By Salisu Sani-Idris

Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), a civil society organisation (CSO), has commended President Bola Tinubu for returning the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to the office of the Vice President.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Tinubu gave the approval on Tuesday shortly before traveling to Paris, France, to attend a global financial pact summit.

The National Coordinator of the CSO, Malam Ibrahim Mohammed, made the commendation in a statement on Friday.

He said the decision of President Tinubu was a welcome development, “because it will free the commission from unnecessary bureaucracies and provide efficient time management in the implementation of hajj policies.

“It is our belief that returning NAHCON to the office of the Vice President, which is in line with its establishment act, will afford the commission the opportunity to fast track their operations with little or no delay.”

The coordinator also said it was particularly delightful that the commission was returning under the supervision of the current Vice President, Kashim Shettima, “a man that has a track record of doing well for hajj pilgrims from Borno state where he governed the state for eight years.

“The Vice President had always taken special interest in the Hajj affairs of Borno state and was always personally involved in ensuring that pilgrims from the state performed Hajj in a state of tranquillity.

“He always ensured that everything needed by the pilgrims are provided and on time. It is our belief that the VP will replicate this and do more at the National level, which will in turn see Nigerian pilgrims enjoy the best of services they pay for.” (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Vincent Obi

By Ruth Oketunde

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has alerted FCT residents and the public on the activities of scammers who created fake social media accounts in the name of senior staffers of the administration.

This is contained in a statement signed by Dr Jumai Ahmadu, Director, Reform Coordination and Service Improvement, FCTA, on Thursday in Abuja.

She said that the unscrupulous persons had created fake social media accounts with the intent to lure unsuspecting members of the public into phantom contract deals or fake employment offers.

Ahmadu said that in the last 24 hours, two LinkedIn accounts were opened using the names of staffers of the FCTA, all with the aim of defrauding unsuspecting members of the public.

“One of such accounts was created in the name of the Permanent Secretary, Mr Adesola Olusade.

“Another bore the name of the Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Mr Shehu Ahmed,” she said.

Ahmadu said that neither the permanent secretary nor the executive secretary had a LinkedIn account.

She urged the public to desist from responding to calls for tenders or employment openings in FCTA through the social media accounts.

The director added that the government had well established procurement and employment processes which were not publicised through social media.

She said that security agencies were in the process of unveiling the perpetrators of the felonious act.

Ahmadu however urged the public to take caution and not to fall prey to the scammers.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Gregg Mmaduakolam/Bashir Rabe Mani

By Ahmed Ubandoma

The Director-General, National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC), Dr Emem Omokaro, has urged stakeholders to strengthen mechanisms and structures to ensure justice for older persons in the country.

Omokaro, who made the call on Wednesday in Abuja during a stakeholders engagement, called for collective action towards ensuring justice for elderly persons.

The stakeholders engagement tagged `Elder Justice’, was organised by the centre in partnership with the National Human Rights Commission and the Legal Aid Council.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that, event was organised as part of activities to mark the World Elders Abuse Awareness Day(WEAAD).

The WEAAD is in support of the UN International Plan of Action that acknowledges
the significance of elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue, and serves as a call-to-action
for individuals, organisations and communities to raise awareness about elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.

According to her, ”Our response here is how do we bring justice to the elderly people, and my keynote address is going to be on partnerships on elder justice, as well as promoting those enabling structures that guarantee justice to the elderly through collective action.

” It also means putting all structures available, the enabling environment that ensures elder justice in terms of their healthcare and other basic needs.

”We are now building a support network that guarantees elder justice, where we can have a national network support for elder justice,” Omokaro said.

The D-G who inaugurated the Elder Justice Club of Al-Amin International School, Abuja, said that the essence was to initiate students to champion the advocacy against elders’ abuse, promote elder justice and prepare them on ageing-related issues.

In his address, the Executive Secretary, NHRC, Mr Tony Ojukwu, represented by Mrs Fidelia Oroh, expressed the need for collective efforts to stem violence against older persons in Nigeria.

”There is no better time to stop this ugly trend than now, it has therefore become pertinent that we address this issue in order to save the elderlies, especially elderly women,” Ojukwu said.

Others who spoke took turns to express their determination to ensure justice for the elderly in Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a student of Al-Amin International School, Abuja, Rahma Waziri, emerged winner of the 2023 Elders Abuse Challenge debate held during the occasion. (NAN) (www.nannew.ng).

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed

By Salisu Sani-Idris

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has expressed disappointment over the alleged refusal of some states to allocate slots to Hajj Saving Scheme (HSS) contributors.

