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The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria Stakeholders Summit of 2nd and 3rd May ended yesterday, but the mark it left on stakeholders will live beyond 2024. Characterized by unprecedented Declarations and Divulges, the event became an avenue for free expression of minds.

The two-day event held at the Musa Yar’Adua International Centre, Abuja was themed on: Partnership, Collaboration and Teamwork.” It was sponsored by Lotus Bank and was declared open by the Vice President of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima (GCON).

Also in attendance were: His Eminence, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar(CFR), Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, NSCIA; Honourable Minister of FCT; Minister of Aviation; Chairman-Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs; Chairman-House Committee On Hajj Affairs; Secretary-General, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs; The Ambassador Of Saudi-Arabia, …among other dignitaries.

The Chairman/CEO of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) who made his opening speech, declared the long awaited inaugural flight date. He slated 15th May 2024 for the inaugural ceremony in Kebbi State. The Chairman made it known that there will be two extra flights to depart from other Airports the same day, and that NCAA approved a total of 10 Airports for the Hajj airlift this year. He also stated that 15th May will be the end of all Visa issuances.

The sessions went by with open discussions on matters relating to Hajj. Many of the stakeholders that commented on the impact of Hajj Saving Scheme (HSS) expressed dissatisfaction, blaming the ineptness on Jaiz Bank. One mentioned that the national sensitization of the scheme that was undertaken by the 4th Board was fully sponsored by NAHCON while Jaiz, the principal beneficiary of the proceeds did not show any support.

It was said that there is no mechanism in place for the sensitization of the public or major advert of the Scheme by the bank.
Overwhelming call on NAHCON leadership to license other Islamic Banks to end the monopoly of Jaiz bank as the sole operator of the scheme was conspicuous and loud.

In the absence of Jaiz bank representatives at the summit, Mr. Aliyu Buhari, a former employee of Jaiz who represented the Alternative Bank where he currently works, managed to put up a limited defense for Jaiz bank listing a few efforts Jaiz made to mitigate some raised issues when he was there. Stakeholders Call to extend licenses to the remaining 4 full-fledged Islamic banks in the country was unanimous.

It was mentioned that if other banks are licensed to operate Hajj Savings Scheme, there will be a healthier competition and perhaps Jaiz Bank may step up.
During general remark session, there were some interesting issues that surfaced. Our interest was drawn to a particular revelation that needs to be echoed. It is the circumstances surrounding the appointment of NAHCON Chairman/CEO.

Since Jalal Ahmed Arabi assumed office, mixed information about the man and his appointment has been trickling in.  He is called “a high handed bureaucrat, a seasoned Administrator, Hardline public servant…and so on. Such names calling seemed to cloud my understanding of the man until we met in person.

In a somewhat fact-finding mission, he seems a simple man, open and welcoming, ever smiley, and a fully down to earth individual. Still skeptical about my assertion came a revelation of his character by his confidant, a long term friend his and ally who narrated what transpired before Mr. Arabi accepted the Chairmanship of NAHCON. It was said right in the presence of the Chairman, who neither interjected nor objected.

To shorten the lengthy mail, we were informed how Mr. Arabi consistently refused to accept the Chairmanship appointment of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON). Despite the prestigious nature of the appointment, Mr. Arabi declined the offer more than three times.

He cited the reason for his hesitation was the lack of positive signs in his istikhara prayer, a form of prayer in Islam to seek Allah’s guidance in making important decisions.

Jalal Ahmad Arabi (OON) is a man of principle that is known for his integrity and dedication to serving God. He is not moved by worldly wants and he works with meticulousness.

The narrator expressed how frustrated they (Arabi’s Friends and mentors) became on his persistent refusal despite persuasions and pressures.

After much contemplation, soul-searching and discussion with those closest to him, Jalal Ahmed Arabi finally relented and accepted the appointment. It is understandable that he made the sacrifice in order to create real change. He saw it as an opportunity to bring about positive change and serve the Nigerian Muslim Ummah in a different capacity. He was willing to adapt and evolve, even if it meant stepping outside of his comfort zone.

As Ahmed settled into his new position, he wasted no time in implementing changes that would foster discipline and progress within the Commission and Hajj industry. He is introducing new transformative potential initiatives, streamlining Hajj processes and working tirelessly to tackle the challenges that Hajj industry in Nigeria has been facing for decades.

