Prophet Azuka,a well-known spiritual figure, has caused a stir after a video of him celebrating his birthday in Dubai went viral.
In the footage, the prophet is seen aboard a luxurious yacht, which he allegedly rented for the occasion. He appears to be enjoying the festivities, taking photos, and celebrating with friends and family as the yacht sails through the water.
Wearing a stylish all-white ensemble, Azuka was visibly in high spirits, relishing the attention and praise from those around him.
While the video has garnered significant attention on social media, it has also sparked criticism. Some viewers have raised concerns about the lavishness of his celebration, questioning if such a lifestyle is appropriate for someone in his spiritual position.
Critics have called him an “attention seeker” and questioned his sincerity as a spiritual leader, arguing that his actions do not align with the modest and humble image traditionally expected of men of faith.
This is not the first time Prophet Azuka has courted controversy. He has previously been involved in public disagreements with other religious leaders, including notable conflicts with Prophet Ajagurajah, further fueling the debate about his role and authenticity within the spiritual community.
This statement was made in response to the recent outrage following the publication of details of the N2.1 trillion supplementary budget submitted to the National Assembly, where the yacht was listed under the Nigerian Navy’s proposed capital expenditure of N42.3 billion.
The supplementary budget included allocations of N5.09 billion for a yacht, N2.9 billion for sport utility vehicles for the Presidential Villa, and an additional N2.9 billion for the replacement of operational vehicles for the presidency.
The yacht was categorized under the Nigerian Navy’s proposed capital expenditure of N42.3 billion.
In response to this, Ajayi expressed skepticism about the necessity of a yacht for his principal to carry out his official duties.
“The trending issues on social media since yesterday are two items in the 2023 supplementary budget. One is the provision for a presidential yacht in the supplementary budget by the Navy, and the other is over N6 billion for vehicles for the State House.”
“It is important to state clearly that President Bola Tinubu didn’t ask for a presidential yatch, and I doubt he needs one to perform the functions of his office. From what I know, the request for a yacht, however it is named or couched in the budget, is from the Navy, and they must have operational reasons for why it is required.
“The budget office should be in a position to also explain to the public why such expenditures should be accommodated now, considering the economic situation of the country. I must readily admit that the one reason our budgeting system has been the subject of public attack is the very simplistic way some of the line items are described by civil servants who prepare the budget.
“Examples abound. Sometimes in 2016, an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project of the Ministry of Solid Minerals worth over N300 million was captured in that year’s budget as a “website”. Naturally, it generated a massive controversy as people, rightly, asked to know the type of website that would be built with N300 million.
Ajayi further stated, “It is important to say that journalism should enrich public enlightenment and not create an atmosphere of siege. It is poor reporting to always reduce State House budgetary provisions to the President and Vice President.
A presidential spokesman, Tope Ajayi said President Bola Tinubu did not ask for a yacht.
This comes amid outrage after details of the N2.1 trillion supplementary budget Tinubu submitted to the National Assembly were published.
According to the budget, N5.09 billion was allocated for the yacht, N2.9 billion for sport utility vehicles for the Presidential Villa, and another N2.9 billion for the replacement of operational vehicles for the presidency.
The yacht was listed under the Nigerian Navy’s proposed capital expenditure of N42.3 billion.
Speaking on the development, Ajayi said he doubted if his principal needed one to perform the functions of his office.
“The trending issues on social media since yesterday are two items in the 2023 supplementary budget. One is the provision for a presidential yacht in the supplementary budget by the Navy, and the other is over N6 billion for vehicles for the State House.”
“It is important to state clearly that President Bola Tinubu didn’t ask for a presidential yatch, and I doubt he needs one to perform the functions of his office. From what I know, the request for a yacht, however it is named or couched in the budget, is from the Navy, and they must have operational reasons for why it is required.
“The budget office should be in a position to also explain to the public why such expenditures should be accommodated now, considering the economic situation of the country. I must readily admit that the one reason our budgeting system has been the subject of public attack is the very simplistic way some of the line items are described by civil servants who prepare the budget.
“Examples abound. Sometimes in 2016, an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project of the Ministry of Solid Minerals worth over N300 million was captured in that year’s budget as a “website”. Naturally, it generated a massive controversy as people, rightly, asked to know the type of website that would be built with N300 million.
Ajayi further stated, “It is important to say that journalism should enrich public enlightenment and not create an atmosphere of siege. It is poor reporting to always reduce State House budgetary provisions to the President and Vice President.
“When the State House makes provision for vehicles, it is reported as if it is the President that will use all the vehicles or eat all the food when a provision is made for food and catering services.
“We have had such inaccurate reporting in the past. A President and Vice President cannot, for any reason, spend N20 million naira to eat in a year if it is about the food they will eat as first and second families. How much food can a person really eat?
