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	<title>ContraCulture E-magazine</title>
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	<description>For you are a peculiar people!</description>
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		<title>Its good Friday, Thank you LORD!</title>
		<link>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3035</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2013 23:42:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Easter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Good Friday]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Literally! I am grateful. Without HIS sacrifice, we would not be here. Remember that Easter is not about chocolates or the Easter bunny! Its about CHRIST on the cross! Have a meaningful Easter. &#160;]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Literally! I am grateful. Without HIS sacrifice, we would not be here. Remember that Easter is not about chocolates or the Easter bunny! Its about CHRIST on the cross!</p>
<p>Have a meaningful Easter.</p>
<p><a href="http://contraculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/old-rugged-cross.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-591" alt="old rugged cross" src="http://contraculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/old-rugged-cross.jpg" width="240" height="175" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>She is not stupid, its Dyslexia! Watch &#8220;Enitan&#8221; by Ishaya Bako.</title>
		<link>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3033</link>
		<comments>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3033#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2013 23:01:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dyslexia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[learning disability]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[This is a powerful, powerful, powerful piece of art. I cried when I watched it. Knowledge is powerful. Please stop beating your kids when they don&#8217;t do well in school. Instead encourage self discovery. Oh the amount of child abuse [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This is a powerful, powerful, powerful piece of art. I cried when I watched it. Knowledge is powerful. Please stop beating your kids when they don&#8217;t do well in school. Instead encourage self discovery. Oh the amount of child abuse that goes on in the name of trying to teach -  GOD help us!  Please pass on this short movie to as many people as you can. Every parent should watch this video.  Enjoy!</p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AZygWbfjHhM" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
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		<title>Bishop Oyedepo&#8217;s daughter&#8217;s wedding</title>
		<link>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3026</link>
		<comments>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3026#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 23 Mar 2013 22:56:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Church in the News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Romance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bishop Oyedepo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[daughter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wedding]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Everybody is talking about THAT wedding in Dubai, you know, the one that every possible celebrity attended? But Bishop Oyedepo also had a major celebration today &#8211; his beloved first daughter, Love Oyedepo, got married in Canaanland, the headquarters of [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_3028" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://contraculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Oyedepos-daughter1.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-3028" alt="Beautiful!" src="http://contraculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Oyedepos-daughter1-300x300.jpeg" width="300" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Beautiful!</p></div>
<div id="attachment_3029" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://contraculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Oyedepos-daughter2.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-3029" alt="With Bishop and wife" src="http://contraculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Oyedepos-daughter2-300x300.jpeg" width="300" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">With Bishop and wife</p></div>
<p>Everybody is talking about THAT wedding in Dubai, you know, the one that every possible celebrity attended? But Bishop Oyedepo also had a major celebration today &#8211; his beloved first daughter, Love Oyedepo, got married in Canaanland, the headquarters of Winner&#8217;s Chapel which the Bishop heads.</p>
<p>She married Steve Ogah, a pastor in the church and also one of  her father&#8217;s personal assistants.  A beautiful bride indeed! Happy married life to the lovely couple!</p>
<p>More pics below:</p>
<div id="attachment_3027" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://contraculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Oyedepos-daughter-3.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-3027" alt="Gorgeous cake!" src="http://contraculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Oyedepos-daughter-3-300x300.jpeg" width="300" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Gorgeous cake!</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_3031" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 351px"><a href="http://contraculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Oyedepos-daughter-4.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-3031" alt="Awwwww!!" src="http://contraculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Oyedepos-daughter-4-300x117.png" width="341" height="152" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Awwwww!!</p></div>
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		<title>Prophet Obadare, WOSEM founder dies.</title>