Finally, Arabi’s story serves as a powerful reminder that true leadership requires a willingness to challenge oneself and make some sacrifices for a better future for all. His dedication, integrity and commitment to excellence have already begun to yield results.

Mr. Arabi is proving to be a valuable asset to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria and a beacon of integrity and leadership for others to emulate. The practical test of his hard work will hopefully pay off come Hajj 2024, inshAllah.

The joint committee of the House of Representatives investigating the surge in the prices of cement has given a 14-day ultimatum to BUA, Lafarge Ashaka, Dangote Cement, and other cement manufacturers to appear before it and make their submissions on the hike in the prices of the product.

The committee expressed concerns over the hike in the prices of cement in Africa’s most populous nation, compared to other countries.

Jonathan Gaza Gefwi, chairman of the joint committee, lamented the disparity in prices when compared to countries like Kenya and Zambia.

He said Nigeria’s price of cement was higher than that of India by 69 percent, Kenya by 29 percent Zambia by 39 percent.

“A review of cement prices in other countries like Kenya, India and Zambia for 2021 alone showed that Nigeria had the highest price of cement using the official exchange rates for each country.

“There’s a need for us to come together and find ways of bringing succour to our citizens while protecting investors alike”, Gefwi said.

The committee had in March summoned Dangote Cement plc, BUA, Ibeto and others to appear before it at its investigative hearing, but all the companies failed to appear for the hearing scheduled for Tuesday, May 7.

Gefwi berated the companies for shunning the invitation, describing the action as insensitive to the plight of Nigerians. The committee, therefore, issued a 14-day ultimatum to the cement manufacturers to appear before it for the hearing.

The committee also summoned Dele Alake, the minister of solid minerals development, to appear before it on Tuesday, May 21, while Dangote, BUA, IBETO and others are to appear on Monday, May 20, 2024.

Gbefwi, who represents Karu/Keffi/Kokona Federal Constituency, Nasarawa State, said the parliament was not in receipt of a court order restraining it from inviting anybody or companies for investigative purposes.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has given the Federal Government 48 hours to withdraw the 0.5% ‘cybersecurity levy’ imposed on Nigerians.

This is contained in a statement on its official X handle on Tuesday.

SERAP threatened to drag the Federal Government to court if the “grossly unlawful” directive by the Central Bank of Nigeria is not withdrawn.

The statement reads, “The Tinubu administration must immediately withdraw the grossly unlawful CBN directive to implement section 44 of the Cybercrime Act 2024, which imposes a 0.5% ‘cybersecurity levy’ on Nigerians. We’ll see in court if the directive is not withdrawn within 48 hours.’’

LeadingReporters recalls that the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, had in a circular on Monday, directed banks to levy a 0.5 per cent cybersecurity charge on electronic transactions effective May 20, 2024.

The CBN clarified that the levy would be separately “reflected in the customer’s account” as “Cybersecurity Levy” and “applied at the point of electronic transfer origination, then deducted and remitted by the financial institution.”’

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has released additional 531 results of the recently conducted Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, UTME, taking the total number of results released to 1,842,897.

This is contained in a statement by the Public Communication Advisor of the Board, Dr Fabian Benjamin on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Benjamin said the Board had proceeded with the screening of over 64,000 withheld results due to cases of examination misconduct.

“In the course of the exercise, other cases of examination misconduct were also established to make a tally of 92 from the 81 initially discovered,“ he said.

He said the Board is also looking at cases of unverified candidates and would soon come up with a position.

He added that the attention of the Board had been drawn to some fallacious publications purporting that an unknown candidate, who did not sit for the Board’s 2024 UTME obtained scores.

Mr Benjamin described this as fake, malicious and a calculated attempt to undermine the integrity of the Board, while urging the public to disregard such publications.

He said that the publication which levels such a grievous allegation, has no details of the candidate for proper verification.

“The Board is not surprised as this is the season of mischief makers, who would want to deceive gullible candidates.

“The examination template of the Board is designed with the highest sense of responsibility and is not an allocation platform where scores are doled out to candidates.

“It is most unfortunate that anybody could even believe such narration or that the story could even gain traction given the Board’s integrity.

“This again has gone to further vindicate the Board’s stance that candidates should desist from disclosing their classified details to third-parties,” he said.

