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Fact-Checking the story: Polaris Bank loses N26bn loans granted to 6 ex-directors without collaterals
By Olalere Ojedokun
A report being syndicated by a section of online media with the title: Polaris Bank loses N26bn loans granted to 6 ex-directors without collaterals, made several claims in figures, interpretations and practices. Claim 1. POLARIS Bank has lost N26.005 billion worth of loans granted to 6 ex-directors, mostly without collateralsThis claim is untrue, founded primarily on lack of understanding of accounting principles and convenient disregard of the denotative dates and notes to the accounts. The story was based on the audited accounts and report for the year ended December 31, 2022. The report was approved on March 20, 2023. In line with the general comparative and accrual reportage format, the bank presented the status report for the preceding year ended December 31, 2021 and the reporting year ended December 31, 2022. The two comparative tables were clearly marked and were also evidently seen by the writer of the story. While the 2021 insider credit status report listed eight directors with total outstanding loans of N25.827 billion, the reporting year 2022 status report updated that four directors had fully liquidated their loans, a director had partially liquidated her loan while two directors had seen increase in outstandings against their names. The 2022 status report indicated a total of N31.646 billion insider credits related to the four remaining former directors. The 2022 report clearly indicated that Abimbola Izu, Dotun Adeniyi, Tokunbo Abiru and Theodora Onwughalu had paid their loans and as such, were not listed in 2022. The 2022 report was clearly indicative of the changes and the compliance of the bank with the Prudential Guidelines and Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA). A former director, with related interest in Newcross Exploration and Production, Jason Fadeyi, whose loan of N25.442 billion in 2021 accounted for 98.5 per cent of the total outstanding insider credits in 2021, saw his total outstanding loan rising to N30.922 billion in 2022, ostensibly due to accrued interests and increase due to foreign exchange (forex) conversion rate as the loan is a foreign currency (US Dollar)-denominated loan. It’s a simple understanding that forex rate is a mediating factor in foreign currency denominated loan. The closing forex rates were generally available on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s website. The Naira/US Dollar rate was N424.11 per US$ for the year ended December 31, 2021 and N461.1 per US$ for 2022. It was N400.33 per US$ in 2020. All these partially accounted for the year-on-year change in the loan. Meanwhile, Newcross Exploration/Fadeyi’s N30.922 billion accounted for 97.7 per cent of total outstanding insider credits in 2022. Interestingly, as rightly reported by the story, this loan, N30.922 billion, has a perfected collateral, a debenture of the assets of the company. A further check indicated that Newcross Exploration/Fadeyi’s loan is a syndicated facility by eight banks with the FBN Trustees as the trustee managing the collateral on behalf of all the lenders. Jason Fadeyi was cited for the loan under the general principles of insiders which regard family members, relatives and associates as insiders. As rightly pointed out by the story, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)’s records showed that Newcross Exploration and Production was registered on July 9, 2013, with Festus Fadeyi and Bolaji Ogundare as persons with significant control of the company. The second major insider credit in 2022 report was a N535 million loan credited to Mr. Tunde Ayeni, about 1.7 per cent of the total loans. This was classified as “performing”. Altogether, the collaterised, syndicated loan of Newcross Exploration/Fadeyi and “performing” loan of Ayeni accounted for about 99.4 per cent of total outstanding insider credits in 2022. All these were clearly stated and evident in the table which the reporter accessed, but failed due to poor interpretations and understanding of reportage format. Claim 2: As of December 31, 2022, total outstanding loans owed by these ex-directors of Polaris Bank, some of which would not be repaid, amounted to N57.473 billion. This claim is untrue, and flowing from the first claim, it exposed the poor understanding of the comparative reporting (going-concern) basis. To arrive at its claim of N57.473 billion, the reporter simply added the total outstanding insider credits in 2021 of N25.442 billion to total outstanding insider credits in 2022 of N31.646 billion. The reporter conveniently ignored the differential in year ending and the fact that the two tables, like other segments of the annual reports and accounts, were provided for comparative reporting. The reporter ignored the indicative narration showing that the Newcross Exploration/Fadeyi’s loan was same loan, moving from a reporting year to another reporting year. By implication, the story increased Newcross Exploration/Fadeyi’s loan to N56.364 billion, 98.1 per cent of its claimed total outstanding loans of N57.473 billion. Further check of post-year end events, which are usually indicated in updates to accounts after year-end but prior to board’s final approval and signing off of the accounts, indicated that Demanta/Ibiye Ekong’s N89 million outstanding loan was fully paid off in February 2023. In essence, the only director-related insider loan outstanding is former Managing Director Timothy Oguntayo’s N100 million, which is a subject of reconciliation between the tripartite of employee, employer and regulator. As noted by the story, Oguntayo “who was earlier charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) but later exonerated”, had no misconduct established against him. As noted earlier, the Newcross Exploration/Fadeyi’s loan is a syndicated facility by eight banks with the FBN Trustees as the trustee managing the collateral on behalf of all the lenders. CBN’s Prudential Guidelines states that “For syndicated facilities, the classification shall be the same across all banks involved in the syndication. Thus, the worst classification by any of the banks involved in the syndication shall apply across board”. Claim 3: Abimbola Izu, another ex-director, got N103 million mortgage loan from Polaris Bank but did not repay it, according to bank records. Her collateral perfection status was also recorded as “not applicable.” Bank records also showed that Izu took a term loan of N17 million with another “not applicable” collateral status.This claim is untrue. The 2022 audited report, on which the story was based, showed that Izu was not indebted to the bank, having liquidated the prior year’s status report. Claim 4: Fadeyi borrowed another N30.922 billion term loan from the bank – which has been placed on the watchlist.This claim is false. It emanated from the poor understanding of the comparative reporting (accrual, going concern), basis. This claim particularly undercut the credibility of the entire story, obviously showing the reporter had no training or understanding of financial reporting/journalism. This also subjects the story to motive analysis as the reporter failed to adhere to a pattern of errors, rather zigzagging across erroneous claims to arrive at unsubstantiated claims. For instance, while doubling up Fadeyi’s, the story kept Oguntayo’s N100 million loan unchanged over the comparative years, but curiously reported Ekong’s loan as N89 million (2022 year-end outstanding) and N4 million, N4 million (two loans in 2021). Whereas, the 2021 report showed that Ekong owed a total of N108 million (N100 million by Demanta, N4 million, N4million), and by 2022, these reduced to N89 million, having liquidated the two N4 million, N4 million personal loans and reducing the N100 million related loan to Demanta to N89 million. A pattern of error would have simply added Ekong’s related loans of N108 million in 2021 with N89 million in 2022 to arrive at a false premise like Fadeyi’s. The story, cherry-picking of figures, simply reported N89 million while adding the two personal loans of N4 million each for Ekong as latest reporting year status. Claim 5: Based on Polaris Bank’s records, Ibiyi Ekong of Demanta Nigeria Limited is another ex-director who took loans from the bank without repaying them. Ekong, a former executive director of the bank who resigned in 2016, owes the bank N89 million. Ekong also owes the bank N4 million borrowed as a mortgage loan and another N4 million taken as an auto loan, which was not repaid.This claim is untrue. As explained above, the reporter engaged in convenient cherry-picking of figures, due to poor financial journalism background and lack of fidelity, even in its erroneous claims. While its claims based on the reporting year ended December 31, 2022 were false, post-reporting events showed that Demanta, which was the only Ekong-related insider credit outstanding in 2022, had been paid by February 2023, prior to the signing and final approval of the account in March 2023. The story: Polaris Bank loses N26bn loans granted to 6 ex-directors without collaterals, was first reported by one EconomyPost in October 27, 2023 and was reposted by one International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) Nigeria on October 31, 2023. There were clearly other reporting periods that the writer could have sought updates on the post-year-end changes. Claim 6: Theodora Amaka Onwughalu is another ex-director who borrowed N19 million mortgage loan from Polaris Bank but did not pay it back. This claim is false. The 2022 reporting year status indicated Onwughalu was not indebted to the bank. Her total indebtedness of N19 million in 2021 had been paid by 2022. Claim 7: Similarly, Dotun Adeniyi, an ex-director of Polaris Bank, borrowed N27 million mortgage loan from the financial institution but did not repay it. This claim is false. The 2022 reporting year status indicated Adeniyi was not indebted to the bank. His total indebtedness of N27 million in 2021 had been paid by 2022. Claim 8: Tokunbo Abiru, now a Lagos senator, was appointed the managing director of the then Skye Bank in 2016 but resigned in 2020 to fulfil his political ambition.In its cherry-picking and convenient disregard for facts and figures, the story while narrating the Abiru’s relationship, ignored that the 2021 report indicated that Abiru, as an ex-director, had a related (taken by a company related under insiders’ principles) “performing” loan of N9 million in 2021 reporting year, which had been paid off by the 2022 reporting year. Claim 9: Collateralisation of loansThe story sensationally placed “without collaterals” and ran under this theme alongside its cherry-picking of figures to portray an image of unusual, untoward