The commission’s Deputy Director of Information and Publication, Malam Mousa Ubandawaki, stated this in a statement on Sunday in Makka, Saudi Arabia.

Ubandawaki said those who enrolled through the scheme are facing inconveniences in Kaduna, Gombe, Jigawa and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“These states have attributed their actions to NAHCON and Jaiz Bank’s purported failure to timely remit the funds to the respective state boards.

“We categorically state that such excuses are baseless and unfounded.

“It is pertinent to clarify that Jaiz Bank promptly remitted the HSS fares to the states well in advance of this year’s hajj.

“This was even before many state pilgrim boards remitted their payment.”

He added that NAHCON and States Pilgrims agencies had earlier resolved that the allocation of seats be in the ratio of 60/40 percent to pilgrims under State Boards and the Hajj Savings Scheme subscribers.

Ubandawaki particularly berated Kaduna State pilgrims agency for trying to blame NAHCON for its lapses.

He said that the pilgrims welfare board ought to have reserved 40 per cent of the seats allocated to it, which was 2,000, for the HSS.

“Even at this, only 108 of the 2,000 expected enrolled via the scheme in Kaduna state out of the 6,255 allocated to them.

“What is playing out lately is that some states have been doing everything to consistently undermine the Commission and the scheme in many ways.

“While the commission has continued to show patience and understanding with them, obviously because of the fact that a new scheme or policy takes time before it bears positive fruits.

“Unfortunately, this is not the case with some states who have continuously strove to defame and blackmail the Commission in their contempt for the board and some of its policies,” he said.

Ubandawaki emphasised that the information disseminated by the Kaduna State Pilgrims Board and others was not only false but also malicious intended to vilify and blackmail the commission and damage its integrity.

“We therefore want to first thank the numerous subscribers on the HSS for their faith and trust in the scheme.

“And appeal to those who have been unjustly denied the opportunity by the various pilgrims boards to remain calm and abide by the law,” he said.

He assured that the commission was working to deal appropriately with the issue and bring to book those bent on undermining the policy or denying the subscribers the right to participate in the Hajj. (NAN)

Edited by Yinusa Ishola/Maharazu Ahmed

By Ruth Oketunde

Preston Associates for International Development (PAID), a development sector research organisation has launched the “Iwadii App” to aid research, data collection, and analysis processes.

The App was launched at an event to mark the 10th year anniversary of the organisation, in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the term “Iwadii” is a Yoruba word that means “to find out”.

Dr Nkemdilim Ene, Chief Executive Officer, PAID, said the App was developed to aid the easy collection of data that would be helpful in enhancing development not only in Nigeria and Africa.

She said that accurate data was important to enable any government to bring about meaningful development to its people, especially meaningful development to its people, especially in the areas of health, education, gender, child and youth development, among others.

“The Iwadii App is something that we really want to bring to the world because we believe that there is not enough Nigerian or African data out there.

“Any time we want to do a study, we borrow data from other countries and the only way to do that is to start from the ground up.

“For Academia, we need to get the average user involved in research, everybody needs information to do what they are doing.

“So the generation of evidence is key to our existence, we need data for decision-making at all levels, starting from the household level, private business level, and at the national level,” she said.

According to her, gone are the days when we listen to the person that has the loudest voice, sometimes those who have access to the key decision-makers in government get to have their way.

“Their way may not be representative of what Nigerians are going through, what enables more equitable decisions to be made and better planning is access to empirical data that is collected in time.

“So what we are saying is that there are indigenous companies that know how to gather these data in the context of our knowledge of the African setting and so we are here to work with the government in achieving that,” she said.

On its achievements, Ene said that the organisation, which started from a “Kitchen Office Space” had so far been able to provide technical support to development partners as well as engaged in philanthropy activities in the country.

“We have come a long way, we started in a small converted kitchen office, but along the journey a lot of people joined us, just like a train, some people jumped in and jumped out at different times.

“But we sought to make a difference, we put value ahead of profit, for a long time we didn’t break in because we were seeking to do more than we were being paid to do.

“That came with a lot of sacrifices, but because the vision was clear, it was easy to persevere when the going was tough and now we are on the other side,” she said.

Also speaking, Dr Eleanor Nwadinobi, Chairperson of the occasion, lauded the organisation for its numerous achievements in the development space.

“The unique thing about Preston Associates is that they are African homegrown and home resourced.

“The best place to find gold is where you found it before and Africa is really the new frontier for advancement, Africa is the new bride, as we have amazing resources, not just in our mineral resources but in our human resources.