He said that in investigating some of these allegations, the Board discovered that some of these mischief makers copy results sent to other candidates.

“They then edit the details sent to them and then parade this as emanating from the Board.

“The Board challenges any candidate, parent or anybody with such a claim to prove it wrong by coming forward with the details of such claims, and the phone number with which such results were conveyed,“ he said.

He said that this development would only propel the Board to further tighten the process of checking its results to make it more personalized.

Mr Benjamin said it would be stringent when it should actually be a simple and straightforward exercise.

“The Board reiterated that neither its results nor any of its processes have been compromised.

“Hence, it will continue to protect the integrity of its systems against such malicious actors, who are hell-bent on creating confusion where none existed,” he said.

Mr Benjamin said that the Board will add more features like registration number to the existing UTME Result checking process going forward, to make it extra difficult for anybody to edit.

He urged candidates to securely keep their details secure, noting that for if they were found associating with any of these mischievous elements, they would be treated as collaborators.

The spokesman said that the method of checking the 2024 UTME remained sending UTMERESULT to 55019 or 66019 and not through any other process.

He, therefore, said the result at the moment is not on the Board’s website.

No fewer than seven travellers have been reportedly abducted along the Onne waterways in Rivers State.

It was gathered that gunmen struck on Monday when the travelers were onboard the boat heading for Port Harcourt.

The Rivers State Police Command confirmed the incident on Tuesday.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Grace Iringe-Koko said 20 passengers were onboard the boat.

She said: “Yes the O.C Marine informed me that a boat carrying 20 passengers from Bonny to Onne was intercepted by daredevil sea pirates along the Onne River where they were robbed before 7 of them were abducted and taken to an unknown destination”.

Details Shortly…

A female undergraduate student of Bamidele Olumilua University of Education Science and Technology, Ikere in Ekiti State has been captured flogging a fellow student with a stick.

Despite pleas from the victim, the bully was heard saying, “Let me draw blood from you easily or hardly.”

The witness of the now-viral video, which reportedly occurred on Sunday, May 5, claims it happened on BOUESTI’s campus,

According to the video’s commentator, the victim is Ajayi Precious Gloria, while the perpetrator is a “very popular” Mass Communication student, claiming that the two were friends.

Although the reason for the attack is not yet known, the video showed other individuals present during the assault, but no one tried to stop.

Watch video below

Amidst growing speculation and concern, questions regarding the current whereabouts of President Bola Tinubu have intensified following his departure from Nigeria on April 23, 2024.

President Tinubu embarked on official visits to the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia, with his extended absence prompting heightened scrutiny and apprehension among the public.

The President’s trip, undertaken at the invitation of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, encompassed participation in the prestigious World Economic Forum (WEF) in Saudi Arabia.

The WEF assembly, a platform for global leaders to engage in discussions on pertinent international issues, concluded on April 29, 2024.

However, with President Tinubu yet to return to the country, citizens have expressed mounting concerns regarding his whereabouts and activities during this extended absence.

Speculations regarding the reasons for his prolonged stay abroad have fueled apprehension and prompted calls for clarity from the government.

In response to inquiries regarding the President’s location, officials from the Office of the President have reiterated that President Tinubu remains actively engaged in diplomatic and economic endeavours aimed at advancing Nigeria’s interests on the global stage.

The Federal Government has decided to improve the domestic power supply by cutting the sales to cross-border in the Niger Republic, Niger Republic and Togo.

The electricity regulator, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) ordered a department within the Transmission Company of Nigeria, the System Operator (SO), to cap power supply to the three neigbhouring customers to six per cent.

NERC’s order, published on Friday, was dated April 29, 2024, and effective from May 1, 2024, was jointly signed by the commission’s Chairman, Sanusi Garba, and Vice Chairman, Musiliu Oseni.

The directive, outlined in a document titled ‘Interim Order on Transmission System Dispatch Operations, Cross-border Supply, and Related Matters,’ will only last for six months, subject to change.

According to the document, power delivery to Nigeria’s neighbours must not exceed six per cent of the total grid electricity at any given time.

The electricity sector regulator expressed concern about sub-optimal grid dispatch practices, which have impacted the ability of Distribution Companies (DisCos) to meet their service tariff commitments to end-users.

“The reliance on limiting Discos’ load off-take while prioritising international off-takers and Eligible Customers has proven neither efficient nor equitable,” the document read.

