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Bishops David Abioye, Thomas Aremu To Retire From Living Faith Church
The Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners Chapel is set to witness the retirement of Bishops David Olatunji Abioye and Thomas Aremu.
There retirements were announced, concluding over four and three decades of dedicated service, respectively.
This decision aligns with the operational guidelines of the Mandate, the Church’s constitutional framework.
Bishop Thomas Aremu’s valedictory service is set to take place on October 15, 2024, at LFC Basorun in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Meanwhile, Bishop David Abioye’s farewell ceremony will occur on October 18, 2024, in Lokogoma, Abuja.
Bishop Abioye, who has been a close associate of Bishop David Oyedepo since their first meeting in 1979, played a pivotal role in the Church’s establishment, having been sent to pastor one of the five pioneer branches in 1987.
He was consecrated in 1993 at the Living Faith Church in Maiduguri, becoming the youngest and second Bishop in the Church’s history at the age of 32.
Bishop Aremu, who transitioned to full-time ministry after a career as an accountant, is the last remaining member of the seven Bishops consecrated in November 1999 at the Garden of Faith in Kaduna.
This retirement marks a historic moment for the Living Faith Church, as it will be the first time that retiring pastors who have served with distinction will be publicly honored.
According to the revised Mandate, the retirement age has been adjusted from 60 to 58 years.
Bishop Abioye is currently 63, while Bishop Aremu is 67.
The Founder of the Church is the only one granted the privilege of a lifetime of service, while future leaders will serve a maximum of two terms of seven years each, subject to Board of Trustees approval.
As the Living Faith Church, which is less than 50 years old, enters this new phase, the contributions of these Bishops will be celebrated and remembered.
Daniel Bwala, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on policy communication, says former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar should accept that presidency may not be his destiny.
Bwala spoke on Monday during an interview on TVC, where he addressed issues surrounding political succession and the future of opposition politics in the country.
He asked Abubakar to embrace reality and collaborate with President Tinubu in building the country.
“If I have the opportunity to meet him face to face, what I will tell him is just this: ‘Your Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, you have to believe in destiny,’” Bwala said.
“God gives power to whomsoever He chooses. And it seems from the facts on the ground that it may not have been the will of God for you to govern Nigeria.”
He advised the former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to align himself with Tinubu’s administration to leave a lasting legacy, “even if it is realised through another person”.
“There are many other ways you can contribute. Since you have been a friend to President Bola Tinubu for many years, come together and bring your contribution towards the Nigeria that both of you wanted to create for the Nigerian people,” he said.
“Your legacy will be that in your political dying days, you will be able to achieve some of your dreams, albeit through your friend.
“But if he insists that he wants to run and he wants to become the president, as we have already seen it playing out, his political ending might not be as palatable as he’s thinking.
“Right now, from his political family, he has lost substantial people, probably 60 to 70 percent.”
Bwala added that younger politicians who once followed Abubakar are now determined to seek power in their own right and have shown no signs of retreating.
The presidential aide’s remarks come amid a gale of defections from opposition parties to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
There are speculations that some governors of the opposition parties may soon join the APC.
In March, Abubakar said he was unsure about contesting the 2027 presidency, adding that there must be a viable platform.
The Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) says it will no longer accept cash payments at its post office counters nationwide from July 1, as part of new reforms aimed at modernising the agency.
In a statement on Monday, Franklin Alao, NIPOST’s director of corporate communications, said the transition to a cashless system is one of several initiatives under a reform agenda themed “Change of Renewed Hope Berths at NIPOST Shores”.
Alao said the new direction aligns NIPOST with global best practices, the demands of Nigeria’s growing digital economy, and President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.
“Beginning July 1, 2025, all Post Offices counters nationwide will no longer accept cash payments for their services. Customers will be required to use approved electronic channels for all transactions,” the statement reads.
“This is a crucial step in our modernization journey — one that ensures safer, faster, and more transparent service delivery.”
The director said the core of the transformation is NIPOST’s dedication to evolving into a modern postal service guided by innovation, accountability, value creation, and a commitment to service excellence.
“We are assuring Nigerians of a revitalised NIPOST that delivers superior service and embraces the future,” he said.
Alao announced plans to introduce a performance-based reward and recognition system to encourage excellence, alongside disciplinary measures aimed at promoting integrity within the agency.
NIPOST expressed appreciation to Bosun Tijani, minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, for his “unwavering support and leadership”.
The organisation also commended Isaac Kekemeke, the newly appointed chairman of the NIPOST board, and Tola Odeyemi, the postmaster general and chief executive officer (CEO), for their efforts in driving reforms, improving staff welfare, and boosting capacity development.
NIPOST added that with the initiatives, the postal service aims to position itself as a forward-looking, tech-driven institution playing a central role in Nigeria’s digital advancement by “Connecting Nigeria, Delivering Solutions, and Improving Lives”.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied a viral report claiming it disclosed the reasons behind the detention of controversial social media commentator VeryDarkMan (VDM).
The activist was detained on Friday after visiting a Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) branch in Abuja with his mother to address alleged unauthorised withdrawals from her account.
Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju later revealed that VDM’s arrest followed a petition filed by a magistrate in Abuja.
However, on Monday, BBC Pidgin quoted Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, as saying the activist was arrested based on petitions filed by some individuals who had grievances against him.
When asked if the petitions were related to GTB, Oyewale was quoted to have said the complaints came from different individuals and that the EFCC has a responsibility to protect them.
“We arrested him to respond to a series of allegations raised against him by some petitioners,” Oyewale was quoted as saying.
“We will release him once he meets the bail conditions, and we will take the case to court as soon as possible. We are law-abiding.”
Following his detention, supporters and associates of VeryDarkMan took to social media to campaign for his freedom.
Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi condemned VDM’s arrest, calling it a “disregard for the rule of law and human rights”.
Atiku Abubakar, the former vice-president, expressed his disappointment with the “continued detention” of the activist without formal charges, describing it as a “violation of his constitutional rights and a sign of growing authoritarianism” in the country.
Davido also joined the outcry, praising the widespread support for VeryDarkMan as “proof that genuine activism impacts lives”.
However, shortly afterward, the commission denied speaking with BBC Pidgin.
The EFCC, which has stayed quiet about the activist’s detention and is yet to respond to TheCable Lifestyle’s inquiries, dismissed the BBC Pidgin report as “fake news” in a post via X.