“All we need in Nigeria is the conducive environment and I would like to see reversed medical tourism, where Nigeria would be the preferred destination,” she added.

On his part, Dr Kene Mkparu, Chief Executive Officer, of KOMWORLD Cinemas, also commended the organisation for its resilience in community development initiatives in the country.

“It takes resilience to leave the big city to do business and provide services to people in rural communities.

“A lot of people give up or focus on the money but refuse to focus on the developmental aspect of what they do and have been quite resilient in the last ten years,” he said.

A staff of the organisation, Mrs Abimbola Daramola, Grand Compliance and Human Resources Manager, said that for any nation to develop properly there was a need for information and accurate data.

“When we mention figures in Preston, it is backed by data and also our goal is to prove that Nigerians have integrity, we don’t cut corners.

“Part of our goal is to provide those facts that can be used to make informed decisions as a nation, and on how to go forward,” she added.

NAN reports that the theme of the event is “Built to Outlast – Growing Resilient African Businesses to Compete Globally”.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza

By Ruth Oketunde

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has pleaded with the Federal Government to deploy security agencies to Zamfara to prevent the ‘heartbreaking’ killings in some parts of the state.

Atleast seven people were reported killed on Tuesday, after unknown gunmen went from house to house killing people in the Chafe Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Bello Gotomo, National Secretary, MACBAN, in a statement on Friday, allege that the attacks were carried out by an outlawed group tagged “Yan Sa Kai Group”.

He called on the government of the state to ban the activities of the group and ensure that the perpetrators of the dastardly killings were brought to book.

“So much innocent blood had been shed in the state that a firm and convincing solution must be found to this unwholesome bloodletting.

“The causes of the crisis are well known and the solutions to it are also very clear, it is therefore up to the state government to take the bull by the horn and restore lasting peace for all communities in the state.

“The association also call on the federal government to intervene by deploying more security to arrest not only the perpetrators but also their financiers.

“The new administration is being tested in the resurgence of this sectarian violence and it is up to it to be firm from day one in dealing with this unwanted calamity,” he said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza

By Salisu Sani-Idris

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) says it has introduced new policy on accommodation in Madinah which allow pilgrims to spend only five days in the holy city.

The commission’s Deputy Director, Information and Publications, Malam Mousa Ubandawaki, made this known in a statement on Wednesday.

Ubandawaki, who said that the policy would take effect on June 8, added that it became imperative following complaints of overcrowding of Nigerian pilgrims in the city of Madinah.

He said: “A new set of rule which will make it mandatory for pilgrims in Madinah to be moved to Makkah after five days stay in the second holiest city will take effect from Thursday, June 8, 2023.

“It is important to note that for the first time in a long time, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) is given 100 per cent Nigerian pilgrims the opportunity to visit Madinah in the first phase or before Arafat.

“However, to achieve this and in order to avert sanctions against the country if there are pilgrims overcrowding in Madinah, the commission had to adopt the new policy, after wide consultations and exhaustive deliberation.”

Ubandawaki noted that it was a known fact that Nigerian pilgrims lived in the exclusive Markaziyya area during their stay in Madinah.

According to him, the decision has been overwhelmingly commended and for which the commission never intended to compromise.

“However, if the policy must be sustained, then the number of days our pilgrims must stay in Madinah had to be reduced. As it is well known that Hajj is fast changing with new developments and realities.

“If the commission must achieve the objectives of making the 2023 Hajj seamless and comfortable for our pilgrims, it is important to synchronise the transportation of pilgrims to the Holy land with the bed space available.

“So that the commission won’t be penalised for transporting more pilgrims into Madinah than the available accommodation or be forced to take the pilgrims to another area which are well below the standard of the current Markaziyya,” he said.

Ubandawaki said as tough the decision may seem, the commission felt it was a necessary action that needed to be taken.

“So that we won’t be at the receiving end of Saudi laws and at the same time it was considered more utilitarian for Nigerian pilgrims to spend five days in Madinah.

“Thereby allowing more pilgrims to travel to Madinah in the first phase from where they would be moved to Makkah to continue with their Hajj rites, than to delay their departure for want of bed spaces in the Prophet’s city.

“We, therefore, crave for the understanding and support of the pilgrims, Hajj officials and indeed stakeholders for the successful implementation of this policy. We should not give up the gains we have so far achieved.”

Ubandawaki reiterated the commitment of the commission to ensure that Nigerian pilgrims receive the best quality service in terms of facilities and welfare.