		<link>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3022</link>
		<comments>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3022#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:22:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Church in the News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GOD's Generals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spiritual Spotlight]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prophet Obadare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WOSEM]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[So I know that I have been gone a while, and that I owe y&#8217;all an explanation. A million apologies, I will post an explanation over the weekend, but for now, breaking news: Prophet Obadare is dead. I used to [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="color: #ff6600;">So I know that I have been gone a while, and that I owe y&#8217;all an explanation. A million apologies, I will post an explanation over the weekend, but for now, breaking news:</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #3366ff;">Prophet Obadare is dead. I used to enjoy watching his ministry program on TV as a child growing up, he was blind but very eloquent in yoruba and attracted a very large following.  I can&#8217;t say much about his ministry as I was not part of it, but there has been an outpouring of grief at his passing, so hopefully it means his life had an impact. If baba&#8217;s life  and ministry impacted you, please say something about him in the comments below.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #3366ff;">RIP baba.</span></p>
<p><strong>Story below:</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>WORLD renowned televangelist and founder of World Soul Winning Evangelical Mission, WOSEM, and General Evangelist of Christ Apostolic Church, CAC, Prophet Timothy Obadare, is dead.</p>
<p>Obadare, who was the second-in-command to Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola at CAC, died yesterday morning at an undisclosed private hospital in Akure after a protracted age-related ailment. He was aged 83.</p>
<p>Popular for his monthly crusade, Koseunti, that drew Christians from all denominations to Akure, Ondo State capital, Baba Obadare, as he was popularly called, was formerly of the Christ Apostolic Church, CAC, until he formed his own ministry, WOSEM.</p>
<p>Prophet Obadare’s son, Pastor Abraham Obadare and the Ondo State chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Bishop Joshua Ketiku, both confirmed that Baba Obadare died in an Akure hospital.</p>
<p>US-based Pastor Obadare Jnr., who was said to have graduated from Hunter College of City University, New York, is a District Superintendent in charge of CAC WOSEM churches in the United States and Canada.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/03/prophet-t-o-obadare-feared-dead/prophet-obadare/" rel="attachment wp-att-370648"><img alt="Prophet T.O Obadare" src="http://vml1.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/prophet-obadare.jpg?cb5e28" width="412" height="264" /></a></p>
<p>Prophet T.O Obadare</p>
<p>The visually-impaired evangelist had travelled across the nations of the world on evangelical mission with signs and wonders reportedly following his ministrations.</p>
<p>Bishop Ketiku said the deceased lived a good life and had gone to rest, saying “Baba is happier where he is now.”</p>
<p>One of the children of the late prophet, Mr. Joseph Obadare, said his father lived a fulfilled life. He added that the family was waiting for the eldest son before any comment.</p>
<p>Speaking with newsmen in Akure, Media Aide to late Obadare, Pastor Michael Awe, described him as a great evangelist, who travelled wide within and outside the country on evangelism activities.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/03/prophet-obadare-wosem-founder-dies-at-83/">full story</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p></blockquote>
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		<title>Bimbo Odukoya&#8217;s daughter gets married: Her beautiful love story.</title>
		<link>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3017</link>
		<comments>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3017#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Nov 2012 23:17:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Romance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fountain of life church]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marriage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pastor Bimbo Odukoya]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tolu Odukoya]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Tolu Odukoya and Olumide Ijogun got married last Saturday. I love the interview that they gave to Thisday, and their honesty about the difficulty of sexual purity.  Great interview! &#160; Courting the daughter of pastors has understandable challenges and Olumide [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Tolu Odukoya and Olumide Ijogun got married last Saturday. I love the interview that they gave to Thisday, and their honesty about the difficulty of sexual purity.  Great interview!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<blockquote><p><a href="http://contraculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/image.jpeg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3018" title="image" src="http://contraculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/image-300x200.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>Courting the daughter of pastors has understandable challenges and Olumide Ijogun must have felt what is perhaps the most unsettling several times: having no trysts where you can cast all inhibitions because you’re obliged to meet your heartthrob nearly all the time at her parents’ home, and having to endure that probing stare that seems to ask the question – have they crossed that forbidden line?<br />
Ijogun is really not one that quits easily. “It all started many years ago; was it ‘99, 2000?” Odukoya reminds him. “It was ’98,” she said.<br />
