Pilgrims from Osun State on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj have protested the poor quality of food they were being served by the State Pilgrims Welfare Board. According to sources, pilgrims have been complaining about the poor quality of food they were being served by the caterers hired by the State Pilgrims Welfare Board since they arrived in Saudi Arabia. It was also learnt that the rising tension about the welfare of the pilgrims became aggravated when some of them visited Lagos camp and discovered those in the camp were getting better food. In a video clip of the protest, one of the pilgrims said, “We are rejecting food given to us. “It should, however, be noted that this problem is not peculiar to Osun state, and one can not rule out the possibility of fifth columnists blowing the situation out of control for obvious political reasons.”

Former Minister of Budget and National Planning, Dr Shamsudddeen Usman, has revealed that the Kano-Jigawa Professionals Forum (KJPF) has developed a 10-year plan aimed at ensuring economic and infrastructural development in Kano and Jigawa States. Dr Usman explained that the mentoring programme was initiated by the forum to encourage young professionals in Kano and Jigawa States to embrace professionalism and advance in their respective fields. The theme of the 3rd Mentoring Programme was “Climbing Up the Ladder of Your Professions: Challenges and Opportunities.” It aimed to empower participants and help them realize their potential within their professions. He revealed that the target was to benefit around 600 participants, including students from universities in Kano and Jigawa, as well as other young professionals. Throughout the programme, professionals from various fields delivered mentoring lectures to the participants.

By Guardian Nigeria 26 June 2023 | 3:00 am Coalition of Aboriginal Coastal Local Government Areas of Eket, Esit Eket, Onna, Mkpat Enin and Ikot Abasi has called on the state government to boost security in coastal communities and ensure that persons behind incessant disturbances are brought to book. PIX:ireporterng Coalition of Aboriginal Coastal Local Government Areas of Eket, Esit Eket, Onna, Mkpat Enin and Ikot Abasi has called on the state government to boost security in coastal communities and ensure that persons behind incessant disturbances are brought to book. The coalition made the call at a meeting in Eket to review the mapping of the state. Udonsak said the aboriginal coastal areas were not against those canvassing for Ijaw or Obollo State, and stressed that no Ibibio aboriginal land would be part of such a state. Video-DSK-guardian.ng-Direct-RS-FT-GL-Instream-19Jan23 %%CLICK_URL_UNESC%% NOW Coalition of Aboriginal Coastal Local Government Areas of Eket, Esit Eket, Onna, Mkpat Enin and Ikot Abasi has called on the state government to boost security in coastal communities and ensure that persons behind incessant disturbances are brought to book.

The President of Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society, Akinade Olatunji, on Sunday, said that increased security surveillance cannot solve oil theft in Nigeria. Olatunji lamented that the issue of oil theft had now attained the stature of a Frankenstein monster to the extent that the quantum of oil stolen now outstrips the quantum being sold legitimately. “The Petroleum Industry Act is a great attempt at removing the opacity and inconsistencies that have characterised the oil and gas sector in the country in the last 20 years. Yes, to increased security but that alone cannot solve the problem. “The amount of resources allocated to oil communities in the PIA is not sufficient to guarantee the kind of safety on investment that is required for the continuous survival and profitability of the oil and gas sector in the long run.

As part of the effort to alleviate the burden of price increase on citizens, the chairman of Odi Olowo-Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos State has offered residents subsidised rams for Sallah. Olusola Ajala said that the ram subsidy was to help Muslim residents buy the sacrificial animal to fulfil their religious obligation during Sallah. Sokunbi Lawal, a resident who purchased one of the rams, expressed gratitude to the council boss for the subsidy. “I saw the advert on social media yesterday and decided to give it a try and I am lucky to be among the beneficiaries,” he told reporters. Another resident, Oluwaranti Adepoju, also a beneficiary, said that “If not for him, I am not sure I will be able to buy ram with the exorbitant amount it is selling at the market.”Abdulrofeeu Aderoju, chairman, Working Committee for the Chief Imams, Imams and Alfas in the council, said he was happy to have benefited from the opportunity, saying, “the chairman subsidises rams for Muslims during Sallah and does same for the Christians with subsidised turkey and chicken during the Christmas season.”(NAN)

Organizers of the annual Ilorin Emirate Durbar festival have said that the traditional festival is targeted at attracting investors and tourists into the capital city of Kwara state. Speaking with journalists on activities lined up for this year’s durbar in Ilorin on Sunday, the chairman of the Ilorin Emirate Durbar Committee, Engineer Suleiman Alapansanpa, said that the festival would be used to showcase the economic potentials and rich culture of the various communities that made up Ilorin Emirate across five local government areas of Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Ilorin South, Moro and Asa. “The main purpose of showcasing the economic potentials and rich culture of Ilorin Emirate, comprising Ilorin West, East, South, Asa, and Moro local government areas is to attract investors and tourists to our communities”, he said. This is because the Ilorin Emirate is an epitome of unity in diversity. This is the reason why you witness in our durbar what is unobtainable in the durbar festival of the sister Emirates of northern Nigeria.

