In a dramatic twist reminiscence of mass protests, thousands of Emmanuel TV fans, the broadcasting arm of Synagogue Church Of All Nations SCOAN are moving away with enthusiasm from the DSTV cable platform to Free to Air (FTA) Decoder.
This followed the delisting of the channel on the 17th January this year from its platform on an unsubstantiated allegation which viewers have described as “flimsy and spurious”.
Our investigations show that DSTV wrote to SCOAN alleging that viewers of Emmanuel TV were no longer strong enough for it to retain the Christian channel on its stable. But SCOAN disagreed with the DSTV’s allegation and made a request for an empirical proof which DSTV failed to provide and still went ahead to remove the channel in what looked like a premeditated decision.
Our investigations also show that Emmanuel TV before now had been under pressure and attack for “airing offensive broadcasts against the mental health of some people in the world”.
These so-called offended people are those in the categories of LGTBQ people who manifested and received deliverance during SCOAN’s services. This obviously is the crux of the matter as the church has no control over whom the holy spirit would arrest during its church services.
In Lagos, Nigeria, Mr. Mohammed Rasak, a technician has been experiencing a boom in his business. He stated how occupied he had been in the last few days installing HD Decoders for people. “I was wondering why so many people are buying HD Decoders not until these clients told me it was because of Emmanuel TV.
Personally I must confess I am a Muslim but DSTV has really fumbled by removing Emmanuel TV because we all love the channel and TBJoshua as a Christian Pastor that stands out in the world. We all knew him and saw his lifestyle; the great spiritual and philanthropic activities that were all transparent to see.
His life was practical, even we Muslims love him because of his outstanding legacies in body soul and spirit. Nobody can tell us nonsense about him. It’s a good season for my business”.
Consequently, SCOAN in its Sunday service had announced its migration from DSTV, GOTV and all other pay cable platforms asking all Emmanuel TV viewers across the globe to follow suit to Free To Air FTA High Definition HD Decoder, Apple TV, FireTV stick, Roku TV, Google TV all to be downloaded on the Apple Store and Google Play where “accessing Emmanuel TV is about to become more versatile, more convenient and more reliable”.
That was the command and it has gone like a bush fire among its members and lovers of Emmanuel TV.
A career diplomat who does not want his name in print has this to say: “I really don’t have facts on the matter but my immediate thought from the smokes was that it has to do with the same issue YouTube frowned at which is talking about homosexuality.
The west is very intolerant of any criticism of the demonic practice. DSTV may actually be fighting a proxy war for the west” he said.
The migration from DSTV family is now ‘operation totality’. From the South to North and East to West especially in the African continent where we have tried to feel the pulse of the people.
Mrs okuwengu Nancy a public affairs guru in East Africa has this to say: “I understand that being with DSTV is not at all a cost effective venture because it is ridiculously expensive for both the church and users. I also noticed from various calls made to me by Kenyans and Nations around that they too will no longer use DSTV because they mainly needed it for Emmanuel TV. The only thing they will miss in DSTV is football but other streaming services like Netflix are cheaper and give equally good entertainment like movies. People are moving to free to air decoders”.
Mr. Nematandam Kirstan, a South African tycoon has this to say: “The biggest looser is DSTV. With the latest technical innovations we can watch Emmanuel TV in various platforms. Your mobile phone creates lots of platforms for you. Many are now moving to watch Emmanuel TV on Free to Air channel.
What happened to the era of the print media? You can now access any newspaper on your mobile. AI is now giving challenges to institutions of higher learning. Stock markets are running Helter skelter because AI assists traders to trade with ease. Pay TV will soon run out of subscribers.
“Of course ours could also be a spiritual thing but it’s too late now. God has created more platforms for Emmanuel TV.
Emmanuel TV will increase its viewership because of the Free to Air Decoders, social media etc. Ordinary people who could not afford DSTV can now enjoy the blessings of Emmanuel TV “.
To Hillary Njau in Tanzania: DSTV attack on Emmanuel TV is actually a blessing in disguise. It has created more awareness for it and many people including fresh ones are all moving to Free to Air Decoders because of Emmanuel TV”.
Mr. Kabango from Malawi was visibly angry with the DSTV’s decision: “Well, the motive behind the whole movie does not make sense to me. Look here, how can praying for someone who freely decided to come to church and ask for God’s help with same-sex attraction issues now be classified as hate speech?
“Are people forced to go to church? No! Are people pressed to be delivered? No! So, why make a decision which will affect millions of people who bank on the channel for prayers on such a premise?
“Where I stay, about 30people gather at one house to watch prayers on Sunday. Closing the channel means these people would not be able to watch prayers just because of someone who feels his/her right has been violated. Dstv is not fair by its autocratic decision but thank God for free to air decoder now available”.
To Winnie Nations, a media practitioner in in East Africa: “It’s anachronistic for DSTV to delist Emmanuel TV especially now in the light of the unacceptable BBC poor movies called investigative journalism. Their objective is to leave Emmanuel TV viewers hanging and possibly get them scattered so that if possible they won’t hear of the church again. But God is greater than them all. The gate of hell shall not prevail. We understand their deceits because God has given us grace to see beyond their conspiracies. Emmanuel TV is moving higher with free to air Decoders that people are now trooping to have”
Mr. Orji Onyekwere in Lagos has this to say in his reaction: “It’s really surprising Knowing that Emmanuel TV has a lot of followers all over the world and that also means more subscription for the DStv and GOtv channels. However, you cannot remove the role of the imperialist, I mean the world powers; who are now doing everything to turn the Bible upside down by encouraging gay practice and doing everything to make sure the whole world accepts that misnomer. So, by yanking Emmanuel TV off the DStv and GOtv channels, they are determined to fight the church through all means.
