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Sad! World’s oldest marathon runner, Singh dies in auto crash

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Fauja Singh, the legendary centenarian marathon runner often hailed as the world’s oldest distance runner, has died at the age of 114 following a road accident in India’s Punjab state, his biographer confirmed on Tuesday.

Known affectionately as the “Turbaned Tornado,” Singh—an Indian-born British citizen—was struck by an unidentified vehicle while crossing the road in his home village of Bias in Jalandhar district on Monday.

Announcing the tragic news on X, his biographer Khushwant Singh wrote, “My Turbaned Tornado is no more. He was struck by a vehicle in his village while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja.”

Though Singh had no formal birth certificate, his family stated he was born on April 1, 1911. He gained international fame for taking up long-distance running at the age of 89, inspired by watching marathons on TV after the loss of his wife and son.

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He ran full marathons until he turned 100 and completed his final race—a 10-kilometre run—at the age of 101 during the 2013 Hong Kong Marathon, clocking in at 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 28 seconds.

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Nigeria Customs Unveils Final List of Successful Applicants, Opens Portal for Next Stage

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The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has officially released the final list of successful candidates for its ongoing recruitment exercise, marking the commencement of the final stage of the employment process.

The Service directed all shortlisted candidates to immediately log in to the official recruitment portal to confirm their selection, complete the required documentation, and accept their provisional offers of appointment within the stipulated deadline.

According to the NCS, successful applicants can verify their status through the official recruitment portal, while notifications are also being sent to candidates via their registered email addresses and SMS.

As part of the final documentation process, candidates are required to upload a Medical Certificate of Fitness obtained from a government-approved hospital. They must also update their current state of residence and click the “Accept Offer” button on the portal.

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The Nigeria Customs Service warned that candidates who fail to complete these requirements within one week risk forfeiting their provisional appointments.

Following the successful completion of the online process, candidates will receive a Trainee Identification Number (TIN) ahead of the final documentation and training exercise. The dates, venues and other instructions for the next stage will be communicated through the Service’s official channels.

The Comptroller-General of Customs congratulated the successful candidates and urged them to demonstrate discipline, integrity and professionalism as they prepare to join the Service.

How to Check the Final List

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Candidates should:

Visit the official Nigeria Customs Service recruitment portal https://recruitment.customs.gov.ng
Log in with the email address and password used during registration.
Check their recruitment status.
Upload the required Medical Certificate of Fitness.
Update their profile and current state of residence.
Click “Accept Offer” and print the acknowledgement slip for future reference.

The Nigeria Customs Service reiterated that its recruitment exercise is free of charge and advised applicants to ignore fraudsters or individuals demanding payment in exchange for employment.

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Senate Denies Introducing Fresh Ban on Preaching in Commercial Vehicles

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The Senate has debunked claims that the proposed amendment to the Federal Road Safety Commission Establishment Act seeks to introduce a fresh ban on preaching or hawking in commercial vehicles.

According to the upper chamber, preaching and hawking in commercial vehicles have been offences under Nigerian law since the FRSC Establishment Act was enacted in 2007.

The Senate explained that the provision, previously listed as Item 36 in the Second Schedule of the Act, was only renumbered as Item 49 in the ongoing amendment process.

In a statement issued on Monday by the Office of the Senate Leader, the chamber stressed that the amendment does not seek to prohibit street preaching or restrict religious activities in public places.

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It said the amendment is about the safety of commuters and other road users and is not intended to undermine any religious activity in the public space.

The Senate also dismissed reports alleging that Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele sponsored the amendment bill.

It clarified that the bill originated from the House of Representatives and is before the Senate as a concurrence bill in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

The upper chamber noted that the legislative process is still ongoing and urged Nigerians with concerns to make their views known through the appropriate legislative channels before the bill is passed.

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The Senate reiterated its commitment to transparency and public participation, adding that the proposed amendment is aimed at strengthening road safety measures and protecting commuters across the country.

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Stolen BVAS, PVCs Will Be Replaced, Osun Election Safe – INEC

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Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the reported attack on one of its Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collection centres in Osun will not deter it from conducting a free, fair and credible governorship election in the state.

Chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, Dayo Oketola, gave the assurance in an interview with journalists on Monday in Abuja.

Some suspected hoodlums had, on Sunday, stormed an INEC PVC collection centre located at Oyinlola DC School, Ward 2, Okuku, attacking staff members on duty and carting away electoral materials, including Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and PVCs.

Mr Oketola, however, said that the incident had been formally reported to the police, adding that they had already commenced an investigation into the incident.

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“The Osun incident has been reported to the police. As we speak, it is already public knowledge that the police have started an investigation,” Mr Oketola said.

He expressed confidence in the police to apprehend the suspects and recover the stolen commission assets.

“As a commission, we trust that the police will be diligent in their investigation, track those suspects, get them arrested and ensure they face the wrath of the law.

“We also trust that they’ll be able to recover our devices, including the BVAS that were reportedly carted away,” he added.

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Mr Oketola maintained that, in spite of the attack, INEC’s operational preparations for the upcoming election remained firmly on track.

“It is a matter already under investigation, I cannot actually comment too much on it.

“But I know that that cannot distract INEC from carrying out the activities preceding the Osun governorship election.

“INEC cannot be distracted. We will conduct a free and fair election in Osun. That incident cannot distract us.

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“The election will go on as planned, and we expect it to be free, fair and credible at the end of the day,” he said.

He disclosed that, as part of preparations, the commission was embarking on a pre-assessment tour of the state to evaluate operational readiness and engage key local stakeholders.

Mr Oketola also stated that a total of 4,427 BVAS devices had been configured for the governorship election, including 664 backup units, which could take care of any incident before and during the election.

He also said that INEC had established 97 Super Registration Area Centres (Super RACs) and 105 Registration Area Centres across all the local government areas in the state, which would be fully activated on the night before the election.

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“Whatever was carted away will be replaced. Out of the 4,427 BVAS, we have 664 prepared as backups. There is no way whatever happened can disrupt our plans for the election,” he assured.

The chief press secretary described the stealing of PVCs as an exercise in futility, given the strict biometric verification required by the BVAS technology.

“Nobody can use another person’s PVC to vote in an election in Nigeria again. The era of ghost voters is gone. With BVAS, you must tender your PVC and undergo biometric authentication.

“The technology has been tightened in such a manner that nobody can use another person’s identity to vote any longer in Nigeria.

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“That has been proven in previous elections, particularly those that were conducted under the leadership of Prof. Amupitan,” Mr Oketola said.

He assured registered Nigerians that the necessary administrative measures would also be taken by the commission to ensure that no voter would be disenfranchised in the state as a result of the incident.

“Once a voter’s name is already on the voters’ register, and somehow, your PVC happens to be among those that have been reportedly stolen, I want to believe you can’t be disenfranchised from exercising your right or participating in the election, come Aug. 15.

“Whatever the commission will do to solve that problem will be done. I know the commission will leave no stone unturned to ensure that no registered voter in Osun is disenfranchised on election day,” he said.

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Mr Oketola, while assuring voters of their safety during the election, called on all stakeholders to collaborate with the commission to protect the nation’s electoral assets and ensure a peaceful voting environment.

“While the security agencies will provide adequate security to protect people and election materials, we also need all key stakeholders to be vigilant.

“The people, community leaders and traditional rulers, security agencies, religious organisations, political actors; all of us must work together to ensure that the Osun election is not just successful, but conducted in an atmosphere that gives people the confidence to come out and exercise their franchise,” Mr Oketola said.

(NAN)

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