The couple met while they were both in Greensprings, a secondary school in Lagos. “It was quite a magical moment because as I walked into the class I noticed her amongst the rest,” Ijogun recalls.<br />
“It was really a moment that I still cannot express in words. I knew it was a sign and this was a sign from God. I knew I might not have fully recognized it but I couldn’t miss it. If I can express it in words it would be like recalling how the spotlight shines on someone among so many people. I have never felt that way again with someone else.”<br />
For Odukoya, it was an equally memorable occasion. “It all started for me when he came into Greensprings. Because Olumide is a fine boy, all the girls were all over him. I didn’t want to follow the crowd so I kept my distance and did my own thing. We knew we liked each other but we were kids at that point in time. So, I travelled away to America and came back. Then we started the relationship and we have been together ever since.”<br />
Apparently, it was love at first sight for both. “It wasn’t really love at first sight,” she said. “There was so much fuss around him.” Ijogun countered. “It was love at first sight for her but she was denying it,” he said as they broke into an infectious laughter.<br />
“We spent most of the first year just looking at each other. I was coming from a British curriculum trying to fit into the Nigerian curriculum which was very tough. And being the son of a very strict Ondo man, I had to look and focus on academics, because we had always been told when we were young; that if you don’t get this right other things will not follow, and if you got this right other things would follow. I think it was me prioritizing as much as I wanted to approach her. And she is a very fine girl too; she had so many guys on her. I was just watching from a distance while other guys flocked and jumped around. I was patiently waiting and focusing on my first goal. It was fantastic.”<br />
It’s a familiar story for both – and one which they recall with much fondness. “I think we started dating, like in 2000. We graduated in 2001. Then I went to America and he went to London. We broke up in-between and, even when we dated other people, we knew we had to behave ourselves because we knew we were definitely going to come back together. And we always talked about our relationships like who did you date? What did you do? And how long were you with the person? We always knew where it was going. We were always in contact. I was always going to London for summer and we always came back home for Christmas,” she said.<br />
Such certainty! We always knew where it was going. Was it something spiritual? “I won’t say it was something spiritual for me,” Odukoya said. “He is somebody I am comfortable with; I can be myself when I am with him. I realized that in church I was this child everybody looked at, but in school I was just a normal child like everyone else. So I could actually be myself with him; he was not like, ‘you are pastor’s daughter’. I could just be normal and that’s what I cherished about the relationship. We were friends and we grew together, and knowing that I could not be like that with anyone else was just something that kept me going.”<br />
It’s hard not to feel the outpour of love between the couple; it’s so genuine and spontaneous that you wish it’s a similar experience for everyone.<br />
“My relationship with her makes me sure. I think it’s déjà vu, and you know déjà vu can be either positive or negative. It can even be a warning if you are spiritual. I feel right when I am with Tolu. You can’t explain these things, so if anyone wants to explain how love is I think the person is joking. You can never really express these things. I like who she is inside, as a person. You can see someone at face value and you don’t know what is going on inside. She has got a good heart.”<br />
To a large extent, it was a case of simply following their hearts. “A lot of people expected me to marry someone else who is always speaking in tongues and falls under the anointing. Olumide is someone I have seen grow; somebody I have seen God’s hand work on. He is not clouded. He is real. He is not trying to impress anybody,” Odukoya explained.<br />
“We have grown together, we have had our ups and downs, and we have seen God manifest in our lives. He is my friend, my best friend, and I am a very, very strong woman. He is one guy, apart from my father, that I respect and listen to and look up to. A lot of guys, older than him, have tried to approach me but it is not about the age; it is about what you carry inside, and he carries what is right for me. He is somebody I respect and I want to listen to and I am so enthusiastic about a future with him. I can’t see precisely where God is taking us to, but I know that it’s huge because of the kind of person he is.”<br />
Proposal was nothing dramatic because Ijogun “is a very simple guy,” Odukoya said with a spark in her eyes. “I didn’t really expect to see anything crazy because I would have said ‘this is not you’. He had travelled back from his MBA graduation. I was asking to see his certificate and he brings out two boxes and he held on to them, and I was thinking it was a bracelet or chain. My husband is very prudent with money; he doesn’t just spend money, so I thought he had gone all out this time to buy me something very expensive.<br />
“But before he brought out the box, he was hugging me and telling me he loves me and he wants to spend the rest of his life with me. Then he turns it to me and there were two rings and he was really sweating and he tells me he loves me and he wants to spend the rest of his life with me and I said ‘yes, put the ring on my finger’. It was very simple because that is who he is. It was a precious moment.”<br />
But, really, how does it feel marrying into a family where both parents are pastors? (the bride’s father is the head pastor of Fountain of Life Church, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, whose wife, Bimbo, also a pastor, ran the hugely popular Single and Married programme before she died in a plane crash.)<br />
