Grace International Church announces a praise-loaded 2018 Easter Season

Drs. Ayo and Alice Ajim will be hosting at this event.

International Guardian – HOUSTON, TXGrace International Church on Bellaire has announced her programs for 2018 Easter season. The events start Friday, March 30th with a 7 pm Communion Service; then a 9am and 11am Resurrection Services on Sunday, April 1. The Program will end with a free Easter Concert the same day, Sunday starting from 7 pm. Drs. Ayo and Alice Ajim,will be hosting at this event. Guest Psalmist will be Minister Frank Edwards, an award-winning international guest artist. He will be ministering at the 11am service and then at the concert later that evening.

“This year will be an “Easter to remember” says Dr. Ayo Ajim, the Senior Pastor of the Church. According to Dr. Ajim “Without a doubt this year will feature the greatest Easter Services we have ever had. We are expecting record attendances, our choir is preparing the greatest music, and our Pastors are preparing the most delightful anointed messages. It is going to be simply awesome! We are really trusting God for a most fulfilling and memorable time.”

Dr Mrs. Ajim said that Easter celebration at Grace has been a traditional prayerful and joyful moment where Houstonians converge to celebrate the Resurrection. “I ask everyone not to miss these glorious events for anything” she said. According to Dr. Mrs. Ajim, “It is going to be an Easter season like no other. In fact, all of the services and concert will be taking place at our church sanctuary on 15401 Bellaire Blvd. Be kind to call the church office during business hours if you have any additional questions. Also be kind if you want to especially volunteer, or if you have anything in your heart you may want us to know. Our number is (281) 56-GRACE”, she said.

“Without a doubt this year will feature the greatest Easter Services we have ever had. We are expecting record attendances, our choir is preparing the greatest music, and our Pastors are preparing the most delightful anointed messages. It is going to be simply awesome! We are really trusting God for a most fulfilling and memorable time.”

The primary focus of Grace International Church is to share the love and joy of Christ to the entire world. As a platform, Grace is a thriving and vibrant congregation set to worship God and experience a life of peace and abundance. The Easter celebration coincides with the Church values and expression of faith reflecting the principles of the Doctrine of Christ.

For more information about the Church, please call or stop by: 15401 Bellaire Blvd Houston, TX 77083 Phone: (281) 564-7223. Email: info@graceint.org; or you may visit their Website: www.graceint.org/

Nigeria 2019 – “USA FOR ATIKU” Flags off Diaspora Presidential Campaign

ATIKU.. Currently, he has been scheduled to speak about the Nigeria’s economy at London’s Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House).

Group representing a former Nigeria’s Vice President flags off his Presidential Campaign in US

Guardian News, Houston, TX – The campaign of Turakin Adamawa, a former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who recently announced his 2019 presidential ambition on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is gaining a global momentum. A group of Nigerian businesspersons and community leaders in the United States, the “USA for Atiku Campaign” has announced a flag-off of grassroots support for Chief Atiku’s candidacy.

“Houston is the capital – and if it does not start here, it would not happen” said Victor Chibuzor, one of the group’s founders who spoke to our reporters. USA for Atiku plans an initial inauguration in five major cities where Nigerians are highly populated. “Besides Houston, a strong presence in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta would surely create the needed podium to influence the voting population home” said Chief Emeka Offor, another founding member, who was involved many Diaspora political organizations during the past regime of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

The current deplorable events in Nigeria may have energized a massive call to challenge the incumbent. Late last year for instance, a group of young professionals in Nigeria, called Concerned Citizens for Atiku (CCA) called on the former Vice President to declare for this position.

Chief Chris Igwuilo, another founding member of Atiku’s group in the United States, said “we cannot just sit down here and watch our country go down. We must do all we could to effect a change for a better government. Chief Igwuilo who was also involved with many Diaspora’s groups, especially during the last regime called on Nigerians abroad to join a decisive move to remove what he called “a redundant current regime.”