The Goldfinch began its strange life almost 370 years ago; a delicate, eye-catching study in oils of a small captive bird. It is one of the few surviving works of Carel Fabritius, a Dutch artist of the Delft School. In fact The Goldfinch is one of just a few works that this pupil of Rembrandt is thought to have completed during his short life. Now fresh research into the life of Fabritius, carried out for a new book, has revealed an astonishing fact. The painting, famous for coming through the fictional, lethal museum bomb blast that kickstarts Tartt’s plot, turns out to have also survived a devastating explosion in real life.

In it, she drew an inference of a probable anger of the Yoruba goddess of the ocean, Olokun as cause of the disaster. In his narration, Johnson drew a link between the river goddess, Olokun and ancient Yoruba cowries, the only legal tender of transaction that began in the 16th century. While the particular configuration of the Olokun is unknown, the Yemoja, another goddess of the river or water deity, is widely iterated in Yoruba folklores. Her huge belly burst open and many Orisas sprang from her.”Among the Yoruba, water has a powerful force. While the world is shedding tears about the recent Titanic disaster, Attiah has given us thoughts to ponder on.

If the deal is signed, the fight will take place in London,” Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn said. Eddie Hearn claims Dillian Whyte will receive a contract for a rematch with long-term rival Anthony Joshua on August 12. “We’ve been trying to contact Eddie Hearn for one month, multiple phone calls and emails, they’ve just gone missing. I haven’t spoken to Eddie Hearn for one month,” Whyte said. After facing Whyte, Joshua is hoping to meet former WBC champion Deontay Wilder in December.

One person has reportedly been killed and several adults and children were injured in a rollercoaster accident in Stockholm. Witnesses said the ride had partly derailed and a helicopter, ambulances, and fire engines were seen arriving. Seven children and adults, according to the police, were hurt at the Grona Lund theme park and were receiving medical attention. Sweden’s Expessen quoted a police officer as saying several people had fallen off the ride and were found on the floor, while several more were left stuck. It also says all rides are checked daily for safety and that Dekra, a state control body, inspects them annually.

Lai Oso, a Nigerian communication scholar and professor at the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies (FCMS), Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, is dead. “We commiserate with Mummy Oso, the children, and his entire family, the communication family worldwide, LASU community, and all others. About OsoMr Oso was a deputy rector at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, formerly Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta, later before joining the services of the Lagos State University. He was appointed the dean of the LASU School of Communication and now Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, between 2011 and 2015. Mr Oso was a member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, African Council of Communication Education, International Association for Communication Research, and Lagos Communication Forum.

A former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has said that there is no political relationship between him and the immediate past governor of the state, Emeka Ihedioha. Okorocha who spoke with a select group of journalists at his Spilbat mansion in Owerri, the state capital, said that his relationship with Ihedioha had nothing to do with politics. The ex-governor said that those who are amplifying his visit to Ihedioha’s house in Mbaise recently were making mistakes. Okorocha said “I have no political romance with Ihedioha. I visited Ihedioha’s house because of the death of his Mother.

TWO university dons, Prof. Victor Olumekun, and Prof. Ini Oko, have criticised what they described as the fraudulent award of honorary doctorates to some Nigerians by foreign institutions. The dons who spoke in separate interviews with Sunday PUNCH on Friday, expressed worry over the bastardisation of honorary degrees by some foreign institutions. There are several classes of honorary doctorates. “Yes, we have those who are awarded to deserving individuals based on their contributions to the society but then most of the degrees awarded are those that have been purchased with money. Earlier in 2012, the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities made moves to ban the nation’s tertiary institutions from awarding honorary degrees to any political holder or appointee.

CSP Adejobi disclosed this while replying to a Twitter user who asked about the possibilities of immediate isolation of the skitmaker from society. Tagging the Police spokesperson, the Twitter user @Sahaabah01 wrote, “I truly wish it didn’t take this long to isolate this nuisance from society. Please keep him away for a very long time.”Retweeting the post, CSP Adejobi assured the Twitter user and the general public that the prankster will be charged to court by the police on Monday. He wrote, “He will surely be charged to court on Monday. “Many have reached out to me regarding this case, but I have made it known that it’s not a personal matter.

The AfDB had designed a solution that would enable rich countries reallocate part of their Special Drawing Rights (SDR) to low-income countries through multilateral development banks. And delegates at the summit included several heads of state, heads of international financial institutions, including multilateral development banks, intergovernmental institutions, philanthropists, and global private sector business leaders. “We are seeing important innovations begin to take shape across the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and others,” Yellen said, calling for continued partnership between the World Bank and regional development banks. “We must continue to pursue ambition on reforms at the World Bank,” she said. So, we need to increase the financing capacity of the multilateral development banks.