According to him, the commission is left with no choice than to adopt this measure in the overall interest of Nigerian Pilgrims. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Modupe Adeloye/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

By Salisu Sani-Idris

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has enjoined pilgrims to promptly lodge complain with regards to poor services offered to them in Madina and Makkah.

The Chairman, NAHCON, Alhaji Zikrullah Hassan, said this in a statement by Mrs Fatima Usara, Assistant Director, Public Affairs of the commission on Tuesday.

“NAHCON enjoins any pilgrim with complain over poor services rendered, whether in poor catering services, transportation, sanitation and other unsatisfactory service delivery, to lodge their complains through NAHCON’s Madinah and Makkah coordinators.

“This will ensure prompt response to such grievances and be addressed immediately.

“NAHCON will not hesitate in taking necessary action where there is an obvious infraction on welfare of its pilgrims.

“The commission will ascertain such claims and stipulate the right penalties for the defaulters as agreed in the contract award terms,” he said.

The Chairman gave the assurance that commission would not compromise Nigerian pilgrims’ satisfaction at all times.

Hassan commended the pilgrims for their resilience and cooperation during the transportation schedules, which has so far made the exercise to go on smoothly.

He also applauded states pilgrims welfare agencies for their prompt response to departure arrangements, which had been orderly with minimal delays.

The NAHCON boss also commended other stakeholders for playing their parts well since the Hajj operations began.

“The commission has screened and selected capable hands in catering services to feed Nigerian pilgrims while in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and secured sufficient standard accommodations for them.

“In addition to the selections, the commission has put in place mechanisms for checks and balances that will ensure providers render services dully paid for without shortchanging the Nigerian pilgrims,” he added.

Hassan said that the mechanisms included clearly stated terms and conditions of engagement, signed agreements and advance payment for the services.

According to him, this is being followed by constant monitoring and supervision by NAHCON staff, in addition to a portal for pilgrims to report any complain.

“The complaint line is open 24/7 in Hausa, Fulfulde, Yoruba and Igbo on 097000780.

“Alternatively, one can visit NAHCON’s portal on nahcon.gov.ng then scroll through the resources for complaint management portal,” he added. (NAN) www.nannews.ng

Edited by Chinyere Bassey/ Maharazu Ahmed

By Ruth Oketunde

The Mastercard Foundation in collaboration with some development partners, have pledged to create meaningful jobs for no fewer than 10 million young Nigerians by 2030.

Dr Nkemdilim Ene, Project Director, Impact Partner Organisation to the Foundation’s Young Africa Works Project, said this at the Closing Bootcamp for the Young Impact Associates Cohort 1, on Tuesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the development partners include Preston Associates for International Development, Cloneshouse Nigeria, ITAD and Global Integrity.

Ene said that the project aims to enable young Nigerians, especially young women to access quality education, financial services as well as dignified and fulfilling work.

She added that the first batch of the one-year long programme, had 12 young persons trained on Monitoring and Evaluation, in order to shape the evaluation space in the country.

“We are encouraging them to step into leadership roles, they should speak out and be heard and decide what should be monitored for their age groups.

“We tried to make it a dynamic experience for them and they have been exposed to a multidimensional approach to the various aspects of monitoring and evaluation from practical to the leadership aspects.

“And how to infuse new energy and look out for more traditional, indigenous ways that are appropriate to the Nigerian context in monitoring and evaluation,” she said.

Ene, while congratulating the graduands, urged them to stay updated on the latest trends in the sector and ensure that they constantly seek out opportunities for professional development.

For his part, Mr Oludotun Babayemi, Chief Executive Officer, Cloneshouse, added that the project focused on providing technical knowledge on monitoring and evaluation for young people between the ages of 25 and 35.

He added that the project which had both virtual and physical trainings, also had the beneficiaries placed in some organisations to practice what they had learnt.

“We are building young people who can actually carry out monitoring and evaluation in Nigeria.

“Especially in the context of policies of government, policies of institutions, organisations, projects of International partners, among others.

“What we have seen in the past is that monitoring and evaluation deals with compliance, but we need to move from that and move to the learning purpose,” he said.

Ms Asheadzi Yusuf-Wasuku, a beneficiary, appreciated the group for the privilege, adding that it had built her confidence in the monitoring and evaluation space.

“The Young Impact Associates Programme has given me the platform to learn different things in evaluating projects.

“Right now, I will encourage young Nigerians to key into this opportunity as it has afforded me practical skills in writing proposals, how to respond to proposal, presentation of data among others,” she said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza