Tag: Nigeria

Pope Francis has died at the age of 88, the Vatican announced on Easter Monday.

His death follows a recent period of illness that had seen the pontiff hospitalised and largely absent from Holy Week liturgies, raising widespread concern over his health.

According to Vatican News, the Holy Father passed away peacefully at 7:35 a.m. in his residence at the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, had served as Bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church since 2013, when he succeeded Pope Benedict XVI following his unprecedented resignation. Over the past year, concerns had mounted over Francis’ fragile health, with repeated respiratory issues and hospital stays — the most recent of which occurred in March, prompting scaled-back public appearances during Lent and Easter.

The news of his passing was confirmed in a statement by Cardinal Kevin Farrell.

“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis.

“At 7.35am this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His Church.

“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalised.

“With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”

Despite his deteriorating condition, Pope Francis appeared on Easter Sunday to deliver what would be his final Urbi et Orbi message — to the city and to the world. His words, laced with hope, resilience, and compassion, now resonate as a spiritual farewell.

“Christ, my hope, has risen,” Pope Francis announced, calling on the faithful to turn their gaze to the empty tomb.

He spoke of the Resurrection not as an abstract idea but as a living, transformative force.

“Today too,” he said, “he takes upon himself all the evil that oppresses us and transfigures it.”

“Love has triumphed over hatred, light over darkness, and truth over falsehood. Forgiveness has triumphed over revenge,” he said. “Evil has not disappeared from history; it will remain until the end, but it no longer has the upper hand; it no longer has power over those who accept the grace of this day.”

Even amid the joy of Easter, the Pope’s heart remained with those in suffering. He turned his attention to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, delivering a passionate plea for peace.

He spoke first of the Holy Land, “wounded by conflict,” and home to an “endless outburst of violence.” He extended his closeness, in particular, to the people of Gaza and to the Christian community in the enclave where “the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation.”

“I appeal once again,” he said, “for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, for the release of the hostages… and for access to humanitarian aid.”

His words once again called on the international community to act and “come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace.”

Pope Francis will be remembered not only as the first pontiff from the Americas, but as a spiritual reformer and a voice for the voiceless, who placed mercy and justice at the heart of his ministry.

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. pic.twitter.com/jUIkbplVi2

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) April 21, 2025

Nigerians are currently reacting to a trending video of a Lagos-based clergyman, Pastor Poju Oyemade, saying that Nigerians are being programmed to hate their country.

 While preaching in his church, the cleric opined that living  conditions and operating businesses in Nigeria is better when compared to the US.

In his words

‘’People are being programmed to hate their country which is ‘self hatred’. I was in America and I sat down with some Nigerians and they started. I told them that in Nigeria, a person will graduate as a medical doctor and spend N500, 000 throughout to become a doctor and they are working. You will graduate from John Hopkins as a doctor and you spend $2000, are you okay? Do you know how much money you will spend?

I said to them in Nigeria, if you tell a Nigerian to do two jobs he will curse your life out. He will come to America, wake up in the morning, do first job, do second job, do Uber…I said if they put the fraction of this energy they put here in their country, they would have blown. They kept quiet”

He recounted how one of the branches of his church in Yaba organized a tradefair and how some of the church members made great returns. He argued that such people would not have made such great returns if the tradefair were to have been organized in the US.

‘’Yaba did a tradefair for church members to sell things. They just put tents in the car park. I thought it was a waste of time. One lady came to meet the pastor and said thank you for doing this. She was selling wigs. Somebody came out from the church and bought three wigs. Each wig is N250, 000. That business is not registered. N750, 000 that girl carried home. If somebody is in their house and just selling wigs, are they unemployed? But are they registered as employed? No! Our statistics here is different. Understand your terrain.

In Ameriac, you will sell like that? IRS is coming for you! Out of that N750, 000, N200, 000 belongs to the government. Don’t drop it, you will see jail. Understand your terrain so you will know how to play.

This is Nigeria, the land of opportunity where good cometh! Leave all this people saying Nigeria happened to them. What are you talking about?

