Abraham Hayibor releases his debut single 'Hallelujah'. An uplifting Christian song which is available in all music vendors online. Video directed by multi-award winning director Uvi Orogun. Visit Abraham: www.abrahamhayibor.com Email: info@abrahamhayibor.com
***** LYRICS *****
Hallelujah - Abraham Hayibor
Verse 1: You are my everything
And everything is you, everything is you
You are my hiding place
And I am safe with you, I am safe in you

Pre Chorus: And it stirs my heart, to love you as God
It stirs my soul, to worship you Lord
Forever I, am forever yours
And I will sing forever more

Chorus: Hallelujah, Hallelujah
O my soul, praise you Lord
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Verse 2: You are my heart's desire
And I surrender all, I surrender all
And when I lose my way, Jesus lead me home
Jesus lead me home

And it stirs my heart, to love you as God
It stirs my soul, to worship you Lord
Forever I, am forever Yours
And I will sing forever more

Chorus: Hallelujah…..O Hallelujah
Hallelujah…… O Hallelujah
O my soul……O my soul
Praise you lord, praise you lord
Hallelujah, O Hallelujah


Bridge: Maker of the skies, Author of my life
Praise your name, Praise your name
Saviour of the world, All over the earth
Praise your name, Praise your name.
Refrain:
Call & Response
Maker of the skies……. O O O
Author of my life………. O O O
Praise your name………Praise your name
Praise your name……..Praise your name
Saviour of the world…. O O O
All over the earth……… O O O
Praise your name………Praise your name
Praise your name……..Praise your name

Chorus: Hallelujah……O Hallelujah
Hallelujah…….. O Hallelujah
O my soul………. O my soul
Praise you lord…..Praise you lord
Hallelujah………O Hallelujah


CODA: Maker of the skies……. O O O
Author of my life………. O O O
Praise your name………Praise your name
Praise your name……..Praise your name
Saviour of the world…. O O O
All over the earth……… O O O
Praise your name………Praise your name
Praise your name……..Praise your name
Hallelujah……..

• Music

  • "Hallelujah" by Abraham Hayibor (iTunes)     
  • • 
      

Lagos State, yesterday, secured $200 million World Bank credit to support a range of reforms on fiscal sustainability, budget planning, budget execution, and the investment climate in the state.

The credit is expected to help sustain the state's recent economic growth and poverty reduction index, while continuing to deliver social services to the city's expanding population.

A statement by Senior Communications Specialist, World Bank, Nigeria, Obadiah Tohomdet, said the fund from the International Development Association, IDA, which supports the Third Lagos State Development Policy Operation, is the last of a series of two development policy operations to improve public finances and the investment climate in a fiscally sustainable manner.

Lagos State government was said to have, in the past decade, achieved significant economic growth, improved its infrastructure and services, significantly reduced crime, and brought millions of people out of poverty.

Gov. Ambode

World Bank Task Team Leader for the Project, Jariya Hoffman, said: "The operation is focused on furthering improvements in the transparency of the budget system, effectiveness of public expenditures, and the business climate will help sustain the pace of economic growth and thus the state's positive momentum towards income equality and the delivery of public services.

"With enhanced budget transparency and efficiency, adequate funding can be shifted to programmes to benefit the state's booming population, especially the poorest families."

According to him, the operation will enhance the state government's fiscal sustainability by anchoring the budget in a framework that accounts for key fiscal risks and improves revenue collection.

Also, he explained that the project would support adopting a new approach to budget planning and preparation and ensure adequate allocation of budgetary resources to social services such as education and health.

In addition to budgetary improvements, the project is equally expected to support a reduction in the cost of land transactions and development and introduction of an electronic web-based system for processing of planning permits that will help to improve the business climate and attract new investments.

Also commenting on the credit, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, said: "This operation is designed to assist Lagos State in its quest to continue its recent success in spite of the challenges brought on by rapid economic and population growth.

"As an urban agglomeration that has reduced income inequality during double digit economic growth, Lagos is an example of inclusive growth in Nigeria.

"If the Lagos experience is sustained, there is strong potential for this type of inclusive growth to spread to other parts of Nigeria."

The World Bank's IDA was established in 1960 to help the world's poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programmes that boost economic growth, reduce poverty and improve poor people's lives.

IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world's 77 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa.

Resources from IDA bring positive change for 2.8 billion people, the majority of whom live on less than $2 a day.

Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 112 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $18 billion over the last three years, with about 50 percent going to Africa.

Lagos—Following the confirmation of his victory at the Election PetitionTtribunal, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, yesterday called on the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr Jimi Agbaje to join hands with him in moving the state forward.

Jimi Agbaje

Ambode also described the confirmation of his victory at the polls as a reaffirmation of the mandate given to him by the people of Lagos State.

But, the Lagos State chapter of PDP, in a swift reaction, has rejected the ruling which struck out its petition, describing it as a "miscarriage of justice and a monumental drawback in the dispensation of justice."

The state election petition tribunal, yesterday struck out the petition filed against the election of Ambode of the All Progressives Congress, APC by Agbaje following a preliminary objection filed by the counsel to the APC candidate, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN).

Reacting to the ruling of the tribunal headed by Justice Mohammed Sirajo, the governor said, "I'm elated at the ruling of the tribunal which is an affirmation of my victory at the polls. On April 11, 2015, the people of Lagos spoke with their votes about continuity and that is what the tribunal has just reaffirmed".

Calling on Agbaje to join hands with him to move the state forward, he said "The task ahead requires concerted efforts from everyone. I urge all my opponents to put the election struggles behind them and in the spirit of sportsmanship join hands with me to take Lagos to the next level."

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Habib Aruna, the governor noted that "It was needless in the first place for the PDP to have petitioned my election which was adjudged to be free, fair and credible. Now that the right thing has been done which of course the people expected, we should all come together above partisanship and move the state forward"

Gov. Ambode

Olanipekun had argued at the resumed hearing on Thursday, June 25, that the petition should be struck out for being incompetent and that there was no correlation between the relief sought by the petitioner and the particulars of application on one hand and the grounds for questioning the election of Ambode on the other hand.

"The grounds and particulars in the petition are at opposites with the facts and reliefs being sought within the purview of Section 285(2) of the 1999 Constitution. I urge my Lordships to dismiss the petition," Olanipekun had said.

He stated that there is nowhere in the pleadings where the petitioners attacked the victory of the respondents or questioned the conduct of the election, saying "I submit that there is no petition before your lordships known to law. There are no grounds challenging the election of my client under Section 138(b)(c) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended."

Lagos PDP rejects verdict

Meanwhile, the Lagos PDP has vowed to appeal the ruling said it as petitioned the National Judicial Commission, NJC, for "necessary disciplinary actions."

In a statement by its publicity secretary, Mr Taofik Gani, the party lamented that "We are very jolted and embarrassed that our petition can die prematurely without it been heard on the merit."

"We think there is a miscarriage of justice here. We are interested in the motive and motivators. The panel held that it had jurisdiction to hear our appeal; that our grounds are also competent. It however held that the petition had no life because it didn't include a relief for re-election. This is supposed to be determined during the proper trial. We put as relief a declaration that we be returned as validly elected. The panel cannot dictate to us what relief to demand. Why should the Panel even expect a relief for re-rerun instead of declaration as winner?".

It, however, vowed to challenge the tribunal ruling saying "we will not allow this miscarriage. Is this the change APC wants to give us in the judiciary."

PDP pursuing a lost case — Lagos APC

Also reacting to the ruling, Lagos State APC, said the party did not expect anything less, as PDP is pursuing a lost case.

The party, however, stated that the dismissal of the case filed by Lagos PDP against Ambode has rested the inordinate ambition of PDP to steal Lagos by force.

Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Joe Igbokwe said "it is a well deserved victory by all standard. The people of Lagos have spoken and there is no going back. It is an affirmation of the peoples' will and the PDP know it. PDP does not exist in Lagos."

He said "We told them that Lagos is not for grabs but this party will not listen, and now they have been told that light and darkness have no meeting point. Millions of dollars and pound sterlings, OPC, and all the security agencies were massively deployed by Jonathan and PDP just to snatch Lagos but they failed."

Igbokwe contended that PDP can never get anything near to the so-called votes they claimed to have scored in the last governorship elections in Lagos.

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has concluded arrangements for the commencement of camping of athletes ahead of the Congo 2015 All Africa games. The camping will be in Lagos and Abuja.

Director General of the Commission, Mallam Alhassan Yakmut told journalists yesterday that the camp which will open on July 4 will begin with weightlifting, wrestling, badminton tennis, boxing and table tennis.

He explained that boxing and table tennis will camp in Lagos while the others will be camped at the newly constructed Athletes Hostel in Abuja.

"Talking about the All Africa Games, we are getting set and the stage we are now is that on the 4th of July that is on Saturday we are expecting weightlifting, wrestling as well as badminton, tennis, boxing and table tennis to be in camp.

"Boxing and table tennis will be in Lagos, there is a 44- bed hostel that the current Chief of Army Staff who is also the president of the boxing federation facilitated and it will be commissioned on the 28th of July. So since we intend to open the camp on the 4th, we are going to meet with them to find a way out of it."

He also revealed that Nigeria has secured and deposited money for 36 rooms in two hotels in Congo, adding that all Nigerian athletes have be registered for the games by name, sport and by discipline.

"I want to state that we have met all the timelines for the games as stipulated by the Organizing Committee for the All Africa Games." Yakmut concluded.

Lagos—A 10-month-old baby girl and a 70-year-old woman were among a total of 737 survivors of rape and other forms of sexual assault treated and offered psychosocial support free of charge, in the two years since the Mirabel Centre, the first sexual assault referral centre in Nigeria, opened its doors to victims of sexual assault.

The baby was sexually molested by the father, while the 70-year-old woman was raped by a boy that ran errands for her in the neighbourhood.

Making this and other revelations yesterday in Lagos, Managing Partner, Partnership for Justice, Mrs. Itoro Eze-Anaba, said the increase in reported cases of sexual violence, particularly, child sexual abuse had become a major public concern in the country.

Eze-Anaba who acknowledged that sexual violence has become endemic in this part of the world said Mirabel Centre was established to fill the gap created by one of the biggest challenges in seeking justice for the survivors who often lack reliable support services and verifiable data.

According to her, more revealing is the fact that out of the 737victims, the youngest was a 10-month- old and the oldest 70 years old.

"This number is made up of 17 male clients and 720 female clients. Many of these clients are referred to the centre by the police and the hospital, civil society organisations, government agencies and some just walk into the centre for treatment.

"In Lagos, locations with the highest number of assaults include; Kosofe, 91, Alimosho 128, Ikeja 56, Oshodi-Isolo 72, and Agege 80," she stated.

She further lamented that the perpetrators of sexual violence in the country act with impunity due to corruption and incompetency in investigation and prosecution of such cases.

Stating that Partnership for Justice offers needed professional care with funding from Justice for All Programme of the Department of International Development, DFID, of the British Council, she frowned that absence of verifiable data and pressures from family and friends has led to many survivors not seeking help nor reporting to the police.

BENIN—A chieftain of the All Progressives  Congress, APC, Chief Francis Inegbeniki, has expressed  confidence in President Muhammadu Buhari's determination to reposition Nigeria for greatness.

Inegbeniki urged Nigerians to be patient with Buhari, even though it appears the administration is slow, adding: "It is better for Mr. President to study the problems facing the country critically before embarking on the reforms that will bring about the long awaited change."

Inegbeniki, a senatorial candidate of the APC for Edo Central in the last National Assembly election,  also  appealed to Nigerians to continue praying for President Buhari, whom according him was sent by God to salvage the country.