Author: Maryam Garba

THE Federal Government says it remains committed to reducing maternal mortality rate in Nigeria by 20% before 2027. The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, stated this on Monday in Enugu State during the presentation of 10,000 professional kits to midwives by the wife of the President, Remi Tinubu. The minister also said the government is relentless to reducing infant or under-fives mortality rate by 15%. He said the distribution of professional kits to nurses and midwives was part of the government’s efforts to motivate and empower medical professionals leading the fight againts maternal and infant…

THE Imaratus Sanan Hotel, which accommodated over 480 Nigerian pilgrims performing the 2025 Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, has been gutted by fire. The hotel is located in the Sharamansur area of the holy city. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has confirmed that all 480 Nigerian pilgrims affected by a fire incident are safe and accounted for. According to a statement signed by the Assistant Director, Information and Publications Division, Fatima Sanda Usara, for the Chairman/CEO of NAHCON, “Immediate emergency response by Saudi authorities and the hotel management helped to contain the fire swiftly and prevent it from…

A NIGERIAN pilgrim has died on the plain of Arafat. THE Chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Prof Abdullahi Saleh Usman, disclosed this to newsmen shortly after the national prayer organized by the commission. “We received as a sad news that we lost one of our pilgrims today in Arafat, and the other one died before we left Mecca,” he said. He also said the pilgrim’s death was natural, ruling out speculations that it was caused by heat wave. Meanwhile, NAHCON has repeatedly warned that the name of any deceased person must not be made public by the commission…

LESS than 24 hours to the commencement of the Hajj ritual, a pilgrim from Kano State, Shu’aibu Jibrin, has been confirmed dead in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The passage of Jibrin was confirmed by the spokesperson of the Kano State Pilgrim Welfare Board, Mal. Suleiman Dederi. The pilgrim was said to have died at a Saudi hospital after a brief illness on Tuesday. A relative of the deceased, Sama’uddin Aliyu Kadawa, who is also on pilgrimage, also confirmed the incident in an interview with journalists in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. According to Aliyu, the late Jibrin was a farmer from Gargai in…

A FORMER Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has released a groundbreaking new book titled, “The Shadow of Loot & Losses: Uncovering Nigeria’s Petroleum Subsidy Fraud.” The exposé provides the most authoritative account of Nigeria’s multi-trillion-naira fuel subsidy scandal, unravelling the inner workings of one of the country’s most pervasive financial crimes. According to a statement signed by Vic Akinrogunde, drawing from his firsthand experience as a key investigator on the EFCC’s special team that probed the 2012 subsidy fraud, Bawa revealed the staggering scale, complexity, and audacity of the schemes used to siphon public…

OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two Saudi-bound pilgrims at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano after they were found to have ingested illicit substances. The NDLEA said the suspects were subsequently placed on excretion observation during which they excreted 45 wraps of cocaine each, bringing the total for both to 90 pellets with a total weight of 1.04kg. “The interdiction of the intending pilgrims at the NDLEA final screening point at the Kano airport was based on credible intelligence. When they were taken for scanning, the result confirmed ingestion of illicit substances. “They…

OPERATIVES from the Federal Capital Territory police command on Saturday foiled a child trafficking attempt, arresting four suspects, including a church General Overseer. The arrest followed a distress call received around 2:00 a.m. from officials of Wazobia Motor Park, Gwagwalada, who reported a man exhibiting suspicious behavior while attempting to travel with a young child. The police, in a statement by the command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, said the police emergency response team swiftly responded and apprehended one Isreal Ajah as he attempted to board a vehicle bound for Owerri, Imo State, with a seven-year-old boy in his custody. Adeh said…

NIGERIAN pilgrim identified as Hajiya Zainab from Plateau State has returned a missing $5000 to a Russian owner in Saudi Arabia. The money, approximately ₦8,240,000 using an exchange rate of ₦1,648 per USD, was found by the Nigerian pilgrim in Masjidul Haram in Makkah on Tuesday. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and Plateau State Pilgrims Board, led by Hon. Daiyabu Dauda, had confirmed the development. “She demonstrated exceptional integrity and honesty by returning $5,000 she found in Masjidul Haram to its rightful owner. That’s a remarkable act of kindness,” Dauda said. Meanwhile, NAHCON says discussions are ongoing with…

THERE are growing concerns over Nigerian pilgrims’ breach of medical screening protocols for Hajj following the delivery of a baby by a female pilgrim from Zamfara State in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday. This is despite the standing health regulations in Saudi Arabia that prohibit pregnant women from participating in the pilgrimage. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), have repeatedly issued health advisories banning pregnant women from participating in Hajj due to the physical demands and potential medical complications. Yet, year after year, cases of pregnant Nigerian pilgrims continue to surface. The…

A 75-YEAR-OLD female pilgrim from Edo, Mrs Adizatu Dazumi, has died at the ongoing 2025 Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia after a brief illness. The late pilgrim was from Jattu Uzairue in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo and passed away on Monday at the King Fahad General Hospital, Makkah. Malam Musah Uduimoh, Chairman of the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, confirmed the incident on Tuesday. According to him, Dazumi fell ill shortly after performing Tawaaf- the circumambulation around the Kaaba- and was admitted to the hospital on Sunday. “In line with Islamic tradition, she was buried in Makkah…

