Oduduwa News

The immediate past Commissioner for Works and Transport, Professor Raphael Afonja has revealed the reason why he dumped Christianity for Islam.

Afonja said, he had wanted to become a Muslim since his childhood age as he was given birth to parents with mixed religion, he said his father was a Christian while his mother was a practising Muslim and it gave him privilege to be nurtured by parents with mixed religion.

Afonja disclosed this today in a telephone chat with ODUDUWA NEWS correspondent, he affirmed that he chose to take a bold step and followed his intention having been convinced it was right time to do so.

ODUDUWA NEWS had earlier reported yesterday how the Commissioner was converted to a Muslim in a shot clip circulated on social media.

In the 1 minute, 35 seconds video that has since gone viral, the Professor of Physical Sciences now known as AbdurRahman was seen pronouncing the Kalimat Shahada after the Chief Imam of Ogbomosoland, Sheikh Talihat Yunus Ayilara.

The former Commissioner who has now adopted the name AbdurRahman, is a Professor at the Department of Physical Sciences, City University of New York. He was once an Adjunct Professor at the Southern New Hampshire University.

He has won several honours, some of which include: U.S. Army National Defense Service Medal, Fort Sill, Oklahoma; U.S. Army Service Ribbon, Fort Sill, Oklahoma; U.S. Army Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Fort Sill, Oklahoma; U.S. Army Sharpshooter Qualification Badge, Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Others are Distinguish Honor Graduate, US Army Quartermaster School; Doctoral Fellowship Award, City of Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Aside from his academic career, he has an intimidating diverse professional career having worked for various bodies. Some of these include the United States Air Force, where he served as a Program Manager/Engineer in the 27th Special Operations Civil Engineering Squadron, and Gamut Engineering and Technology Services where he was a Senior Consultant.

ODUDUWA NEWS has gathered that a suspected kidnapper was arrested yesterday in Saki area of Oke-Ogun, Oyo State.

It was learnt that the kidnapper was nabbed around 3:45pm to 4:10pm yesterday while trying to lure one teenager identified as Taiwo Muhammad by giving him something to eat.

According to report from the people of the community, the alleged kidnapper who claimed to bear a name call Hajarah has been disguising to be a lunatic woman but took the intervention of Amotekun officials before her real identity was unravelled.

Caught with her were candy sweet, orange, #20 among other items suspected to be used as a bait to lure her unsuspecting victims.

As at the time of filing this report, the suspect has been handed over to Amotekun for further investigation.

Publisher of Ovation International Magazine and presidential aspirant in the 2023 general elections, Dele Momodu, on Saturday, condemned the setting up of a ‘political department’ by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), saying the church’s involvement in politics is an “invitation to Armageddon.”

Momodu was reacting to a leaked memo from the church which alluded to the fact that it had created a political department to be known as “Office of Directorate of Politics and Governance.”

The leaked memo dated February 28, 2022, and addressed to all regions, provinces, zones and other levels of the church around the country, had stated that the Directorate was created for political education of its members.

It also stated that the new office is “to help mobilize support for them (RCCG members in politics) when required.”

However, many political observers believed the newly created department was to give an undue advantage to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who is being rumoured to be interested in the Presidency by secretly mobilising members to vote for him.

Although the church had cleared the air in a statement on Friday that the Directorate of Politics and Governance has nothing to do with Osinbajo’s political ambition, Momodu, in a statement, warned the church’s hierachy to steer clear of mixing religion and politics as it will not augur well with the church.

In the statement posted on his Facebook page entitled “My Kobo advice to Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG),” the veteran journalist, who said he is also a member of the church, argued that “establishing a political arm of our Church was nothing but an invitation to Armageddon.”

He also posited that “there are no guarantees that being a church Pastor or otherwise would make you a competent and truthfully honest leader.”

Nigerians especially those from the southern and middle belt region of the country have been urged to ensure that they reject presidential candidates from other parts of the country. The call was made by the leadership of the Southern Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) on Thursday, March 10. Leaders from the south and middle belt have called on Nigerians to reject presidential candidates from any other region. ODUDUWA NEWS reports that this was a resolution from its meeting that had delegations from constituent organisations of the SMBLF led by Ayo Adebanjo, leader of Afenifere (southwest); Pogu Bitrus, President of the Middle Belt Forum (Middle Belt); George Obiozor, president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo represented by the secretary-general, Okey Emuchay, (southeast); and Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien, national chairman of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF (south-south) represented.

The leaders said the call for the 2023 presidency to be zoned to the south should not be taken lightly.

In its communique released at the end of the meeting, the forum declared its total support for a unified Nigeria anchored on the tenets of equity, fairness, justice and principles of true federalism. It further urged the people to reject any political party that fails to flag a candidate from the south. Reject political parties that fail to field southern candidates Further calling on political stakeholders from the region to avoid any comprise, the forum said the worsening security situation in the country needs urgent attention.

The forum also condemned in the strongest terms, the ongoing massacres and decimation of indigenous populations, especially in Zuru, Kebbi state, southern Kaduna, Benue, Plateau and southern Gombe.

In the same vein, it called for the establishment of state police across the different states of the country.

A dispatch rider in Lagos State has just been apprehended with a baby found in his courier box.

The incident, it was learnt, happened in Sangotedo Area of Lagos, as mob descended on the yet-to-be identified rider.

A video of the incident obtained by ODUDUWA NEWS as shared on Twitter showed the rider being beaten by mob as he was being dragged to a police station.

One of the persons in the background was heard saying, “This is the child that was abducted.”

The police are yet to speak on the incident which has set tongues wagging over the high wave of crimes and criminalities in the state.

As of the time of filing this report, the circumstances surrounding the child being kept in the box were not made clear.