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Nigerian Pilgrims Stranded In Saudi Arabia, Cries Out For Help

Published

3 months ago

June 15, 2024

Some Nigerian pilgrims from Katsina State on Friday accused the State Board of abandoning them in Mina, Saudi Arabia without providing them with accommodation.

In a video seen, the pilgrims were seen in their large numbers sleeping on the floor under a canopy in their religious wear.

One of them who identified himself as Usman Bello Daura lamented that the state authorities had failed to provide them with top-notch welfare packages despite paying over N8million for the ongoing hajj exercise.

He said: “Here are my colleague and this is our condition. This is where we are sleeping. We are facing very critical situation of accommodation and I am afraid because of a day like tomorrow (the day of Arafat) because this is the day everyone needs to do well as it is the most significant day of Hajj.

“We don’t want this kind of thing to happen tomorrow, which is the day of Arafat, because our leader didn’t do justice to us in terms of our welfare and accomodations.

“We have found ourselves in a situation that all of us are not happy about and we hope we get out of this situation before tomorrow (Arafat day).”

Another pilgrim mentioned that the situation was different from those from Borno state. He said pilgrims from Borno were well catered to by their authorities.

The pilgrim said, “I have seen the difference between pilgrims from Maiduguri and Katsina state because Maiduguri is where my father comes through and his accommodation and any other things are intact. But here the pilgrims from Katsina are abandoned and I try to find our representatives here in Saudi Arabia to complain to but I couldn’t find any of them.”

He continued: “Today they brought us to Mina and the authorities from Katsina state have been going up and down with us without providing us with proper places of accommodation.

“Please and I am pleading whosoever is responsible for our welfare in this holy land should please come out to hear us out.”

The pilgrims therefore demanded for the immediate intervention of the state government on their situation.

One of them said, “I want to draw attention of Mr governor to this critical issue we are facing here, I want to advise him to be careful in the kind of people he entrust with the responsibility of pilgrimage going forward. We are not happy here, we don’t have accommodation and we are left abandoned.”

Ibom Focus on Thursday reported how Nigeria lost two more pilgrims from Kwara State currently participating in the ongoing Hajj.

This was announced by the Kwara State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, identifying the deceased as Salman Muhammad Alade and Ayishat Shuaib Ologele died after suffering brief illnesses.

Abdulsalam Abdulkadir, Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Pilgrims Welfare Board, extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and asked Allah to comfort and pardon them.

Abdulkadir had previously declared Hajia Hawawu Muhammad’s death as “an unfortunate suicidal episode from the rooftop of her apartment in Madina.” He also said that the other pilgrim who died in Madina, Saliu Mohammed, died in an intensive care unit of a public hospital after unexpectedly falling ill.

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Rupture In PDP Governors’ Forum deepens

Published

2 hours ago

September 20, 2024

Austin Ojomah

By Ojomah Austin.

The evolving fall-out, which comes barely days to the contentious National Executive Committee (NEC) of PDP, followed a back and forth between the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike and the Governors forum, who declared support for Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara to be made leader of the party in the state.

After a meeting with some members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) in Bauchi on Wednesday, Governor Mohammed, said “According to our party’s constitution, any leadership vacancy should be filled by someone from the region where it originated,” stressing that Damagum would be replaced soon considering that he hails from North East and not the North Central.

Same day, Makinde, during the groundbreaking of the upgrading of Ladoke Akintola Airport, Ibadan, to an international airport, which was attended by another set of NWC members, led by Damagum, said he would support whatever decision the Damagum-led NWC would take to reposition the party.

Damagum, who is considered a close ally of Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, was appointed acting national chairman after the removal of Iyorchia Ayu in June 2023.

Meanwhile, the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP led by Senator Adolph Wabara, met with members of the National Assembly caucus in Abuja.

The close door meeting comes barely hours after the BoT met with Wike in Abuja.

While Wabara refused to comment on the essence of the meeting with the lawmakers, it was noticed that most of the lawmakers didn’t honour the invitation.

News

Tears As Man Takes Own Life Over Tinubu’s Govt Hardship

Published

2 hours ago

September 20, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

Sad development in Marika village, Kiyawa Local Government, Jigawa, where a 40-year-old man, Jibrin Adamu, committed suicide by hanging himself.

According to eyewitnesses, Adamu’s lifeless body was discovered in a classroom at Miftahul Khairat Islamiyya and Primary School Gurdiba on Thursday.

Police spokesperson DSP Lawan Shiisu Adam confirmed the incident, stating that preliminary investigations revealed Adamu had struggled with mental health issues.

“Police received a report on Thursday that at about 1830hrs, a tragic incident was reported at the Command headquarters that one Jibrin Adamu ‘m’ age 40yrs of Jigawar Maroka village, Kiyawa LGA has committed suicide by hanging himself over the ceiling at Islamiyya school,” the Police spokesperson told Daily Post.

The Jigawa State Commissioner of Police, CP AT Abdullahi, has instructed officers to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

News

Just in: Dangote Petrol Now Available at N765.99 Per Litre

Published

2 hours ago

September 20, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

11plc, Total Energies, AA Rano, and other marketers have begun lifting Dangote Petrol through Nigerian National Company (NNPC) Trading Limited for N765.99 to retail outlets nationwide.

Findings showed some petroleum marketers who were able to complete their payment process on the NNPC trading payment portal commenced the lifting of petrol earlier this week under the existing agreement between marketers and the refinery.

Tunji Oyebanji, managing director, 11Plc confirmed to BusinessDay on Thursday evening that some marketers have started lifting the products at N765.99 from Dangote Refinery through NNPC who remain the sole off-taker of product.

“We were among the first marketers to complete the payment on the NNPC portal. We have no direct arrangement with the refinery,” Oyebanji said.

It was gathered that NNPC Retail, 11plc, Total Energies, A.A Rano are among the marketers that have picked up products from the refinery.

He added, “We don’t know the contractual financial arrangement between NNPC and the refinery but what I can confirm is we are buying at N765.99 from NNPC to lift Dangote petrol”.

Efforts to get the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) to confirm if its members have picked up products at the Dangote Refinery proved abortive at the time of writing this report.

See also Nigeria’s Petrol Landing Cost Revealed
Adedapo Segun, executive vice-president, downstream at NNPC said marketers cannot purchase petrol directly from the refinery because the product is still sold at a subsidised rate.

“That is the same thing happening with Dangote. I said earlier that Dangote is a company and it is going to sell at market price,” he told Journalists.

According to Segun, “The market value of PMS is still higher than what N766 or N765 or N799 that NNPC is selling.

“The situation has not changed there. So, NNPC’s off-taking is only because the others would not buy at the price Dangote will be willing to sell, which is reasonable.

“As soon as the price allows for it, you will see the marketers go to Dangote and buy.”