NIGERIA’s First Lady and wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has doled out a cash award of Twenty-Five Million Naira to World Record holder for the world’s largest art canvas, Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo Okeke. Kanyeyachukwu, a 15-year-old autistic artist, set the record in November 2024 by creating a massive painting featuring a multi-colored ribbon, the symbol for autism, surrounded by emojis, covering 12,304 square meters. Receiving Kanyeyachukwu in her office on Monday, Senator Oluremi Tinubu stated that the financial support was for his artistic prowess and should be channeled towards his education. She expressed her admiration for Kanyeyachukwu’s heroic achievements…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has released the results of its resit examination conducted for candidates affected by the technical error during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. In a statement released on Sunday morning by its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, the board announced the results, revealing that out of the 336,845 candidates rescheduled for the examination, 21,082 were absent. No explanation was provided for the high number of absentees, but JAMB announced a mop-up exam for candidates who missed the initial UTME, including those whose absence had no specified reason. The Board in the statement raised concerns…

THE Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, Friday lamented the misuse of Artificial Intelligence for creating and disseminating deepfake videos depicting public officials in compromising situations. The Minister, however, stated that the Federal Government was collaborating with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to clean up the social media space while safeguarding freedom of expression. The minister, according to a statement signed by his media aide, Mr. Rabiu Ibrahim on Friday spoke while receiving the President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhaji Alhassan Yahaya, who paid him a visit. Idris said: “We see…

AN officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abubakar Abdulkadir Mayos, has returned $505 and 30 Saudi Riyals in lost Basic Travelling Allowance (BTA) to an intending pilgrim in Yola. BTA is a foreign currency allowance given to pilgrims to cover personal expenses such as meals, transportation, and shopping outside of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON)’s contractual arrangements. Officials of NAHCON traced the rightful owner, Maimuna Salihu, a pilgrim from Taraba State, to the Yola Pilgrims’ Camp. The funds were returned to her amidst cheers from fellow pilgrims and commendations from officials, including the Director…

A NIGERIAN man and a US national, Omololu Akinlolu, 38, has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm in the ongoing assault case involving US singer, Chris Brown. UK police who charged the American R&B with assault earlier this week have charged Akinlolu in connection with the 2023 incident, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Saturday. Akinlolu will appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court in northwestern England, according to AFP. Brown, the Grammy-winning 36-year-old former boyfriend of superstar Rihanna, was on Friday remanded in custody until June 13 by a court in Manchester. He faces a charge of causing grievous bodily harm…

WIVES of the 36 State Governors of the federation have called for greater visibility and communication capacity to support their social intervention work, saying their efforts often go unnoticed despite complementing state-led development programmes. Speaking at a media and leadership retreat in Abuja on Wednesday, Ogun State First Lady Bamidele Abiodun, who spoke on behalf of her colleagues, said that as wives of elected governors, they are often the intersection of compassion and influence. The retreat, tagged “Leading With Impact,” brought together wives of governors from across the 36 states to explore strategic communication, media engagement, and narrative building. It…

CITIZENS of Nigeria and Pakistan might be restricted from applying for United Kingdom (UK) visas, the UK Home Office has announced. According to The Times, a UK-based publication, the UK is moving to prevent citizens of countries that are likely to stay in the region beyond the approved duration and eventually seek asylum. Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka were highlighted as countries in this category. To prevent this, the UK Government has said citizens of these countries may face tougher restrictions when applying to work or study in the UK. “Our upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive…

NIGERIA accounts for 31 percent of global malaria deaths and 27 percent of total cases worldwide, according to the World Malaria Report 2024. The country also accounted for nearly 40% of worldwide malaria deaths among children under five. About 55 million cases of malaria and 90,000 malaria-related deaths occur in the country every year, while the economic burden of the disease in the country was estimated at $1.6b (N687 billion) in 2022 and may increase to about $2.8b (N2 trillion) in 2030. Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles…

POPULAR political praise singer, Alhaji Dauda Kahutu, otherwise known as Rarara, has married his longtime lover, Aisha Humaira. The bride, a Kannywood actress, is a band member of the entertainer and his chorus singer. Former governor of Katsina state, Aminu Bello Madari, alongside other dignitaries attended the event which held in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Friday. Although the two lovebirds have been in the news for long for a potential union, their eventual wedding Fatiha caught many of their fans and followers by surprise. The event which reportedly took place after the Juma’at prayer was said to be…

WORKERS of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) have called off their strike after the Federal Government’s intervention. The workers had protested over poor working conditions, grounding flights across the country on Thursday. But after a meeting with the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, in Abuja, the strike was called off. The workers were concerned over the non-implementation of the new national minimum wage, ignoring requests to include omitted staff in past allowances, and neglecting key training programmes, among other matters. The meeting was attended by the Director General, NiMET, Officials of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA),…