“I have known the family for so long,” he said. “You tend to see people from a different perspective because you don’t know them. You won’t really believe the perspective that I see the family from. Like she said, she has seen me grow. I have also seen Fountain grow for like, how many years now?”<br />
“Fourteen,” Odukoya reminded him.<br />
“I have seen transitions; so I feel normal and I don’t feel any weight, no pressure, nothing.”<br />
Not even when the late Odukoya invited them both to the church office for a matter-of-fact discourse?<br />
“The crazy thing is that my mum actually spoke to us in 2005,” Odukoya said. “She knew we were in a serious relationship. She called us into the church office and we came into the office and we sat down and she said, ‘This Tolu you say you like, do you want to marry her?’ And he said yes. She said, ‘Hmm, this girl, she has problems o. She gets angry. I hope you know the bad part of her?’ He said ‘Yes, ma, I know’. She spoke to us like we were about to get married in a couple of months.”<br />
And as if on cue, Ijogun adds: “She said marriage is not a contract but a lifetime commitment.” Another laughter.<br />
“It’s amazing that she did that because people always ask me: ‘did your mum meet him?’ And I say ‘yes, my mother knew him’. She was at first driving him away. She was like ‘she is too young, don’t come to the house’ because then we were like 13.”<br />
His excuse was always that he had come to give her some mathematics lesson.<br />
“Yes, he used to come and teach me some math and my mum would be like ‘you people are just joking’. But then by the time we got to SS3 and we started dating. My mother was like ‘maybe my approach is wrong, maybe I should let her have a boyfriend but they must meet here in the house’. And then she started asking questions like ‘this relationship you guys are having, what do you do and what do you say?’ She wanted to be a part of it.<br />
“By then, my dad had known, my mum had known, both families had known about it and they have been guiding us in the right step. From both sides, my family and his family, it’s been long-awaited.”<br />
It’s inevitable the sad loss of her mother will soon be reflected on. How much of her counsel did they internalize?<br />
“We don’t even have a choice. You want to do this, you hear her voice. You want to do that, you hear her voice,” Ijogun explained.<br />
“And we use her books too,” his wife adds.<br />
“For me it’s conscience,” Ijogun continues: “It is very easy to take stuff for granted. So, I’m always saying ‘let’s sit down’ and we start asking each other questions and that was something she kept drilling into people: ask each other questions. And when we do, we are so happy and it’s always like that was good we talked about that.”<br />
Again, it’s inevitable the couple has to confront the question of chastity before marriage which is something the late pastor often advocated. How did they overcome carnal desires for 14 years?<br />
“It has been hard, it has been very difficult,” she said.<br />
Perhaps sensing some reluctance in his bride to deal with the subject, Ijogun said: “Hold on, I will handle this. It’s not been easy. It’s either you believe in something you have faith in or you don’t, no one is perfect. We all try to do what we can do, to walk according to the will of God and His purpose so we can receive not just half of His blessings but His full blessings. So, it’s been hard but we’ve pulled through.”<br />
Odukoya agrees, but concedes that the real challenge may be apparent after marriage. “Anytime I want to do something bad, it’s like I hear my mother’s voice. It’s been drilled into my brain. So it’s been fun but I guess until we enter marriage, we won’t understand the full story. But so far, it makes sense.”<br />
For her husband, there is a reassuring recipe for success. “I will say life is full of choices and choices are informed by something. If that something is not positive, if it’s not something that’s going to make you better, you need to go back to your source. In every relationship, you should make God the centre. If your choices are informed by the Bible, I don’t think anything will go wrong. Like one of our Aunties told us, marriage is like a triangle; you have God in the middle. The closer you get to him, the closer you get to each other. The farther you are from Him, the farther you are from each other. We all are humans, and we all have our temperaments, but once you are focused on the right source, everything will be okay.”<br />
It may seem presumptuous to ask the rather young couple what their advice to other would-be couples, but that is what they have done in part. “My own advice is get to know each other because it’s easy to get lost in the whole of what you feel. Feelings are very deceptive; they are like seasons, they come and they go. I think what keeps two people together is the friendship you have. And how can you be friends with a person you don’t know?<br />
“I don’t feel like the 14 years we have spent together is really enough because I keep knowing new stuff about him and the new stuff that I get to know is not stuff that will drive me away. It’s stuff that gets me closer to him because if you love somebody you get to see their weaknesses and their strengths. It’s good to also ask questions, ask as many questions as you can, because some situations will only happen after you get married. Ask your boyfriend or girlfriend, what would happen if this happened? What do you think about this? What would you do in this situation? All that will help you see whether you are in the right relationship or whether you are wasting your time.”<br />
Both first child of their parents, the couple flaunts impressive resumes. “I went to Mahdi International School in Cairo, Egypt,” Ijogun said. “I was there for about six years. Then I came back to Nigeria and went straight to Corona for a year, and then went to Greensprings for three years. I did mostly sciences and went to do A-levels in the U.K. in 2001. Then I went to LoughbroughUniversity to study computer science and electronic business.<br />
I graduated in 2007. I worked with Zenith Bank for a while and I have constantly been working with Ackmen Nigeria Limited. It’s a real estate company. It’s a family business so I have always been a part of it. While I was with Zenith I left to do an M.B.A. at Nottingham Business School where I majored in operations strategy. So, I am a trained management consultant, especially for small to medium sized enterprises. I am also skilled in capabilities and everything that has to do with efficient running of businesses. After that I came back and proposed.” You could guess what the response would be – prolonged laughter.<br />
“I went to Starland,” Odukoya said. “Then I went to Little Saints and to St Gloria’s School. I also went to Greensprings for part of my Secondary School. I went to High School in America then came back to Greensprings. I went to Oral Robert University and got a B.A. in public relations and government pre-law. I moved back in 2006 and started working with Prima Garnet Ogilvy. I left in 2009 and went for my masters in advertising at Buckingham University in London then came back to work with Guaranty Trust Bank as a Product Manager in the Corporate Affairs Department. Now I work in GSK as a brand manager for Lucozade Sports.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/it-s-a-true-love-story-as-bimbo-odukoya-s-daughter-walks-down-the-aisle-with-childhood-flame/129490/">source</a></p></blockquote>
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		<title>Youths attack christian traditional ruler for refusing to marry another wife and worship their deity</title>
		<link>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3015</link>
		<comments>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3015#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Nov 2012 23:02:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tribe and Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ondo state]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tradition]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Should this man really have accepted to be a traditional ruler if he was not going to follow tradition? I don&#8217;t agree that he should do all these things, but that is the job description, so in my opinion, he [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Should this man really have accepted to be a traditional ruler if he was not going to follow tradition? I don&#8217;t agree that he should do all these things, but that is the job description, so in my opinion, he should have turned down the job. Abi how you see am?</p>
<blockquote>
<p align="justify"><a href="http://contraculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Oba-victor-Adetona.jpeg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3016" title="Oba victor Adetona" src="http://contraculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Oba-victor-Adetona.jpeg" alt="" width="216" height="234" /></a>There was pandemonium at Ogbagi-Akoko, in the Akoko South-West Local Government Area of Ondo State last Friday when youths of the town chased away their monarch, the Owa of Ogbagi, Oba Victor Adetona, from the palace for his refusal to approve the yearly celebration of the Ogun festival.</p>
<p align="justify">Our correspondent learnt that the monarch, narrowly escaped being lynched when the youth, armed with dangerous items, besieged the palace.</p>
<p align="justify">The youth, it was learnt, damaged vehicles and decorations in the palace said to be worth millions of naira.</p>
<p align="justify">Some of the youth, who craved anonymity, told our correspondent on Monday that Adetona had been disrespecting the town’s traditions since he was installed as the monarch.</p>
<p align="justify">One of them said, “Our king has not been respecting our traditions. He has refused to join the Awo cult. He has refused to marry another wife after he became the king; and he has consistently refused to approve the celebration of some traditional festivities.</p>
<p align="justify">“He has flagrantly objected to all pleas for him to respect traditions and the culture of our people and has vowed that as a born-again Christian, he will never indulge in or encourage such traditional rites throughout his reign.”</p>
<p align="justify">It was learnt that the monarch allegedly travelled out of the state in order not to partake in the worship of the Ogun festival.</p>
<p align="justify">The youth, however, monitored his movement and stormed his new palace when he returned from his journey and destroyed everything on sight.</p>
<p align="justify">It was further learnt that other monarchs who were with him on the fateful day, saved the situation as the youth allegedly insisted on killing Adetona.</p>
<p align="justify">At the palace gate, the monarch pasted the membership emblem of the Redeemed Christian Church of God while there is a place where members of his church congregate every Sunday evening for fellowship.</p>
<p align="justify">Some of the monarch’s family members, who conducted our correspondent round the damaged palace on Monday, said the grouse of the youth was Adetona’s refusal to engage in idolatry and marry a new wife when he ascended the throne.</p>
<p align="justify">When asked to comment on the incident, the monarch simply said on the phone, “It is not yet time to comment on the issue”</p>
<p align="justify">The Ojumu of Ogbagi, who is also the second-in-command to the monarch, Chief Richard Balogun, said there were six monarchs in the palace to welcome Adetona back from his journey when the youth besieged the palace.</p>
<p align="justify">He said the monarchs appealed to the youth to sheathe their swords and they agreed by returning to their homes.</p>
<p align="justify">Balogun said, “However, news flied around that Ogbagi was boiling, hence policemen were drafted from Ikare and when they arrived, they started shooting sporadically.</p>
<p align="justify">“The youths were not happy. They thought that it was the monarch who brought in the security men to arrest and shoot them. They mobilised themselves after the policemen had gone, marched to the palace and carried out the wanton destruction.”</p>