NERC stressed that the current international and bilateral contracts with Generation Companies (GenCos) often fall short of industry standards.

It stated that many off-takers contracted bilaterally by GenCos exploit this prioritisation, exceeding their contracted levels during peak operations without penalties.

As an interim measure, NERC said the move was targeted at guiding the system operator and TCN in implementing Standard Operating Procedures to enhance transparency and fairness in grid operations.

The order also called on the system operator to place interim caps on capacities supplied to international customers for the next six months, minimising the impact on domestic supply obligations by Gencos.

The document stated that the system operator must develop and present a pro-rata load-shedding scheme to ensure equitable load allocation to all off-takers (Discos, international customers, and eligible customers) during generation drops or grid imbalances.

“The system operator will log and publish hourly readings, enforcing penalties for violations of grid instructions and contracted nominations. Maximum load allocation to international off-takers in each trading hour shall not exceed six per cent of the total available grid generation.”

It partly read, “The commission hereby orders as follows: The system operator shall develop and present to the commission for approval within seven days from the issuance of this order a pro-rata load-shedding scheme that ensures equitable adjustment to load allocation to all off-takers — Discos, international customers, and eligible customers — in the event of a drop in generation and other under-frequency related grid imbalances necessitating critical grid management.

“The system operator shall implement a framework to log and publish hourly readings and enforce necessary sanctions for violation of grid instructions and contracted nominations by off-takers in line with the grid code and market.

“The aggregate capacity that can be nominated by a generating plant to service international off-takers shall not be more than 10 per cent of its available generation capacity unless in exceptional circumstances a derogation is granted by the commission.“The system operator shall henceforth cease to recognise any capacity addition in bilateral transactions between a generator and an off-taker without the express approval of the commission,” it added.

It urged, “The system operator and TCN to immediately initiate and install integrated Internet of Things (IoT) meters at all off-take and delivery points of eligible customers, bilateral supplies, cross-border trades, and outgoing 33kV feeders of the Discos to provide real-time visibility of aggregate offtake by grid customers.

“The installation of and streaming of data from the IOT meters should be completed within three months from the date of this order.”

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has imposed a ban on carrying fuel in vehicles in a bid to enhance road safety and minimize the risk of fire incidents.

The prohibition targets motorists, especially commercial drivers, who commonly transport fuel in jerricans while on the road.

The announcement was made by the FRSC sector commander, Christopher Kuje, during the launch of a sensitisation campaign at Omagwa along the Port Harcourt-Owerri Road in Ikwerre local government area of Rivers State.

Kuje stressed the urgency of the measure, citing the alarming rate of road traffic crashes resulting in vehicles being engulfed in flames.

He said: “The essence of the exercise was to create awareness on the dangers of carrying fuel in jerricans by commercial vehicles.

“This is so because we have had series of cases where vehicles involved in road traffic crashes were burnt to ashes, including the human beings inside.

“So, we don’t want a repeat of that. You know fire breaking out in vehicles involves three major elements or agents, namely; oxygen, heat and fuel.

“Even though some people talk about processes of chemical reactions, which made it four. Generally, these three major agents are the ones that actually lead to fire in case of road traffic crashes.

“So, what we are trying to do is to minimize the impact of fire incidents. That is the reason we said we should go out and create this awareness so that at the end of the day, drivers will stop loading fuel in their boots or inside their vehicles.

“You know when you have fuel inside your vehicle, the problem there is that the rubber can get heated and it can also get busted. Once that is done, a little spark or even heat can ignore fire. So, we want to avert this idea of needless death on the roads through careless attitudes and manners.”

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has taken a detour and returned to Nigeria, thereby aborting his planned trip to the United States of America to attend the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit in Dallas, Texas.

Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications in a statement on Monday said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, will now represent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Summit in Dallas, Texas.

The presidential Aide disclosed that Vice President Kashim Shettima who was originally scheduled to represent the President was unable to make the trip “following a technical fault with his aircraft, forcing him to make a detour on the advice of the Presidential Air Fleet.”

He also added that the Vice President will carry on with other national duties.

Part of the statement also said: “The high-profile summit, taking place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, will bring together political and business leaders from across Africa, the United States, and other regions. It features high-level dialogues, networking sessions, and plenaries.”