. Its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, was convicted of fraud and is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence.
For advocates, cryptocurrencies represent a financial revolution, offering an alternative to centralized banking and serving as a hedge against inflation and political instability. Bitcoin, the world’s most traded digital asset, is increasingly compared to gold as a store of value.
However, critics warn that digital assets remain highly speculative and vulnerable to abuse. Law enforcement agencies have raised concerns over their potential use in money laundering, while the rise of “memecoins” – cryptocurrencies based on internet trends or celebrities rather than technical innovation – has fueled worries about market manipulation and pump-and-dump schemes.
Despite his past skepticism, Trump has now positioned himself as a champion of crypto innovation, declaring his intent to make the United States a global leader in digital finance. The upcoming summit is expected to set the tone for his administration’s policies on the industry moving forward.
The summit comes as the cryptocurrency sector enjoys renewed momentum following Trump’s election victory.
The event, led by Trump’s newly appointed “crypto czar,” Silicon Valley investor David Sacks, will bring together prominent figures in the space, including Gemini founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. Reports suggest that Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Michael Saylor, the head of Bitcoin investment firm MicroStrategy, will also be in attendance.
Trump’s engagement with the industry has been personal as well as political. In January, he launched his own “Trump” memecoin in partnership with the exchange platform World Liberty Financial, following a similar move by former First Lady Melania Trump. These ventures have drawn accusations of conflicts of interest.
During his campaign, the crypto community overwhelmingly backed Trump, pouring millions into his effort to unseat Joe Biden, whose administration had taken a more skeptical stance on digital currencies and imposed tighter regulations. Now, industry players are looking for policies that will accelerate crypto adoption and provide long-sought legitimacy.
The summit comes at a crucial time for the sector, which continues to grapple with the fallout from the collapse of FTX, once one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges. Its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, was convicted of fraud and is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence.
For advocates, cryptocurrencies represent a financial revolution, offering an alternative to centralized banking and serving as a hedge against inflation and political instability. Bitcoin, the world’s most traded digital asset, is increasingly compared to gold as a store of value.
However, critics warn that digital assets remain highly speculative and vulnerable to abuse. Law enforcement agencies have raised concerns over their potential use in money laundering, while the rise of “memecoins” – cryptocurrencies based on internet trends or celebrities rather than technical innovation – has fueled worries about market manipulation and pump-and-dump schemes.
Despite his past skepticism, Trump has now positioned himself as a champion of crypto innovation, declaring his intent to make the United States a global leader in digital finance. The upcoming summit is expected to set the tone for his administration’s policies on the industry moving forward.
News
Wike in Italy, to meet with Lombardy Region’s President, agribusiness investors

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike yesterday arrived Milan, Italy, ahead of official engagements with the President of Lombardy Region, Attilio Fontana.
Wike is also expected to meet with agribusiness investors in the country.
The minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, announced this in a statement in Milan.
The statement said Wike departed Abuja on Tuesday night and arrived in Milan around 4:30 a.m. yesterday. He was received by the Charge d’Affairs of the Embassy of Nigeria in Italy, Ambassador Mustapha Mohammed.
“While in Milan, the FCT minister will hold a meeting with the President of Lombardy Region on Thursday, and also meet agribusiness investors.
“Lombardy is adjudged as the first region of Italy in terms of economic importance, with a population of about 10 million people. It is the second most populous region of the European Union (EU) and the second region of the European Union by nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“The FCT minister’s meeting with the Attilio Fontana will centre on seeking collaboration and evaluating possible prospects in the areas of Agriculture and Vocational Education, as well as strategic development partners with the Lombardy Region.
“Subsequently, Wike will meet investors in agribusiness and experts in vocational training, with a view to unlock new opportunities.
“The FCT Mandate Secretaries for Education, Dr. Danlami Hayyo, and Mandate Secretary for Agriculture and Rural Development, Lawan Geidam, as well as the Senior Special Assistant on Administration, Dr. Udo Samuel Atang, and Senior Special Assistant on Legal and Multi-Lateral Cooperation, Benedict Daudu, accompanied the Minister on the trip,” the statement said.
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