<p align="justify">Balogun said the grouse of the youth was that the king was not around during the celebration of the festival.</p>
<p align="justify">He said, “Many important personalities including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, and other prominent political leaders, royal fathers and religious leaders had already intervened.</p>
<p align="justify">“The youth had agreed that the monarch should return to the palace. We are meeting everyday over the matter and I believe that it will be resolved before the end of this week.”</p>
</blockquote>
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		<title>Nigerian Anglican Archbishop questions Britain on choice of Archbishop of Canterbury</title>
		<link>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3012</link>
		<comments>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3012#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Nov 2012 21:39:08 +0000</pubDate>
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				<category><![CDATA[Church in the News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[International]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anglican church]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[international]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The Nigerian archbishop is correct that the headship of the church is not a political position and should not be treated as such. My feelings about having African Anglicans who were (at least until recently) subject to the head of [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="color: #3366ff;">The Nigerian archbishop is correct that the headship of the church is not a political position and should not be treated as such. My feelings about having African Anglicans who were (at least until recently) subject to the head of the church of the country that colonized them, I will save for another day. But I guess you could make the same comment about all churches with foreign headquarters.</span></p>
<blockquote><p>The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) demanded a change in the age-long tradition that allows the British government to appoint the Archbishop of Canterbury, the <em>News Agency of Nigeria</em> reports.</p>
<p>The Primate of the Church, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, on Wednesday in Abuja made the call at a media briefing to herald the 2012 Divine Commonwealth Conference scheduled to begin in the city next week.</p>
<p><em>NAN</em> reports that  the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, is due to retire by the end of the year and according to the the tradition, the British Prime Minister is expected to name his successor.</p>
<p>The appointment of the new Church leader is based on the recommendations of the UK-based Crown Nominations Commission, a 16-member body made up of bishops, priests and laity.</p>
<p>Okoh, who a fierce critic of the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury, described the selection process for the new church leader as “politicised”.</p>
<p>The cleric said, “The Prime minister of Britain will have to appoint (the Archbishop of Canterbury), whether he is a member of the Church or not.</p>
<p>“When you consider the political involvement, you can see the point we are trying to make.</p>
<p>“In other words, we are trying to say the Anglican Communion should be separated from the politics of Great Britain.’’</p>
<p>He acknowledged that since the Archbishop of Canterbury, doubled as the Primate of the Church of England,  the British people were at liberty “to choose their own method of selecting him”.</p>
<p>He added, “But what we have asked for is that for the fact that most of the churches that make up the Communion were part and parcel of the British Empire before, the original British Empire has changed method, which is now the Commonwealth, the same thing, the leadership in the Church should equally change.’’</p>
<p>Okoh said the Church of Nigeria, following the request of the Crown Commission, had sent its recommendations and views to the 16-member body selecting the new church leader.</p>
<p>He  said, “We have made our input; whether the input will be taken is another matter.</p>
<p>“But for the kind of person we will want to see; somebody who will bring unity to the Church, particularly in the areas of doctrine.</p>
<p>“We will like somebody who will be biblically based not somebody with wide theologies.”</p>
<p>Okoh said one of the recommendations of the Church of Nigeria was for the Archbishop of Canterbury to run a single term of five years.</p>
<p>He said, “The historical position of the Archbishop of Canterbury is alright and he should be entitled to respect and dignity of office.</p>
<p>“But the leader of the worldwide communion should change in the sense that we would prefer a situation whereby we have the president of the group or chairman who will run office for about five years and hand over to another person.’’</p>
<p>Okoh  frowned upon what he described “radical redefinition of biblical teaching in the name of homosexuality” saying, “it is evil and unacceptable”.</p>
<p>He said, “The recent same-sex proposal is a misinterpretation of the scripture and some sections of the church are riding rough on the scripture. The radical redefinition of the scripture is unacceptable. The attacks on the scripture is also affecting the people. If you misrepresent the scripture and accept homosexuality, then your radical definition is unbiblical and unacceptable.</p>
<p>“Those who will attend the conference are people of like minds who do not subscribe to man-to-man marriage and woman-to-woman marriage. The redefinition of biblical teaching is abhorrent and we do not accept i</p></blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.punchng.com/news/nigerian-anglican-tackles-britain-on-canterbury-bishop-selection/">source</a></p>
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		<title>Aftermath of church bombing: Soldiers take over kaduna</title>
		<link>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3009</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 31 Oct 2012 06:11:09 +0000</pubDate>
