NEWS
Bishop Wale Oke Re-elected PFN National President

From Ene Asuquo, Calabar
Bishop Wale Oke has been elected as National President of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) to lead the Christian Association for the second term.
Oke was elected after the members of the Advisory Council found him worthy during the 18th Biennial conference which took place in February 11 in Abuja.
Others include Dr.
Cosmas Ilechukwu – National Deputy President, Bishop David Bakare National Secretary among others, Dr. Sam Aboyeji National Treasurer,RCCG Representative as Internal Auditor among others.Oke first won the PFN election some years ago and assumed office as PFN in March 2021 exhausted a four year tenure before seeking a second term.
Outgoing PFN National Publicity Secretary Archbishop Emmah Isong disclosed this during a telephone conversation with our correspondent in Calabar yesterday.
“These are the front lines of the national exco. They are the people who will be leading us for the next four years.
“Everyone is at liberty now to congratulate his Eminence Archisbishop Dr. Wale Oke, we thank God for this result.
“With this result of election, the next line of action for the fellowship today is the other remaining five officers; National Publicity Secretary, National Financial Secretary, deputy national secretary and so on, and they are to kick-start the process, their inauguration and their training in the next four years”.
The cleric averred that the 18th National biennial conference of the Pentecostal fellowship of Nigeria PFN will kick-start tomorrow at the Glory Dome, of the Dunamis Ministry, Airport Road Abuja, tomorrow at 4pm.
“We are asking all Pentecostals, all Nigerians, desiring to move the Holy Spirit to come”.
“Truly this gathering is the end of 40 days fasting will produce a new nation of Nigeria that our children and grandchildren will be proud to come and see”.
“We congratulate the re-elected PFN president Dr Francis Wale Oke on his victory and we pray that everyone who loves God will support him,” Isong maintained.
NEWS
Group Retract Protest, Apologises to Minister Matawalle

By David Torough, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party Young Leaders Alliance (PDP- YLA) has issued an apology and retracted its protest against Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, over allegations of misappropriation of funds during his tenure as Zamfara State governor.
The group had staged a demonstration on Friday at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headquarters in Abuja, urging the anti-graft agency to investigate the minister.
In a statement released on Saturday, PDP-YLA spokesperson Muhammed Usman admitted the protest was based on “misleading and politically motivated information.”
He described the allegations as a “deliberate smear campaign” orchestrated by political opponents to tarnish Matawalle’s reputation and distract him from his national duties.
“I was misled by exaggerated claims aimed at discrediting the minister,” Usman said, urging Nigerians to disregard the narrative.
The PDP-YLA called on Nigerians to focus on Matawalle’s contributions to national security under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The group also commended Tinubu’s nation-building efforts and urged citizens to support initiatives aimed at repositioning Nigeria for development”.
Speaking further, he noted that the Zamfara State Government is planning another protest and promised to give us 50 million naira just to tarnish Matawalle’s name, but we rejected it.
Their fear is nothing but the issue of a state of emergency, and they are doing everything possible to distract the people’s attention from it. That is why they’re busy mentioning Matawalle’s name everywhere.
NEWS
PDP Member Retracts Protest Against Matawalle, Alleges State-Sponsored Plot

By David Torough, Abuja
A member of Nigeria’s opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has publicly disavowed his role in a recent protest targeting Bello Matawalle, the country’s Minister of State for Defence, claiming the demonstration was a politically motivated scheme orchestrated by the Zamfara State Government.
Kamilu Ibrahim, who identified himself as an active PDP member and one of the protest’s organisers, issued a statement on Saturday retracting his involvement and apologising to Matawalle. “It’s important to note that I am not an indigene of Zamfara State, and none of the participants come from Zamfara State.”He alleged that the protest was not driven by genuine grievances but was instead sponsored by Zamfara’s PDP-led government under Governor Dauda Lawal Dare to discredit Matawalle, a prominent figure in the rival All Progressives Congress (APC).Ibrahim said Dauda promised us $100 to each protester, and we have over 330 members. He has not kept his promise.”The reason we are begging Matawalle to forgive us is that we found out we were fooled and misled by false information to deceive the public. “We are sorry for any damage we have caused you, Ibrahim told Matawalle.“I believed at the time that our actions were justified,” Ibrahim said. “However, after reviewing the facts and listening to credible reports, I now realise that the allegations against Matawalle are unfounded and politically motivated.”Ibrahim further claimed that the organisers of the protest were not APC members, as reported in some media outlets, but PDP loyalists acting on instructions from the Zamfara State Government. He accused Governor Lawal of orchestrating the campaign to undermine Matawalle for political gain. Ibrahim suggested that Governor Lawal has been avoiding a summons by Nigeria’s National Assembly, fearing that a federal inquiry could expose administrative failures and potentially lead to the declaration of a state of emergency in the state.“Governor Lawal is deliberately avoiding the National Assembly’s invitation,” Ibrahim alleged, citing concerns that an investigation could reveal “the truth” about the state’s security and governance challenges.Ibrahim’s statement casts fresh doubt on the credibility of the allegations against him, framing them as part of a broader political vendetta.In his statement, Ibrahim expressed regret for his role in the protest and sought Matawalle’s forgiveness. “I sincerely apologise to Honourable Bello Matawalle for the role I played,” he said, vowing not to participate in “such deceitful agendas” in the future.NEWS
SON Urges Business Owners to Seek Assistance on Product’s Quality

The Head of Mechanical department of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mr Ijacha Ego, has urged stakeholders, especially, manufacturers to always seek its assistance in the area of quality control for their products.Delivering a lecture titled: “The Impact of SON Activities on the Nation’s Economy Development” at its sensitisation workshop in Asaba on Friday, Mr Ego noted that the main task of SON is to ensure quality of products in the country.
Giving an overview of activities of SON, Ego disclosed the organisation has multiple testing laboratories tor products and urged the stakeholders to get closer to the organisation for quality control of their products and goods. ”Get close to SON, SON is available and willing to support your businesses, ” he emphasised.In his presentation titled: ”Promoting Quality and Standards Culture via Self- Regulation And Ethic Codes”, The Head of Department, Science Laboratory Technology, Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-ukwu, Mr Timothy Oni, emphasised the need for owners of businesses to establish clear policy and procedures to ensure better compliance.Oni, a guest speaker, advised them to always ensure they educated their employees through regular training as well as regular auditing.Also, the Director of SON in charge of the South South Zone, Mrs Patience Kussy-Wanza, in her presentation, urged the participants to prioritise promotion of quality standards through self-regulation and observations of ethics to increase their organisation’s profit.“It will earn you tremendous respect, unquantifiable goodwill and global recognition, all of which significantly ensure globally competitiveness.”She emphasised that apart from being a regulatory agency, “we are indeed your partner in this critical imperative.”We are willing and available to support you to embrace standards and qualify assurance in your operations with just a visit or a call for necessary support or information”.(NAN)