The Port Harcourt-based pastor is said to have told worshippers to settle their tithes before holiday shopping. His message is drawing mixed reactions online.
Professor Kamene Okonjo, the mother of World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has reportedly died at the age of 96. She was a respected academic and the widow of the late Professor Chukuka Okonjo, the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku. The family is yet to share funeral details publicly.
Pastor David Ibiyeomie has reportedly advised parents to pay their tithes before spending money on Christmas clothes for their children. The comment has sparked debate about church priorities, with critics asking whether tithing should come before the basic needs and happiness of struggling families.
Pastor David Ibiyeomie has reportedly advised parents to prioritise paying their tithes before spending money on Christmas clothes for their children.
But this raises a serious question about the priorities being preached in some churches today.
Imagine a struggling father or mother who has worked tirelessly throughout the year, trying to put food on the table, pay school fees and provide a little Christmas happiness for their children. Should such a parent feel guilty for buying their children new clothes because they have not paid their tithe?
Tithing is an important religious practice for many Christians, but should it come before the basic needs and happiness of one's children?
Critics are asking: since when did buying Christmas clothes for your own children become something you must first seek financial clearance from the church to do?
A viral video, now reported by several Nigerian news outlets, allegedly shows a drill leader and uniformed young men chanting in Hausa for AK-47 rifles to attack Sunday worshippers in Enugu and Jos. An aide to the FCT Minister has asked the DSS and police to investigate. The speaker's identity, the group's affiliation and the translation have not been independently verified.
A disturbing video reportedly filmed somewhere in Northern Nigeria has raised serious concerns over alleged threats of religious violence, and is now being reported by several Nigerian news outlets.
The footage shows young men in brown uniforms and blue berets marching and chanting in Hausa during what appears to be a drill. News reports have linked the uniforms to the first-aid volunteer wing of the Islamic movement JIBWIS, whose members help coordinate Friday Jumu'ah prayers.
According to a Hausa-to-English translation circulating with the video, the drill leader allegedly calls for AK-47 rifles so the group can travel to Enugu and attack Christians during Sunday worship. He reportedly refers to the worshippers as "infidels", imitates the sound of gunfire, and also mentions Jos as another target.
Lere Olayinka, media aide to the FCT Minister, has called on the DSS and the police to investigate the video.
However, the location, date, identity of the speaker, the group's actual affiliation and the accuracy of the translation have not been independently verified. No response from the group had been reported at the time of writing.
If the translation is accurate, this is an extremely serious matter. Nobody should be allowed to use religion as an excuse to threaten innocent people, whether they are Christians or Muslims.
If someone openly calls for weapons to attack people during worship, shouldn't that be enough to trigger an immediate security investigation? Nigeria has suffered enough religious violence, and credible threats against worshippers cannot be treated as ordinary speech.
A woman reportedly lost her cool at a funeral in Imo State, saying eight out of every ten obituaries she sees in the Southeast are of men. Her figure has not been independently verified, but her outburst has sparked a wider conversation about the pressures many men face in silence.
A woman reportedly lost her cool during a funeral ceremony in Imo State as she raised serious concerns about what she believes is an alarming number of men dying prematurely across Ala Igbo.
According to her, eight out of every ten obituaries she comes across in the Southeast are those of men. Although this figure has not been independently verified, her emotional outburst has raised an important conversation about the struggles many men face in silence.
She argued that financial responsibilities, marital problems, emotional stress, family expectations and the constant pressure to provide are gradually wearing many men down.
In her view, some men are carrying burdens that nobody seems interested in discussing. They are expected to pay the bills, provide for their wives and children, support extended family members and remain strong regardless of what they are going through.
She also accused some wives of making matters worse through constant domestic conflict, excessive financial demands and a lack of emotional support.
However, it would be unfair to blame women generally for men's deaths without credible evidence. Health conditions, economic hardship, lifestyle factors and access to medical care must also be considered.
But there is a serious question here that deserves attention.
When a man is struggling financially, who checks on his mental health? When he is emotionally exhausted, who listens to him? When he can no longer meet everyone's expectations, does his family support him or make him feel like a failure?
In many homes, men are expected to be strong even when everything around them is falling apart.
Marriage should be a place of peace and mutual support, not another source of unbearable pressure for either partner.
If this woman's observation reflects a wider problem, then Igbo communities need to examine the health, welfare and life expectancy of their men more seriously.