or underhand transactions. Beside ignoring the fact that 98.5 per cent of the total outstanding insider-related credits in 2021 and 97.7 per cent of 2022’s report had a perfected collateral, and also 1.7 per cent of the 2022’s credit status was “performing”- altogether collateralized/performing status of 99.4 per cent in 2022; the story conveniently ignored the global banking practice, and as applicable in Nigeria as well, that secured and unsecured loans are typical in banks’ loan books. The credit risk assessment and banking rules allow banks to beyond collaterals, approve and grant loans to some extent (depending on each internal guidelines), based on subjective assessments. This is a generally available information and one of the basics in financial journalism classes. Loans, in terms of security, are generally divided into two- secured loans (with collaterals) and unsecured loans (without collaterals). The secured loans are so called because of the presence of a collateral, a physical asset that backed up the loan, which the lender has the right to take in the case of default. Unsecured loan is so called because of absence of physical asset, but in the reality of credit risk assessment and recovery, it’s secured by personal goodwill and standing, a case-by-case subjective assessment of a customer’s credit worthiness and the size of the loan. In any case, the lender has the option of recourse to court to enforce recovery of “unsecured loan”, in the event of a default.In a February 24, 2022 report titled “Here are banks that offer loans without collateral”, Business Day (businessday.ng), a leading business and economy daily, reported increased demand for “unsecured lending” among Nigerian Deposit Money Banks (DMBs). The newspaper reported that “as seen in the latest data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), demand for unsecured lending has been on the rise but lower than the demand in the pre-COVID-19 years”. The story listed not less than eight banks that were offering “loans without collateral” to the general public, including Nigeria’s four largest banks. In recognition of its status as acceptable banking/lending practice, the BOFIA included provisions guiding unsecured lending. Claim 10: Insiders The story ran a villainous theme of undue characterization of insiders’ transactions in banks, either out of poor understanding or its convenient disregard of practice or both. Both BOFIA and CBN’s Prudential Guidelines make provisions for insider-related transactions, premised on the understanding that excluding significant stakeholders in a company’s business may be tantamount to undermining same company. Prudential Guidelines define insiders to include “directors, significant shareholders, employees and investee companies (such as associates, subsidiaries, joint ventures) of banks, and other entities in which they have significant control”. In line with the BOFIA, the term “director” includes director’s wife, husband, father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter and their spouses. A significant shareholder is regarded as someone holding at least 5.0 per cent ((individually or in aggregate) of a bank’s equity. The CBN requires that “Director, insider and significant shareholder credit exposure shall be fully disclosed by banks in their financial statements and returns prescribed by the Central Bank of Nigeria”. It also required banks to “ensure that their credit policies specifically address lending to directors as part of related parties or insiders lending policies”. In treating insiders’ loans, BOFIA states that a bank shall not lend “more than five per cent of its paid-up capital to any of its directors or significant shareholders provided that the aggregate of the bank’s exposure to all its directors and significant shareholders does not exceed 10 per cent of its paid up share capital or such percentage as the Bank (CBN) may prescribe”. Polaris Bank neither violates any principles in lending to directors nor the limits prescribed by the laws.Claim 11: Classification of loans The story sensationally ran the denotative classification of the loans as “lost”, implying that such classification meant that “it was not recovered by the bank” or not going to be paid back. In fact, its headline of “lost”, was casted on this wrong premise of understanding of classification of loans and the recoverable status. Classification of loans are guided by stipulated timelines by the CBN Prudential Guidelines and the terms associated with this classification are credit risk management references, not absolute ordinary meanings. The CBN Prudential Guidelines state that a credit facility should be deemed as non-performing when interest or principal is due and unpaid for 90 days or more. The guidelines indicate that a loan can be substandard, doubtful or lost. A loan is subs-standard when unpaid principal or interest remain outstanding for more than 90 days but less than 180 days. A loan is classified as doubtful when unpaid principal or interest remain outstanding for at least 180 days but less than 360 days. A loan is classified as lost when unpaid principal and or interest remain outstanding for 360 days or more. The CBN Prudential Guidelines state that for a facility granted to an “insider or related party credit”, which had been fully provided for, to be written off, “the approval of CBN is required”. This provision is higher than requirement for writing off provisioned lost loans by non-insider. Motive analysis and convenient infidelity to facts A general review of the story subjects the reporter to “motive analysis”, especially with its convenient infidelity to facts and figures and many “patterns of errors”. Was the report a targeted blackmail working to achieve a predetermined notion of characterization, rather than a professional analysis of financial report? Was the story in pattern of poor-taste, grant-chasing reports by a section of media seeking to demonise entities to secure funding? It was clear the reporter carefully “shuffled” facts and provided no basis for far-reaching assumptions and claims. While the reporter was copiously referring to unrelated businesses and current positions of the former directors, it failed to make similar efforts to reach out to the affected directors in the spirit of fair reporting.EthicsThe report failed the ethical test, especially in the light of the “statement of principles” of both Economy Post and ICIR. Economy Post, set up in 2023, aims to promote responsible journalism that is fair, just and free from external corporate and political influences. The ICIR seeks to be an independent, non-profit news agency that promotes transparency and accountability through robust and objective investigative reporting. ICIR, particularly, failed to fact-check the report and its wholesale adoption of the story belied the enviable reputation of its board of trustees. Fairness, fact-checking and corrections are cardinal operating principles of ICIR reportage. ICIR commits: “We will take utmost care to be fair to all subjects in news stories. All sides of a story must have their say. Fairness is a cardinal requirement in Journalism, more so investigative reporting. If anybody is involved in anything that appears negative or unseemly, an extra effort must be made to get his own side of the story. If any such person declines comment, it should be so stated.“Also, facts must be accurately presented. Facts are sacred. In dealing with sources, document, databases and the Internet, it is not enough to quote the information gotten correctly, an effort must be made to establish its accuracy. Where possible, cross check your facts again and again using different sources.“The ICIR is committed to the principle of fairness and accuracy. Therefore, when we make a mistake, we will promptly correct it. If the correction is significant, we will explain the change and the reason for it. In addition, if there is an update to the story, we will provide clarification. And if the entire report is open to question or fails to meet our ethical standard, we will provide clarification signed by the editor”. With all these, it will be fair to expect ICIR to correct its mistake in reposting the misleading story, given numerous factual, operational and textual errors cited above. The story is below par and unseemly to the avowed ideals of ICIR.In conclusion, the story “Polaris Bank loses N26bn loans granted to 6 ex-directors without collaterals” is erroneous and misleading, the bank has lost no money to ex-directors’ loans, as inappropriately claimed by the publication. Ojedokun is a Lagos-based Independent Journalist/Analyst
Whenever Primate Ayodele releases prophecies about politicians, they are quick to ignore them if it doesn’t go in their favour, but what they don’t know is that the prophecies are to guide them and prevent unpleasant happenings in their lives.
Whether they listen or not, it’s not what Primate Ayodele is all about; he just wants to prophecy and leave the scene. It’s now left to them to obey or disobey. Either way, they bear the consequences at the end of the day.
This is the same thing the President’s chief of staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, is currently facing with his name being at the centre of an agency, which the presidency dismissed as a fake, yet funds are being allocated to the agency to the shock of Nigerians.
Trouble started when Adeniyi Adeyemi, the director-general of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), implicated the chief of staff to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila, in an appointment-for-cash scandal.
Mr Adeyemi alleged during a press conference last week that Mr Gbajabiamila received N400 million through a proxy and demanded an additional N200 million to secure his appointment, while also requesting 48 per cent of the PFIPC’s N27.4 billion take-off grant, a request he said he rejected.
As details emerged, the situation has created panic inside the presidential villa, prompting presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga to release a statement on Wednesday to ease tensions in the public.
In May 2025, more than one year ago, Primate Ayodele, in a video, spoke about the chief of staff and warned that some people would attempt to soil his name.
He explained that they will try to damage his reputation.
These were his words:
“I have these words for Gbajabiamila. Honestly, some people will not support you, while some are ready to damage your reputation. Just keep quiet, I am not saying you should believe what I am saying.”
One year later, this prophecy has already come to pass and it seems really messy for the former house of representative speaker. In a saner clime, the CoS may have been suspended till investigation is concluded but we never can tell what will eventually happen.
As Primate Ayodele prepares to launch his annual prophecy book, Warnings To The Nations (2026/2027 edition), it’s important to take a look at some of his fulfilled prophecies in recent times.Primate Ayodele isn’t just a prophet who throws out prophecies; they are always followed by fulfilment in no time. He has had cases of his prophecies coming to pass a few hours after they were released, just to show that God is totally involved.As we continue in the course of the year, below are about fifty among the many fulfilled prophecies of Primate Elijah Ayodele.1 Ukraine Attack: Russian forces launched a major drone and missile attack on Kyiv overnight into Thursday, killing at least 30 people, in what the city’s mayor described as the “most massive attack” on the Ukrainian capital.Ninety-one people were injured, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, Timur Tkachenko, said. Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said an ambulance station was among the places hit.Primate Ayodele had, in a video days earlier, revealed that Russia would hit the country badly and several people would die.These were his words:Russia is going to hit Ukraine, which may make the country lose a lot. Russia will carry out a massive attack in Ukraine.”https://www.tiktok.com/@primateayodele/video/76578878827403379282 Nollywood actor’s death: The Yoruba movie industry recorded the death of about two actors recently, with Elegbeje Ado being the most recent.In April, Primate Ayodele revealed that the industry will lose some prominent actors.“A very popular actor in Yoruba will be lost. A very popular one, let them pray to prevent it.”https://www.tiktok.com/@primateayodele/video/76576031802173391543 Flood in Lagos: There has been a massive flood in Lagos for some days now; it’s never been this bad in the state, and this was spoken about by Primate Ayodele in April.In his words: “There will be a serious flood in Lagos, I don’t know how the government wants to manage it, people will cry because of the flood. It will be a serious one.”https://www.tiktok.com/@primateayodele/video/76574745842198970954 Shooting in Germany: A deadly shooting at a shelter for mothers and children in northern Germany has left six people dead after a 45-year-old man, reportedly involved in a child custody dispute, opened fire during a scheduled visit to the facility.The attack occurred on Monday, June 29, 2026, in the town of Stade, near the northern port city of Hamburg, where the suspect had reportedly arrived for an appointment before allegedly pulling out a firearm and shooting staff members at the shelter.Primate Ayodele earlier warned some countries, including Germany, to be watchful against shootings.“UK, France, Germany, they must be careful of a jihadist attack or a terrorist attack or what they see as something that can cause a shooting.”https://www.tiktok.com/@primateayodele/video/76568189640471708245 SSCE student kidnap: Gunmen attacked and kidnapped students taking secondary school examinations in conflict-battered Borno state in northeastern Nigeria, police said Monday.The attack happened Monday morning at the Lassa Day Secondary School in the Askira-Uba area of Borno. Police spokesman Nahum Daso told The Associated Press that hours after the attack, 10 people were rescued.Primate Ayodele had warned in April that the security should protect schools because students writing external exams would be targeted.https://www.tiktok.com/@primateayodele/video/76568183646349918906 Lagos building collapse: At least nine people were killed when a three-storey residential building collapsed in Lagos on Thursday, say authorities in Nigeria.Another 27 were rescued with injuries of varying severity, the state’s commissioner for information said on Friday. Another one happened in Port Harcourt 24 hours later.Primate Ayodele had warned about this in a prophetic revelation.“Building collapse in Lagos, Portharcourt, Abuja”https://www.tiktok.com/@primateayodele/video/76559759029117944397 Zimbabwe president: Zimbabwe’s lower house of parliament has passed a bill to extend presidential terms from five to seven years, which would allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in power until 2030.Primate Ayodele warned earlier that the president will make moves to extend his tenure and be a life president.“Zimbabwe’s president will do an extension, and because the man wants to become a life president”.https://www.tiktok.com/@primateayodele/video/76554210619532935898 Heatwave in Europe: Europe’s unprecedented early summer heatwave may be responsible for hundreds of excess deaths, according to the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO).Temperature records were broken across the continent again on Sunday – including in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic – as the extreme heat continued to move east.Primate Ayodele warned earlier that the heatwave that will be experienced in Europe will kill a lot of people,e as it will be record-breaking.“These heatwaves are going to kill people in Europe.”https://www.tiktok.com/@primateayodele/video/76551904633931235919 Lassa Fever: Lagos State Government has sounded a strong public health alert on Lassa fever, announcing the commencement of a statewide awareness and prevention campaign amid rising national cases and growing concerns over healthcare worker infections.He disclosed that the outbreak has spread across 22 states and 93 local government areas, describing the trend as “a serious national health concern” that demands urgent, coordinated and proactive measures at both federal and state levels.Primate Ayodele, in a prophetic moment, warned that Lagos and Nigeria will experience a fresh wave of Lassa Fever.“In Lagos and Nigeria as a whole, let’s watch out for Lassa Fever.”https://www.tiktok.com/@primateayodele/video/765486555494318414610 UK Prime Minister resignation: Sir Keir Starmer has said he will quit as Labour Party leader, paving the way for a contest to decide a new prime minister.Speaking in Downing Street, Sir Keir said he accepted he was not best placed to lead Labour into the next general election, and he had informed King Charles III of his decision to step downPrimate Ayodele had said that he sees the UK PM saying bye-bye to his position.https://www.tiktok.com/@primateayodele/video/765414548330422606811 Niger Republic attack: An attack by armed men on an airport in Niger’s capital has killed 11 soldiers and two civilians, authorities said, five months after a major assault.Twenty-two armed attackers were also killed in the assault, and about 20 suspects were apprehended, the Ministry of Defence added in a news statement read out on national television on Thursday.This unfortunate incident is in fulfilment of the prophecy of popular Nigerian prophet, Primate Elijah Ayodele, which he shared in his prophecy book released in 2025.On page 65 of the prophecy book, the man of God warned the government of the day to be careful of unpleasant things.These were his words:“NIGER: I foresee the country will be tense and must be careful because they will face attacks and counterattacks. They will suffer economic damages. They will enter into bilateral agreements that will be unfavourable. The country must be careful of explosions and fire outbreaks. They must be careful because a lot of things will change in the country that will not be pleasing to the people. There will be a plan to remove the government of the day, either through revolution, coup, protest, or uprising. These are the revelations from the Lord.”12 Sack of Senegal’s Prime Minister: A shocking announcement was made on Senegal’s state television in a decree read out by presidential aide Oumar Samba Ba, who said Faye “has ended the duties of Ousmane Sonko… and consequently those of the ministers and secretaries of state who are members of the government”.Meanwhile, Primate Ayodele had weeks ago made it known that he sees that Sonko will be sacked as the Prime Minister of the country.These were his words:“Faye will sack Sonko as the Prime Minister of Senegal. In a couple of months, he will be removed from office; that is the message of the Lord.”https://www.tiktok.com/@primateayodele/video/7643041767629147413?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc13 Abuja attack: There is fear among residents of the Kuntun Bokun area of the Paze axis of Kubwa, Bwari Area Council, Abuja, following a kidnapping incident.DAILY POST gathered on Wednesday that the gunmen had, on May 5, invaded the community, shooting sporadically to scare residents before carrying out the attack.Residents, who spoke with our correspondent, said the incident started around 11:40 pm after several gunshots suddenly echoed across the area.In a separate prophecy, Primate Ayodele warned that bandits will invade some states, including Abuja.These were his words:“Bandits will invade Ondo state, Kano, Taraba, and even Abuja and Sokoto. Bandits want to take over certain places, and even churches will not escape. From Palm Sunday to June, let them watch these places.”14 Ned Nwoko and Gbenga Daniel’s loss at APC Primaries: Among those who were shockingly taken out of the way during the APC Primaries were Ned Nwoko, the senator representing Delta North and former governor Gbenga Daniel, the senator representing Ogun East senatorial district. Their loss is so humbling that they almost didn’t get any votes in their respective election.Ned Nwoko lost to the former governor of Delta state, Ifeanyi Okowa, while Gbenga Daniel lost to the incumbent governor of Ogun state, Dapo Abiodun.However, their losses had been foretold by popular Nigerian prophet, Primate Elijah Ayodele of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, who is renowned for his prophetic insights on issues about politics, governance, education, and nations, to mention but a few.“The issue of Dapo and Gbenga Daniel. Gbenga Daniel doesn’t know that his party doesn’t love him. What happened is from the higher authority, and that may be the end of the case, so if Gbenga is struggling, they will just be mocking him.”https://www.tiktok.com/@primateayodele/video/7631665747986550024?_r=1&_t=ZS-96SvDsLpNf5“Okowa and Ned senate ticket; they want to give it to Okowa, so watch, they will fail you, Ned.”15 Ebola virus resurfaces: At least 100 deaths have been reported in an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with more than 390 cases suspected, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has told the BBC.This unfortunate incident is coming after Nigerian prophet, Primate Elijah Ayodele, repeatedly warned that there would be a fresh outbreak of Ebola Virus in Africa.He even went as far as mentioning the countries that will be affected by the virus, while warning the World Health Organisation to take note of the disease.These were his words:“Ebola; Uganda, Sudan, Cameroun, Tanzania, DR Congo, watch out….”https://www.tiktok.com/@primateayodele/video/7640900151854337298?_r=1&_t=ZS-96SuvSPYxakAlso in his prophecies for the new year, which were released in December 2025, Primate Ayodele mentioned that there will be an outbreak of the Ebola virus in some countries in Africa, which will lead to the deaths of people.These were his words:“I foresee a lot of health challenges will surface in Africa, namely Ebola, Tuberculosis, Jaundice, Lassa fever, migraine and another form of COVID. I foresee chicken pox and another disease will break out in Nigeria.”16 Hanta Virus: The Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases of the Geneva University Hospital (HUG), a WHO collaborating centre, has identified the strain of hantavirus that caused three deaths on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.Health authorities across several countries are racing to trace and contain an outbreak of the hantavirus after the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Thursday that five confirmed infections had been identified among people connected to the cruise ship MV Hondius.Meanwhile, it is important to note that Nigerian prophet, Primate Elijah Ayodele, foretold another viral disease that would come to the world in a viral video recorded during a church service.In the video, he warned that there may be a partial lockdown in the year because a certain disease will break out.These were his words:“Lockdown is imminent, when I don’t know, but a certain disease is coming, loading, that can bring a partial lockdown globally. Let the World Health Organisation take note.”https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS9WAKkuk/17 Attack on Ekiti church: Gunmen attacked a Christ Apostolic Church in Eda Oniyo Ekiti, Ilejemeje Local Government Area of Ekiti State, killing a pastor and abducting an unspecified number of worshippers.The attack, which occurred around 8.30 pm during a church programme, has thrown the community into panic, with residents expressing fears over rising insecurity in the area.This unfortunate incident is coming ten days after Primate Ayodele warned against attacks on Churches, while also warning pastors against kidnap attempts or more dangerous incidents.He shared this revelation during a church service on April 19, 2026.These were his words:“Let us pray against attacks on churches in the next two or three weeks. Let us pray so they won’t kill any pastor and their followers”https://www.tiktok.com/@primateayodele/video/763409563691629288518 Donald Trump’s assassination attempt: President Donald Trump and officials in his administration were the likely targets of a suspect who fired on a security agent guarding the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Sunday.The man fired a shotgun at a Secret Service agent at a security checkpoint in the Washington Hilton hotel before being tackled and arrested. Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the dinner.Beyond the unfortunate incident, President Donald Trump was warned as far back as two months ago to be careful against an assassination attempt. He warned the president to watch his security because there are plans to take his life.These were his words:“Donald Trump, they want to assassinate him in that same America.”https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS9M4Jtpj/19 Benin Republic election: Benin’s Minister of Finance Romuald Wadagni has secured a landslide victory in the country’s presidential election with more than 94 per cent of the votes, according to provisional results.For several years, Primate Ayodele has been talking about the presidential election in the Benin Republic, stating repeatedly that the opposition will be handicapped by the president in the country and that the president’s candidate would eventually emerge as the next leader of the country.In one of his most recent prophecies about the election, Primate Ayodele made it known that the next president of the country would be the finance minister who was endorsed by the incumbent president to succeed him.These were his words:“The next president of the Benin Republic is the present minister of finance.”https://www.tiktok.com/@primateayodele/video/762852689003415477020 Djibouti election: In the same vein, Primate Ayodele had said the president of Djibouti would be elected for a sixth term in the country.“There is going to be an election in Djibouti, and the incumbent president will win again”In fulfilment of his prophecy, Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh has won an election with 97.8% of the vote, keeping him at the helm of the strategically-placed Horn of Africa nation for a sixth term, preliminary official results show.21 Ministers: Primate Ayodele prophetically made it known that not all of Tinubu’s ministers and aides will complete their terms.“I foresee that not all President Tinubu Ministers or Aides will finish their terms.” In the course of the year, President Tinubu sacked some of his ministers.22 South Africa: Primate Ayodele revealed that the president, Cyril Ramaphosa, will face a political crisis capable of sending him packing as the leader of the country.“I foresee there will be crises, protests and a series of strange happenings in parts of South Africa. Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African president, will face a major political crisis capable of sending him packing from the Presidential seat. His policies will be well criticised as they will not be acceptable. I foresee he will take a wrong step towards the election”23 Shoprite: Primate Ayodele noted that the company will close some of its outlets in Nigeria due to the issues it would face.“SHOPRITE: I foresee the Company will face major challenges in some parts of Nigeria and will face competitors and rivals. I foresee they will close some of their outlets in Nigeria.”24 Aljazeera: Primate Ayodele revealed that the media house will be dragged to court and face legal battles in the year“AL JAZEERA: I foresee Al Jazeera will be taken to court as it will be sued over a news report. The spirit of God says Al Jazeera will face legal battles and must pray not to lose any of their staff”Earlier in the year, a court banned the media house from operating in Israel.25 BDC: The prophet stated that in the new year, the government will pass a new law towards the operation of the bureaude changein the country.“The spirit of God revealed to me that the government will pass a new law on the operations of the Bureau de Change. I foresee a serious reorganisation of the activities and operations of Bureau de Change operators.26 Guinea democratic transition: Primate Ayodele predicted that Guinea’s military leader would become a civilian president.A referendum later paved the way.27 Malawi election: Primate Ayodele warned President Chakwera to pray for political survival.He later lost the election.28 Seychelles election: Primate Ayodele warned the incumbent president of possible defeat.The ruling party later lost.29 Madagascar coup: Primate Ayodele warned of a military-backed uprising.The president later fled the country.30 Guinea-Bissau coup: Primate Ayodele listed Guinea-Bissau among countries at risk of a coup.The military later seized power.31 Kebbi kidnap: Primate Ayodele warned of kidnappings in schools. Students were later abducted in several states.32 Benin Republic coup attempt: Primate Ayodele warned ECOWAS of revolutions in several countries.A coup attempt later surfacedin BeninRepublic.33 America’s opposition against Tinubu: Primate Ayodele warned of U.S. opposition to Tinubu’s second-term ambition.The Nigerian government later faced international pressure.34 Akpabio impeachment attempt: Primate Ayodele warned of plans to impeach Senate President Akpabio.The plot was later confirmed.35 Japan earthquake: Primate Ayodele warned Japan to pray against earthquakes.A 6.7-magnitude quake later struck.36 Coup attempt in Nigeria: Primate Ayodele warned of a plot to unseat President Tinubu. This was later confirmed with some arrests made38 Kebbi speaker’s death: The Speaker of the Kebbi State House of Assembly, Muhammad Usman Zuru, is dead.Zuru died on Monday night in an Egyptian hospital where he had been receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness.His death, though unfortunate, has fulfilled the prophecy of Nigerian prophet, Primate Elijah Ayodele, which he shared towards the new year regarding the House of Assembly speakers.Primate Ayodele had asked the country to pray against the death of a House of Assembly speaker in the country.These were his words:“We are going to record the death of a deputy governor, the deputy governor’s wife, in Nigeria. The death of a deputy speaker, deaths in the national assembly and the death of the speaker of a state legislature.”39 Kaduna church attack: Terrorists have attacked the Ariko community in Kachia Local Government Ar
-by Folorunsho Hamsat
In today’s clout-chasing world, everyone wants to flaunt their connections, and demonstrate influence. But one famous spiritual leader is completely changing the game on what fame should look like. Meet the leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, the Lagos based mega prophet who chooses to blend into the crowd. Primate Ayodele is completely redefining spiritual leadership. While his prophetic voice thunders with undeniable authority on the global stage, his personal life is defined by deep, quiet humility. Those in his inner caucus say he does not chase trends or clout. He simply serves. In a world where spiritual leaders are often expected to be showmen, Primate Ayodele presents a fascinating study in contrast. He is a man who is inherently reserved, yet his ministry commands global attention. He is a naturally quiet personality, but the sheer weight and precision of his prophecies make him appear like a remarkably loud person to the public. Primate Ayodele’s prophetic ministry has expanded far beyond local borders, capturing the attention of nations across the globe. Renowned for his remarkably accurate insights into international politics, broad economic changes, and governance, Ayodele has quietly become a trusted confidant and friend to numerous men and women of timber and caliber. Remarkably, Ayodele has direct access to top African presidents and world decision makers. The magic wand? His breathtaking accurate prophecies on global politics and economies that continue to win him honours across Africa, and beyond. However, he is hardly seen or heard bragging about it or dropping names to show off. He doesn’t chase clout, he delivers results, his people affirm. True power doesn’t need to make noise to be felt, Ayodele himself would say. Church insiders squealed that if you walk into the Oke-Afa, Isolo headquarters of his ministry (where you almost always can find him) on a Sunday, good luck to you spotting him. This clearly shows how super shy and reserved Primate Ayodele really is. However, his voice only thunders when he stands on the altar to preach or drop his trademark prophetic warnings. The true mark of Ayodele’s unique personality is, he can act as a president’s adviser on a Saturday, and happily serves as an ordinary usher in his own church on a Sunday! Insiders confirm that once he steps off the altar, Primate Ayodele completely withdraws from the public eye. First-time visitors are said to be stunned because the world famous prophet blends right into the crowd. Within and outside his church, no massive security squad, no fancy exclusive prestige, and no ego. During church services, we learned, Ayodele would roll up his sleeves and acts as a regular church usher. Sometimes, insiders revealed, he even stands right at the church’s entrance, mounting guard at the door to welcome guests and church members. Talk about ultimate servant leadership. For Primate Ayodele, indeed, true spiritual power is beyond making a loud noise, but rather about making the biggest impact. _*-Folorunsho Hamsat is a Lagos based journalist*_
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