Currently, Atiku has been systematically positioning himself to face the incumbent, President Muhammadu Buhari. He has been making profile-raising visits and issuing policy statements to recharge his campaign brand. For instance, he has been scheduled to speak about the Nigeria’s economy at London’s Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House). This event has been scheduled for April 25, 2018. According to a statement from his camp, the keynote speech entitled “The Importance of Strengthening State Economic Management Systems,” will unveil innovative and tangible solutions that, “once implemented, will help Nigerian states come out from their current economic challenges and help get Nigeria working again.”

Atiku is not new to Nigeria’s political arena. In 2007, he unsuccessfully ran for the presidency under a defunct Action Congress (AC). Similarly, in 2011, he lost to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan. “This time around, he stands a better chance” noted Okey Onwudiwe of USA for Atiku Campaign. According to Onwudiwe who is also among the founding members, “Events of today in Nigeria has proved Atiku right – that the country needs him. If you look at Nigeria and how President Buhari has failed us, supporting the Atiku presidency becomes a major task for every Nigerian” he said.

Details of USA for Atiku Campaign will be released accordingly. Kenny Governor, a founding member told International Guardian that strategies are being organized for a summer launching. “As we speak, we have scheduled numerous planning and strategy meetings to coordinate this cause, and we ask every Nigerian to join us” he said.

The Quanell X-factor – Between Community Activism, and “Doing Business As”

File photo (May 8, 2014) – A Houston Chronicle photo shows X speaking at a protest in Hearne, Texas against a police officer who reportedly shot and killed a 93-year-old woman in her home. His influence in the community over matters of justice amplified in no small measures, to the extent that he would call news conferences at will to announce a given case or in most cases parade devoted protesters to gather intense media attention. Remarkably, his brand metamorphosed into a popular movement, stirred by the camera- clutching TV reporters who followed and shadowed him as desperate flees.

Do helpless citizens need some ‘high-priced’ activists to get justice? Do they need some expensively paid street rallies to get the attention of the authorities, or do they merely need good lawyers?

By Anthony Obi Ogbo

A lawyer can be an activist, but an activist can never be a lawyer without passing through the high walls of the law school and without a law license. Notwithstanding, both the community activist and the lawyer play significant roles in shaping a fair and equitable society, however, their operational boundaries and the sharp contrasts in their operative competencies must not be overlooked.

So, two years ago when some individuals called my newsroom to complain that “Brother Quanell X” took thousands of dollars from them for undisclosed “legal services” but did not deliver, my two questions were “What legal service?” and “As what?” My questions were asked out of curiosity – battling to figure out what paid legal service an activist would provide for a community that empowers his voice and supports his statesmanship.

Quanell X has been a local leader of the New Black Panther Party in Houston until recently. In fact, it was just last month, when the organization announced they’re breaking up with him over allegations of failure to deliver services to families and individuals he received payments from. Again, questions about the nature and scope of these services remained ambiguous and inexplicable. In my years in the media, I have known Quanell X as a community activist and not as a CEO of any company structured to prosper from the defenseless population he claims to be defending.

Concerns about the “Quanell X-factor” and the community started around 2008 and 2009 when the Ibarra brothers through their attorney claimed X was paid $20,000 to organize a protest about their case. The two brothers said they were wrongfully arrested by Harris County sheriff’s deputies without probable cause and was seeking $5 million in damages through the court system. Quanell X denied payment for the protest but admitted working on their case as a jury consultant. Lloyd Kelley, a former lawyer for the brothers corroborated Quanell X’s defense and said he paid the activist for jury consulting and publicity to keep the case alive in the eyes of the authorities. But again, this was way back around 2009.

Since this period, Quanell X has remained in the local news as a defender of system fairness and community activist for victims of an unequal justice system, ranging from police brutality, murder, to racially motivated policy engagements. He appeared in local news clips where he protested and spoke on behalf of families of victims. There were at times when he would negotiate with law enforcements to either handover a suspect or get justice for a victim.

Thus, Quanell X’s influence in the community over matters of justice amplified in no small measures, to the extent that he would call news conferences at will to announce a given case or in most cases parade devoted protesters to gather intense media attention. Always sharp-looking in classic American well-fitted suits, X speaks in a commanding tone and would challenge the authorities over system lapses and wrongness. Remarkably, his brand metamorphosed into a popular movement, stirred by the camera- clutching TV reporters who followed and shadowed him as desperate flees.