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				<category><![CDATA[Church in the News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics, Policy and Legal]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[kaduna]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[But why is it always medicine after death? SOLDIERS patrolled the streets of Kaduna on Monday, a day after at least 10 people were killed and 145 wounded in a suicide church bombing and reprisal. Many residents remained indoors as [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="color: #3366ff;">But why is it always medicine after death?</span></p>
<blockquote><p>SOLDIERS patrolled the streets of Kaduna on Monday, a day after at least 10 people were killed and 145 wounded in a suicide church bombing and reprisal.</p>
<p>Many residents remained indoors as soldiers mounted checkpoints and frisked motorists and passers-by. A number of businesses were also shut following the attack.</p>
<p>Christian mobs had roamed the area near the church in the Malali neighbourhood on Sunday after the attack, targeting people they presumed to be Muslims, including one man who was reportedly burnt alive.</p>
<p>On Monday, residents said roadblocks were mounted around the scene of the blast and the two flashpoint districts of Goni-Gora and Tudun-Wada.</p>
<p>“There has been heavy military deployment since yesterday following the attack. This morning, two armoured cars and more troops arrived in these areas,” said Emmanuel Mayaki, a resident of Goni-Gora.</p>
<p>Another resident, Hadila Johnson, spoke of an increased presence of soldiers and a number of checkpoints. He said the roads leading to the church were cordoned off by soldiers.</p>
<p>Military spokesman, Colonel Sani Usman, told AFP the heavy presence of soldiers was “to restore law and order.”</p>
<p>The attack on the church during the morning service left at least seven people dead in addition to the bomber, while at least three people were killed in reprisal. The bomb attack wounded 145 people.</p>
<p>Although no group has claimed responsibility for the church blast, the incident was similar to previous attacks blamed on Islamist extremist group Boko Haram.</p>
<p>Boko Haram’s insurgency in northern and central Nigeria is believed to have left more than 2,800 people dead since 2009, including killings by the security forces.</p>
<p>The group has claimed to be seeking an Islamic state in Nigeria, though its demands have repeatedly shifted.</p>
<p>The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that 146 victims were admitted at Barau Dikko, St. Gerard’s and 44 military hospitals in Kaduna.</p>
<p>NAN also reported that 35 of the injured victims were still receiving treatment at the three hospitals on Monday.</p>
<p>The figure was released during a visit to the hospitals by officials of the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).</p>
<p>According to the administrator of St Gerard’s Hospital, Sister Theresa Dung, 14 victims were brought to the hospital and two had been discharged.</p>
<p>Theresa said that four of the victims on admission at the hospital were children.</p>
<p>At the Barau Dikko Hospital, the CAN officials were told that out of the 97 victims of the Sunday bomb blast, only 18 were left.</p>
<p>The team leader of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mr Aly Ouattara, who was seen treating some of the patients, said that the hospital had discharged 79 patients who were in stable condition.</p>
<p>NAN reported that officials at the army hospital confirmed that 30 patients had also been discharged while five were still receiving treatment.</p>
<p>In his remarks, the state CAN chairman, Reverend Samuel Kujiyat, said “in this situation, we are also grateful to God because we cannot question Him for allowing the attack.</p>
<p>“We are giving thanks because the attack was not more than this, and we pray for speedy recovery of the victims.”</p>
<p>Kujiyat dispelled the rumour on the death of the St. Rita’s Catholic Church priest, adding that “he is alive and stable at the Multiclinic Hospital in Kaduna.”</p>
<p>Kaduna State governor, Mr Patrick Yakowa, has said that terrorists attack on Kaduna would not deter his administration from providing the much needed development in the state and assured that his government would cater for the wounded currently responding to treatment in hospitals.</p>
<p>The governor, who spoke on Monday shortly after he cut short an overseas trip and returned to the state capital, however, thanked the clergy, media, the security and other stakeholders for coming to the aide of the victims and for containing the aftermath of the incident.</p>
<p>Yakowa, together with other government officials, after visiting the bomb explosion site at Saint Rita’s Catholic Church, said apart from the attack on One Division of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna, the suicide attack on worshipers was daring and unprecedented, despite the level of security in the state.</p>
<p>According to him, “it was a daring effort and the one I can compare to this is the attempt by the suicide bomber to attack One Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army.</p>
<p>“For me, it was not a failure on the part of the security men in the state, the suicide bomber was said to have hit the wall of the church and went in straight into the church, but we thank God that the level of the damage was controlled by the fence before the vehicle found its way into the church, otherwise it is not what we are saying now that would have been the case.</p>
<p>“They were more than 1,000 worshipers in the church… and look at the neighbouring houses, they have all their roofs shattered. Even the noise of the blast could be heard in the town. Let us thank God because the damage of human lives would have been uncountable. As I am speaking, we got the numbers of death as four, as we have gone round.”</p>