In America, there are four people groups doing better than Caucasians. Nigerian-American are number two”

His comment has been greeted with mixed reaction from Nigerians. While some Nigerians agree with him, others were against.

Watch the video of him speaking below

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has voiced serious concern over Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, warning that the country is gradually becoming a vast national morgue due to ongoing violence and incessant killings. 

Delivering his Easter message on Sunday, April 20, Bishop Kukah lamented the deepening human suffering, describing the current reality as one marked by “a culture of brutality and savagery never witnessed in the history of our dear country.”

Using the metaphor of the crucifixion, Kukah illustrated the pain endured by Nigerians and called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently act to save citizens from what he described as “this cross of evil.” He acknowledged that the president did not create the current crisis but stressed that Nigerians have remained “bleeding and dangling on this cross of pain and mindless suffering for far too long.”

Bishop Kukah condemned the rising tide of kidnappings, killings, and violent crimes, emphasizing that no household or community in the country remains untouched by the wave of insecurity. “A dark pall of death hangs languidly from north to south. Every day, innocent citizens are kidnapped and held under the most inhuman conditions. Nigeria is reaching a breaking point,” he warned.

He also criticized the government’s economic policies, particularly its response to hardship through palliative distributions, which he said undermines the dignity of citizens. While acknowledging the necessity of removing fuel subsidies and the resultant increase in available resources, Kukah highlighted the dangers faced by farmers, noting that farming has been among the most perilous occupations in Nigeria for more than a decade. He stressed that palliatives are not enough and called for sustainable food access and security.

The Bishop urged President Tinubu to recognize food security as a constitutional right, saying, “Make food security a constitutional right for all citizens. Mr. President, please bring us down from this painful cross of hunger.”

Despite the grim assessment, Kukah urged Nigerians to remain hopeful, reminding them of their collective duty to dispel the darkness that has enveloped the nation. “The structural deformities, iniquities, and corruption of our country must not be an excuse to lose hope. We are the light of the world, a city set on a hill. With the light of Christ, we can build a society that reflects the will of our Creator,” he said.

He concluded his Easter message with blessings for the nation and a call for renewed faith in its future. “I wish you, Mr. President, and all Nigerians, a blessed and happy Easter,” Kukah said.

Hundreds of international students are being forced to leave the United States following an aggressive crackdown on student visas by the Trump administration. 

Reports indicate that the Department of Homeland Security has intensified efforts to identify and deport students, including those who have not been charged with any crime. “Do not attempt to remain in the United States. The federal government will find you,” read an email reportedly from the Department, shared by immigration attorney Nicole Micheroni.

Immigration lawyer Dustin Baxter, who is representing more than 100 affected students in a lawsuit against the government, stated that visa revocations are happening arbitrarily. “Not only would they revoke the person’s student visa – even if there was no conviction, if there was just an arrest, and sometimes there wasn’t even an arrest, there was just an encounter and maybe a ticket – they would revoke the student visa,” Baxter said in comments to CNN.

Some students learned their visa had been revoked only after being contacted by their schools, while many institutions were also left in the dark. Stanford University reported that it discovered four of its students and two recent graduates had lost their visas only during a routine check of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database on April 4.

This marks a significant shift in policy. Traditionally, designated school officers were responsible for initiating visa revocations in SEVIS. However, according to Jeff Joseph, president-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is now bypassing schools to take unilateral action.

One of the most publicized cases involved Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk, who was handcuffed and detained by immigration agents shortly after her visa was revoked without prior notification. Surveillance footage presented in court reportedly captured Öztürk “shrieking in fear and confusion” as she was taken away.

The Trump administration has defended the actions, citing legal provisions that allow visa revocations on national security or foreign policy grounds. Secretary of State Marco Rubio referenced a clause that permits the cancellation of visas if an individual’s presence poses “serious foreign policy consequences.”

A statement from the State Department asserted the government’s “broad authority” to revoke visas at any time, even after they are issued. “We continuously check visa holders… and we will revoke their visas and deport them if they don’t [follow the rules],” the agency warned.

The development has caused widespread panic among international students, with many now facing sudden detentions, deportations, and academic disruptions, even in the absence of formal charges or due process.