News
Hajj 2024: First Batch Of Nigerian Pilgrims Return On Saturday
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
A Saudi-designated Nigerian air carrier, Flynas says it will transport the first batch of Nigerian pilgrims back home on Saturday.
The Managing Director, First Planet Travels and General Sales Agent (GSA) of Flynas, Alhaji Umar Kaila, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
The statement said the maiden return flight would begin on Saturday by transporting pilgrims from Kebbi state from King AbdulAziz International Airport in Jeddah to Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport (SABIA) in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State.
It could be recalled that Flynas performed the inaugural hajj flight from Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State on May 16. The airline transported its 19,908 allocated pilgrims to Madinah in 48 flights.
According to the statement, Mr Kaila said, “We are happy to announce that Flynas is fully set to begin the Phase Two of the airlift operation of Nigerian pilgrims from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria from Saturday, June 22, 2024, with pilgrims from Kebbi State.
“Like we had a seamless airlift operation from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia during Phase One without any delay, we have made adequate arrangements to transport back our pilgrims back to Nigeria in a seamless and efficient manner.”
He said the airline has perfected arrangements to ensure a smooth and seamless return airlift operation from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria.
Flynas would transport pilgrims from Kebbi, Lagos, Sokoto, Zamfara, Yobe, Borno, Osun, Ogun, and Niger states back to Nigeria in the second leg of the operation.
The Flynas managing director said the airline would conduct the return operation in 49 flights with five aircraft.
The statement also quoted the Makkah Coordinator of the airline, Malam Ahmad Ruma, saying that the ground staff of Flynas have started processing Kebbi state pilgrims in their accommodations in the holy city of Makkah Makkah.
“Our staff have already processed the Kebbi state pilgrims for the first return flight. They met them in their accommodations in Makkah, manifested them in the aircraft, weighed and tagged their 32-kg luggage, among others,” Mr Ruma said.
The Makkah coordinator said the airline has also started processing pilgrims from Lagos state for the return journey.
Flynas is one of the three airlines engaged by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to transport over 50,000 state pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for 2024 hajj pilgrimage.
The two others are Max Air and Air Peace.
News
NECO accredits more foreign schools for SSCE, BECE
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has given accreditation to more foreign schools to write the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The Acting Director, Information and Public Relations, Mr. Azeez Sani, disclosed this in a statement.
The newly accredited schools are in Niger Republic and Equatorial Guinea.
“NECO Accreditation Team visited the Schools to assess their readiness to write the SSCE and BECE.
“The Accreditation Team inspected classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer laboratories, workshops, examination halls and sport facilities to determine their adequacy and suitability for NECO Examinations.
“After a thorough evaluation and comprehensive assessment, the schools were granted full SSCE and full BECE accreditation status,” the statement said.
The statement added that the accreditation of additional foreign schools is a testament to NECO’s commitment to providing quality education and assessment beyond the shores of Nigeria.
“With its expanding global presence, NECO is poised to become a leading examination body in Africa, offering opportunities for students worldwide to benefits from its expertise, thus contributing to the advancement of education in Africa and beyond.”
In another development, the statement disclosed that candidates are participating in the on-going NECO SSCE External in Diffa, Niger Republic.
“The UNHCR School, Diffa, Niger Republic is the first NECO SSCE External Centre outside Nigeria.”
NECO examinations are now written by candidates in Benin Republic, Togo, Cote’ d’Ivoire, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Saudi Arabia.
News
Guardiola suffers worst defeat of career as Tottenham hammer Man City 4-0
Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, suffered the worst defeat of his managerial career as they lost 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday night.
The Premier League champions were already on a run of four consecutive defeats ahead of the visit of the North London side.
James Maddison scored twice in the first half to set Spurs on their way to a sensational win.
Pedro Porro drilled in a third, before Brennan Johnson got on the scoresheet late in the game.
The result leaves City in second place with 23 points. They could go eight points behind Liverpool by the end of this Game Week.
Guardiola takes his men to Anfield next weekend.
News
FUOYE Re-Marks Exam Papers of Student Failed By Lecturer Over Sex-for-Grade Scandal, Secures Justice
The Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, has cleared a female student, Ramota Olahanloye, to graduate following the re-marking of her final-year examination scripts.
Olahanloye had alleged that a lecturer, Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia, demanded sexual favours from her, and when she declined, he deliberately failed her in two final-year courses.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser on Media to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Wole Balogun, the university confirmed that Olahanloye’s allegations were investigated, and her scripts were re-marked.
“The young lady’s scripts were re-marked, and she performed fairly better than the scores initially awarded by Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia,” the statement read.
According to Balogun, the university management approved Olahanloye’s revised results, which qualified her for graduation.
“The university management has given executive approval for her results to be processed. She has since commenced her final clearance from relevant units of the university,” the statement added.
Balogun also disclosed that Agbegbedia had been sanctioned by the institution for his misconduct.
Olahanloye expressed her joy over the resolution of the case, saying, “I am happy that I have gotten justice, and I really appreciate the university Vice-Chancellor for setting up the committee that investigated the matter.
“I was shown my entire results, including the graduation list with my name on it. I have started my clearance as a graduating student of the university, and I am truly happy.”
Her father, Rasaki Olahanloye, also lauded the university for its commitment to justice.
“I can confirm to the world that FUOYE has served justice to my daughter. I was shown her upgraded results after her scripts were re-marked, and it is clear that she passed.
“The university fulfilled its promise to ensure fairness, and I appreciate the VC, Prof. Sunday Fasina, and the committee members for ensuring my daughter gets justice,” he said.
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