They know how powerful Emmanuel TV is and the lives the channel have touched and is still touching but nobody can fight God.
“Going on free to air platforms will also afford a lot of the faithful that cannot subscribe to the exorbitant price of DStv and GOtv bouquets to get a more profitable alternative that will cost them nothing.
“So, it’s all the pay Tv platforms that are losing this time and not Emmanuel TV or Synagogue Church Of All Nations SCOAN”.
Mr. Abraham Showunmi, a Forensic Chartered Accountants was completely upset by the erratic decision of DSTV against Emmanuel TV: ” I have four DSTV decoders for my different outfits. They called me for a promotional offer. I declined the offer for the sole reason that they removed Emmanuel tv from their decoder. They promised to get back to me. I told them that it’s not necessary because I will never subscribe to them again.
From this charade of both BBC and DSTV, I can see that the time for our church’s promotion has come with all these trials of faith and persecutions.The Lord is our strength. Love is our weapon against our enemies. Our battle is the Lord’s” he stated.
From all indications, notwithstanding the DSTV’s bullets against Emmanuel TV, the SCOAN’s Christian channel is waxing stronger as more platforms are now available for its lovers.
Access Bank Appoints Uche Orji as Independent Non-Executive Director
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
Access Holdings Plc (‘the Company’) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Uche Orji as an Independent Non-Executive Director of its flagship subsidiary, Access Bank Plc (‘the Bank’), effective from January 7, 2025, following the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (‘CBN’).
orji
This appointment reflects our commitment to enhancing our governance practices and ensuring a diverse and experienced board.
Mr. Orji is a renowned investment banking professional, information technology entrepreneur, and finance expert with three (3) decades of professional and board experience. He is the Co-founder and Partner of Titangate Capital Management, an equity firm that invests in deep-tech, enterprise software, semi-conductors, hardware, and artificial intelligence companies.
He is the Founder and Director of Vitesse Africa Limited, an investment advisory firm focused on African energy, technology and infrastructure sectors. He serves as an Executive Board member and investor in Ultrasafe AI, an artificial intelligence/IT development firm that maintains strategic collaborations with leading technology companies. He also sits on the Board of Private Infrastructure Development Group, London, and chairs the Risk Committee.
Previously, Mr. Orji served as the founding Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority. He held positions as Managing Director and Senior Analyst at UBS Securities Limited New York and Managing Director and Head of European Technology/Semiconductor Equity Research at JP Morgan Securities, London. He also served as Executive Director/Portfolio Manager at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, London. Earlier in his career, he was Acting Financial Controller at Diamond Bank Limited and an Audit Trainee at Arthur Andersen & Co.
He holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Port-Harcourt and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Paul Usoro, SAN, the Chairman of the Bank said:
“Mr. Orji has been appointed based on his exceptionally rich professional, academic, and corporate board experience which will be invaluable to the Bank as we continue to pursue our strategic objectives.
We are confident that his addition to the Board would further enrich the quality of our decision-making process, enabling us to deliver even greater value to our customers and stakeholders.
His appointment has been made in accordance with the Bank’s internal policies and has been notified to all relevant regulatory authorities underscoring our commitment to upholding the highest standards of corporate governance.
On behalf of the Board, Management and staff, I warmly welcome Mr. Orji to the Board and look forward to his contributions towards our goal of becoming one of the top 5 African Banks in the shortest possible time.”
Go and List Your Challenges, Lagos Speaker tells NANS Member During Courtesy Visit
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Lagos State University (LASU) branch, on Friday paid a courtesy visit on the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Princess Mojisola Lasbat Meranda.
The student representatives said the visit was to congratulate Meranda over her emergence as Speaker of the State Assembly.
Meranda, an alumnus of LASU, was elected Speaker on January 13 after the removal of Mudashiru Obasa by the lawmakers over issues relating to alleged high-handedness and financial impropriety.
Describing her as a thoroughbred Lagosian, the chairman of NANS, Abdulraheem Azeez, used the opportunity to list some of the challenges faced by students in the university.
According to him, students have had to read in darkness as the Ikeja campus gets less than two hours of power supply daily.
Azeez also raised the need for the State to make available loans for indigent students as well as for the Assembly to provide opportunities for students to witness the plenary of the House.
Meranda, while thanking the students for the visit, urged them to always attend town-hall meetings in their constituencies where they can contribute and make their opinions known.
She further encouraged them to apply for the loans initiated by the government as done by students in other countries.
The Speaker requested the students to formally send their complaints in written forms to the House for action.
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede charge members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, to be change agents and strong resisting force against corruption.
He also enjoined them to be active foot soldiers and whistle-blowers or intelligence-gatherers against corruption.
Speaking on Thursday, January 30, 2025 at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Yikpata, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, Olukoyede said It is important for youths to realise that, these roles, if performed creditably, will bring up appreciable growth in the economy of our nation. He said that, “creative energies of youths will be maximised when corruption is brought to its knees.”
The EFCC boss whose address was delivered by the Head, Public Affairs Department, Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the EFCC, Ayodele Babatunde said that most of the problem confronting the country such as kidnapping, banditry, poor infrastructure, among others were connected to corruption. He added that all hands must be on the deck to tame the cankerworm.
Olukoyede encouraged the youths to embrace the virtues of hard work and shun fraudulent practices such as cybercrime noting that, “it’s profitable to earn dignity and fame through hard work and legit business.”
While calling on the youths to channel their potentials productively and shun crime, the EFCC Chair said that, “Yahoo-Yahoo is not a sustainable way of life.”
“There is no shortcut to wealth and fame. The fact that the rate of unemployment is high should not be an excuse to resort to crime. Act of criminality might deliver wealth in the short term but there will be misery and gnashing of teeth”, he said.