“Yet, we will read headlines that Tinubu, Buhari, Jonathan, or whoever the President is wants to spend N5 billion on food and catering in a year when in actual fact such budgetary provisions are made to accommodate many state events, meetings, hosting of VIPs, foreign dignitaries, and even visits by other Heads of State and bilateral and multilateral meetings that the State House will deal with in a given year,” he said.
A British visitor claims that the first time he realised his vacation dive boat had overturned was when he saw fish rather than the sky outside his window.
David Taylor was on board the Carlton Queen three weeks ago when it began to sink and begin to float away, along with other eager divers exploring the Red Sea.
Since then, a video showing panicked passengers scrambling up a nearly vertical deck, leaping over the side of the boat into the ocean, and clinging to their mattresses as they floated on the water’s surface has appeared online.
David, 53, told the Daily Telegraph: ‘I knew something was wrong when I could see fish swimming outside my cabin room’s window.’
The architectural technician from Nottinghamshire was one of 15 Brits on the ill-fated boat, among a total of 26 guests.
Remarkably, everyone on board survived the ordeal – including the nine crew members – with none requiring hospital treatment, according to reports.
David said: ‘We were shouting for help and heard crashing above us and had this deep-seated feeling of dread that something terrible was happening.
‘When we realised we couldn’t escape by the stairwell and no one had come to help us, it felt awful.’
Passengers had to jump from the side of the boat into the water to reach the lifeboats (Picture: Toby Meadows)
The descriptions of the incident offered by some of the passengers who were on board the craft clashes with the interpretation offered by its owner, Carlton Fleet.
A GoFundMe page created by German survivor Dominic Schmitt says six of the divers were trapped inside the sinking boat for almost half an hour.
He wrote: ‘Our passports, given to the captain at the beginning of the voyage to evacuate with him in an emergency, were of course nowhere to be found.
‘They are somewhere in the Red Sea…if one day you come across a dolphin with a UK passport, you know where he got it.’
Speaking about ‘the company’, he added: ‘Instead of sending doctors they send lawyers, instead of providing help, they tried to spread fear among us and instead of taking responsibility for what had happened, they did not even show up to a meeting in which they initially told us to provide a compensation offer.’
However, Carlton Fleet told Scuba Diver magazine they had covered medical expenses and accommodation and had offered to pay more for the inconvenience.
A statement said: ‘Unfortunately, the company’s offer fell on deaf ears, and certain guests engaged in negotiation tactics and resorted to threats to strong-arm the Carlton Fleet into paying them larger amounts, notwithstanding their signature of releases and liability waivers, and the charterer’s clear instructions that they procure insurance for loss or damage to equipment and belongings prior to boarding the boat.’
Hong Kong says, the superyacht of a Russian oligarch who is the target of Western sanctions will not be seized.
According to chief executive John Lee, Hong Kong will be subject to penalties imposed by the UN but not “unilateral” ones by “individual jurisdictions.”
The $521m (£472m) boat belongs to Alexei Mordashov, an ally of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and one of the country’s richest men.
His yacht arrived in Hong Kong last week after sailing from Russia.
But Mr Mordashov is not believed to be on it. The billionaire was sanctioned by the US, the UK, and the EU after Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year.
But Hong Kong’s government said it was not bound by those sanctions. For close to a week now, the multi-storey Nord superyacht has been a conspicuous sight in the city’s Victoria Harbour with the Russian flag flying at its mast.
“We will comply with United Nations sanctions, that is our system, that is our rule of law,” said Mr Lee, who has himself been sanctioned by the US for his role in implementing Hong Kong’s repressive national security law.
The US, EU, and the UK have sanctioned hundreds of Russians and their businesses. China, however, has remained a Russian ally and has so far not condemned Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine.
“Hong Kong’s reputation as a financial centre depends on adherence to international laws and standards,” a US State Department spokesman said. “The possible use of Hong Kong as a safe haven by individuals evading sanctions from multiple jurisdictions further calls into question the transparency of the business environment.”
It’s unclear how long the superyacht will remain in Hong Kong’s waters.
Mr Mordashov’s spokesman told Bloomberg News the steel tycoon was in Moscow. Prior to the war in Ukraine, he was Russia’s richest man, according to Forbes, with a $29.1 billion fortune built through his steel and mining company Severstal.
The Nord is believed to be his biggest yacht asset. The 465-foot (141m) yacht is larger than a football field and is described as one of the world’s most extravagant boats, according to Forbes.
The billionaire had already lost one of his smaller boats, the 215ft Lady M, to Western sanctions in March after it was seized by Italian police in the port of Imperia.
Several Russianoligarchs‘ boats have been seized or denied entry to European ports this year under Western sanctions related to the war in Ukraine.
That’s prompted the movement of such boats to areas around the world considered beyond the reach of Western sanctions- including ports around Asia, Turkey, and the Caribbean.