<p>The JNI Secreatry-General, Dr Khalid Aliyu Abubakar, in a statement, said “the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, JNI, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, received with bewilderness the news of the bombing at Unguwar Yero-Malali, Kaduna, which happened on Sunday, October 28, at a church during the Sunday service.</p>
<p>“We condemn the act in its totality and call for calm and restrain. It is our prayers that the perpetrators behind the act will never succeed in causing chaos in Kaduna.</p>
<p>“However, we implore the security agents to be more vigilant and intensify measures of curbing this dastardly act of bombings. As for those affected, we pray for a better return of what they have lost and also the families of those who lost their lives, may Allah grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.</p>
<p>“Finally, Jama’atu Nasril Islam calls on all Muslim Ummah to always intensify prayers to Allah to bring an end to this kind of situation and ensure peace and tranquility in our country and we pray against future occurrence.”</p>
<p>The Archbishop of Kaduna Catholic Diocese, Bishop Matthew Man’oso Ndagoso, who said he was inundated with calls from the United States of America (USA), Italy and other countries on the blasts, said “this is an evident that the devil is at work.</p>
<p>“But, you know, as the Bible tells us, the sword of the battle is in the hands of God. As long as we live in the hands of God, He knows best. The devil is running round, looking for someone to destroy. But as Christian body, we must hold unto our faith, inspite of all these challenges.</p>
<p>“It is just a reality that is staring us in the face, things that we usually look at on television like CNN, bomb blast far away from Nigeria, but today the bomb blast is with us.</p>
<p>“We can never run away from our country, we have to remain here and pray for our country. So I sincerely thank officials of the Kaduna State Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for coming to feel the pains with us because it had happened. There is nothing we can do than to give thanks to God that in spite of what happened, it was not everybody that died, many are still alive, including the priest of the bombed church.</p>
<p>“We continue to give God the glory who is always in control, and He will continue to be in control. It is just unfortunate that people are being indoctrinated, and that is a problem. If you are to meet people in both Islam and Christianity, you will know that both religion preach peace.</p>
<p>“It is wonderful that Christianity community has been able to accept this positively, if not, only God knows what Kaduna would have been by now. So it is our sincere prayer that God will take absolute control in all that happened.</p>
<p>“On behalf of the Bishop, I will continue to insist on Christian representatives, Muslim representatives, all denominations to go back home and tell the aggrieved youth to calm down. It is well.</p>
<p>“These are strategies certain people are using to plunge this country into a religious war, and we must not let them succeed. We must leave everything in the hands of God.”</p>
<p><a href="http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/lead-stories/50010-soldiers-take-over-kaduna-frisk-motorists-passers-by">source</a></p></blockquote>
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		<title>Lara George gives birth</title>
		<link>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3004</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Oct 2012 06:22:06 +0000</pubDate>
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				<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[All the major blogs are reporting that the gifted songstress recently gave birth to a baby girl in the US on Saturday. So happy for her! &#160; If you dont know who she is, here is her most popular song [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://contraculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/lara-george-pregnant.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3007" title="lara george pregnant" src="http://contraculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/lara-george-pregnant-300x195.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="195" /></a>All the major blogs are reporting that the gifted songstress recently gave birth to a baby girl in the US on Saturday. So happy for her!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you dont know who she is, here is her most popular song below. Super talented lady!</p>
<p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2_1CyA7iDuY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
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		<title>Bomb blast at St Agnes Catholic Church Kaduna, President Jonathan releases statement (video)</title>
		<link>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3002</link>
		<comments>http://contraculturemag.com/?p=3002#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Oct 2012 06:10:39 +0000</pubDate>
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				<category><![CDATA[Church in the News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boko haram]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[St Agnes Catholic Church]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[So I am sure that you have heard that there was a nasty bomb blast in Kaduna yesterday. Some of you may also have heard that president Jonathan released a statement &#8220;condemning&#8221; the bombing as usual. There were reprisals in [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So I am sure that you have heard that there was a nasty bomb blast in Kaduna yesterday. Some of you may also have heard that president Jonathan released a statement &#8220;condemning&#8221; the bombing as usual. There were reprisals in Kaduna yesterday, and some of what is in the video below is very, very disturbing. Apparently rumors of an attack had been circulating for a while, but as usual, security agents were caught napping. I don&#8217;t know what else to say o. Except GOD help us!</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sXrHzPDcFp0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
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