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Christ Embassy Headquarters Fire: We’ll build a better, more glorious one – Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

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The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency has hinted at the possibility of demolishing the Christ Embassy building located on Billings Way, Oregun, in the Ikeja area of Lagos State, which was gutted by fire in the early hours of Sunday, if it fails an integrity test.

This is just as the President and founder of LoveWorld Incorporated, also known as Christ Embassy, Rev Chris Oyakhilome, said it would rebuild a better and bigger structure to replace the affected building.

LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, gave the hint while fielding questions from journalists at the scene of the fire incident on Sunday.

Our correspondent who visited the scene of the incident gathered that the fire started at about 7:30 am but the quick intervention of emergency responders prevented it from escalating to adjoining buildings.

PUNCH Metro also observed that some parts of the building were pulled down by an excavator so that sections that were engulfed in fire could be accessed.

Speaking on the incident, Oke-Osanyintolu disclosed that the intensity of the fire had caused cracks in the wall of the building, which therefore required that an integrity test be conducted on the building.

In his words, “We have seen a lot of structural defects; there are cracks on the walls, and we are carrying out evacuation so that the place will be safe.

“We will ensure to subject the building to an integrity test where we can determine the next line of action. We cannot demolish at this moment until an integrity test is carried out. If it is not safe, then we will take the next action.

“We are working with the church, and they have been cooperating with us, which is why we were able to swiftly combat the fire. We have the structural design of the building with us, and we will investigate thoroughly to ascertain the cause of the fire.”

The Lagos emergency management boss noted that though there was basic firefighting equipment in the church at the time of the fire, the presence of highly flammable materials contributed to the intensity of the fire.

He added, “As a professional, I realised that maybe there were lots of flammables in there in terms of the curtains and other materials. However, from what I have seen, they have basic firefighting equipment, trained men to curtail fire, and fire hydrants.

“One way or the other, we work as a team with them, and that’s why despite the fire being massive, it did not spread, and there was no casualty.”

In his reaction, Oyakhilome, during a live Sunday service at the church’s campground in Asese, Ogun State, disclosed that the fire incident at the church’s headquarters in Lagos is an opportunity to rebuild the razed building in a bigger and better way.

He said, “Nothing happens in the life of a child of God by accident. During the 2001 Ikeja cantonment bombing incident, the building vibrated so much, that we thought it was going to collapse. I thought to myself that if it collapsed, I was going to build a bigger, better one. At the end of the day, it didn’t collapse, and we called the engineers to see if there was any need to bring it down and rebuild, but it was still okay.

“Now that this has happened, we will build a bigger, better, and more glorious one, and the devil will lick his wounds.”

Also speaking on the incident, the Head of the Search and Rescue Unit of the Lagos Territorial Office of the National Emergency Management Agency, Ibitayo Adenike, noted that the absence of worshippers at the time the fire started prevented casualties from occurring in the incident.

She said, “At the time of the fire, there were no worshippers in the building. There were only a few people who were having a meeting, which was what helped to prevent casualties that might have occurred with a crowd.”

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said an investigation had commenced into the cause of the fire.

The Director of LSFRS, Margaret Adeseye, in a statement on Sunday, added, “The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and investigations are underway to ascertain its origin.

“No casualties have been reported at this time. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.”

SourceThe Punch

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Fuel prices to fall between 2% and 4% in coming days – IES

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The prices of petroleum products are expected to fall between 2% and 4% for petrol, diesel, and Liquefied Petroleum Gas, beginning tomorrow August 1, 2024.  

This follows the slowdown in the depreciation of the Ghana cedi during the second half of July 2024 and the favourable international market dynamics.

According to the Institute for Energy Security (IES), the price of petrol and deisel fell by 2.99% and 4.59% respectively and LPG by 1.10% in the second half of July 2024.

“Precisely, the price of gasoline [petrol] fell by 2.99%, gasoil [diesel] by 4.59%, and LPG by 1.10% in the second half of July 2024.  The Ghana cedi also recorded slowed depreciation (0.52%), the lowest since February 2024.

“Following the positive realised on the foreign fuel market coupled with the slowed depreciation of Ghana Cedi recorded on the domestic forex market, the Institute for Energy Security (IES) projects a fall in fuel prices in the coming days”.

World Oil Market

The second pricing window for July 2024 for the first time since the post-OPEC+ meeting saw Brent crude futures dropping below $80 per barrel.

This was driven lower by disappointing global demand as Chinese imports in July 2024 hit the lowest level in two years.

Brent Crude traded at $78.70 per barrel compared to $83.03 per barrel at the start of the pricing window.

Local Fuel Market Performance

The second pricing window for July 2024 saw the price of liquid fuels jump at the pumps on the local fuels market.

Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) increased the price per litre of petrol by GH¢0.30 and Gasoil by GH¢.20 respectively. 

The IES computation of the national average price for the three refined petroleum products for the first pricing window for July 2024 showed petrol and diesel selling at GH¢14.23 and GH¢14.70 per litre respectively, whereas (LPG) went for GH¢15.22 per kilogramme.

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Graduate Unemployed Nurses welcome over 15,000 recruitment

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The Graduate Unemployed Nurse and Midwives Association has welcomed the latest decision by the government to recruit over 15,000 new health professionals.

In a statement released on Friday, July 26, 2024, the Ministry of Health (MoH) announced the recruitment of 15, 200 nurses and midwives, effective Monday, August 5, 2024.

The MoH confirmed that the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has granted the necessary financial clearance for the recruitment process.

Interested and qualified candidates are expected to apply through the MoH’s online application portal, where they can select their preferred agency under the Ministry. The application period will close on Friday, August 23, 2024.

This comes on the back of numerous protests and demonstrations by several health professionals over the government’s inability to clear the backlog of 2020, 2021 and 2022.

National President of The Graduate Unemployed Nurse and Midwives Association Ibrahim Haruna has been reacting to the latest development.

“We’re very grateful in the first place to the Ministry of Health. It’s not bad news, but it’s not completely what we’re expecting.

“That is what we have got for now, so we will take it… Last week Friday, we received a call from the Ministry that they have got clearance for us around 15,000, so we were expecting an official communication and it came in from the ministry, so it’s welcome news,” the National President of the Graduate Unemployed Nurse and Midwives Association said.

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NDC targets 14 parliamentary seats in Northern Region

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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Northern Region has set an ambitious goal to win 14 parliamentary seats in the 2024 general elections. 

Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Northern Regional Secretary of the NDC, stated that the party is determined and prepared to secure victory in the upcoming polls. 

On Saturday, July 27, the NDC launched its campaign in Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region, with the aim of increasing their parliamentary seats in the area. 

Abdul-Salam expressed confidence that the party would reclaim some of its previously held seats from the New Patriotic Party (NPP). 

He also mentioned that the NDC has established adequate structures to ensure the achievement of this target in the forthcoming election.

“We should be able to win 14 seats, and that is clearly doable, but our target is to win all the 18 seats because they are all winnable, we have mopped out strategies to get out there on the field, our men are on the ground every day.”

“That is why if you have observed, every genuine survey that is done regarding the election 2024 in all the regions, put the NDC way ahead of the NPP,” he stated.

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