The first batch of 390 pilgrims from Lagos State arrived in Madinah, Saudi Arabia said yesterday. The pilgrims, consisting of 173 males and 217 females on board a Flynas airline, landed at 9.46 am in Saudi Arabia (7.46 am Nigerian time). Another batch of 428 pilgrims (186 males, 242 females) departed yesterday around 5:21 pm. Former Commissioner for Home Affairs, …

As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu mounted the saddle on Monday holding aloft the baton as Nigeria’s next leader, it was not impossible that he had butterflies in his stomach. How did he feel when he woke up that morning? Did he pinch himself to be sure he was not dreaming? It was clearly a day the Jagaban, alongside his wife, …

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is under fire for announcing that petrol subsidy is gone from Day One. His inauguration address also touched on a unified currency exchange, high interest rate and power, among others. Of all these, however, the one that got the headlines was petrol subsidy and the most frequently expressed concern, is why now? To say, in his …

In its less than a year of operation, HajjPanorama.ng, foremost news platform solely dedicated to the coverage of Hajj and related matters, has not been found. Unbelievable! As at 8.33 pm of Wednesday 31st May 2023, it reported that no fewer than 10,068 of Nigerian pilgrims from different states have been successfully flown to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to …

Poverty is a real concern in Nigeria. It permeates the lives of individuals and communities, leaving many trapped in a cycle of deprivation. Poverty is a pervasive issue in Nigeria. It casts its dark shadow over countless lives, leaving individuals and communities starving millions of opportunities for a better future. Nigeria serves as a poignant case study, a country grappling …

I recall my perennial visits to the three South South Nigerian states of Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Rivers in the late 1980s and early 1990s when I was the Features of The PUNCH newspapers and, later, the Acting Editor of The Sunday PUNCH title with responsibilities for editing and producing the paper. Those were the days when Akpandem James …

Veteran Nigerian composer, singer, instrumentalist, band leader and undisputable legend of juju music, King Sunny Ade (abbreviated KSA) released a classic early 1976. It was in the immediate aftermath of the assassination of Nigeria’s charismatic military Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Muhammed by mutineers on Friday 13th February 1976. Bukar Suka Dimka, a cranky army Lt. Colonel, led the …

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu yesterday warned pilgrims to strictly adhere to the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He cautioned them against travelling with materials and drugs that are forbidden in the Holy Land. According to him, no one will go and plead for anyone arrested for flouting the laws of Saudi Arabia. The Governor spoke …

Last week, I travelled to Ibadan, and returned the same way: on the coaches of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC). The trips were not only heartwarming and relieving, they welled up nostalgic memories of my earliest interactions with the operations of the NRC close to 40 years ago. Thursday, 18th May, we drove into the old Agege station (now renamed …

Which of the following three things do you think should break Ibrahim Babangida’s heart the most: The opportunity he missed being a national hero and an international statesman with the annulment of the 12th June 1993 presidential election won fair and square by Moshood Abiola; the death of his wife Maryam; and his present state of health? Despite Babangida’s many …