The totality of these circumstances, invoked by the influences he generated from the media fraternity apparently engorged his ego and boosted his self-worth. Apparently, he took advantage of his popularity and monetized his brand – making a lucrative career off of what would be considered a broken justice system. For instance, in October 2016, a group who claimed to be ‘victims of Quanell X’ rallied outside the Harris County Criminal Courthouse in Houston claiming that Quanell X did not deliver on services they paid heavily.

VICTIMS display their “X-Factor” contracts while they testified in a rally. A participant said he hired Quanell X because the activist said he could help his daughter get a lighter sentence. Another participant said she hired him to help her with a custody battle, but lost totally because of his ineffectuality. These complaints go on and on with victims paying as much as $3,500.00 to $7,500.00.

Testimonies by individuals included instances where Quanell X received moneies and not offering services. In fact, it was gathered that several alleged victims who testified their ordeals brought copies of contracts or checks as proofs of a service engagement with Quanell X. Then in February, the People’s New Black Panther Party in Houston announced that it was splitting with Quanell X over similar allegations that he has not delivered services to the families he took money from to represent. The group claimed it had launched an investigation into the X’s practices. A rally participant said he hired Quanell X because the activist said he could help his daughter get a lighter sentence. Another participant said she hired him to help her with a custody battle, but lost totally because of his ineffectuality. These complaints go on and on with victims showing how they payed as much as $3,500.00 to $7,500.00. (see Video >>>).

Frankly, the purpose of this commentary is not to disparage Quanell X’s bizarre commercialization of his influence in the community, but these stories and testimonies emit a contour of amoral practice excesses. The entire scenarios leave us with the fundamental questions: “Do helpless Citizens need some high-priced activists to get justice? Do they need some expensively paid street rallies to get the attention of the authorities, or do they merely need good lawyers to penetrate a stringent legal system?”

Activists must choose between community service engagement and “Doing Business As.” Passion or quest for community service must not be undermined by an insatiable thirst for money. It might be unacceptably unscrupulous to pretend to be an advocate for societal lapses and at the same time milking helpless masses. I am not sure of Al Sharpton, but I cannot recall how many invoices Martin Luther King wrote for his community service engagement – in fact, his legendary speech “I have a dream” was delivered at no cost to his community.

Of course, it might be necessary to be in the news and the U-tubes, but why would any victim of the system pay thousands in cash or trade-off his goods and chattels just to get a street presence and be in the local news rather than hire an intelligible lawyer? Simply put, lawyers are intellectually trained to defend injustice through the justice process, whereas the activists rally community support to advocate legitimate communal interests as it applies to the justice process, social conditions, and public policies. The law profession is a business. Lawyers get paid to defend their clients. Social activism, however, is a reformation venture – a collaboration of the activist and the citizens toward surviving in a society where injustice and social inequality still pervade human existence.

Political or social activism is not just about protesting and yelling out grievances, but also entails a passion to educate the society about policies and processes that impact their lives. Therefore, people who are vulnerable as victims of policies and system actions have a decision to make on sourcing attorneys who understand the language and practice of law. Consequently, they could invest in pricey activists who would yell in front of TV cameras and leave them with exorbitant invoices.

Also, activists must choose between community service engagement and “Doing Business As.” Passion or quest for community service must not be undermined by an insatiable thirst for money. It might be unacceptably unscrupulous to pretend to be an advocate for societal lapses and at the same time milking helpless masses. I am not sure of Al Sharpton, but I cannot recall how many invoices Martin Luther King wrote for his community service engagement – in fact, his legendary speech “I have a dream” was delivered at no cost to his community.

Often, political activism could be triggered and driven by necessities. However, participation is not obligatory. Involvement hinges on individual values, motivation, and scope of emotional attachments to the prevailing circumstances. Therefore, brother X must choose between being a capitalist and serving as an advocate for the community. He could do both but must set the appropriate boundaries to avoid conflicts.  For a start, he could separate his expedition to make ends meet from his self-professed defense of the common man.

Anthony Obi Ogbo, PhD is Publisher of Houston-based International Guardian. Contact >>>

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