The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has said that about 97,000 passport booklets issued remained uncollected in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. This, it said, was due to third party applications and instances where some people dropped wrong contact information during their application. In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Friday, NIS Public …

President Bola Tinubu on Saturday departed France for London, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Mr. Dele Alake. President Tinubu had concluded his official trip to Paris, France on Friday, during which he had an outstanding participation in the summit for ‘A New Global Financing Pact’, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. …

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) said that airlifting of pilgrims to the Holy Land will end on Saturday. The commission asked intending pilgrims, yet to be airlifted, to reach the nearest Pilgrims’ Welfare agency for confirmation and subsequent dispatch for the 2023 Hajj Pilgrimage. In a statement on Thursday, NAHCON’s Assistant Director for Public Affairs, Fatima Usara said: “Outbound …

President Bola Tinubu has departed Abuja for Paris, France to join his counterparts from across the world at the Paris Summit for the New Global Financial Pact. The President’s official Gulfstream jet departed the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 11:30 am Tuesday for his first foreign trip as president. The two-day summit, which will be hosted …

Innovative and customer-centric telecommunication network, 9mobile has rolled out a special hajj roaming offer for Nigerian pilgrims so that they can enjoy an affordable roaming experience for voice calls, SMS, and data while on pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Hajj Special roaming offer, which is available till 31st August 2023, will enable 9mobile customers to enjoy massive, discounted charges …

Rotarians from around the world gathered in Melbourne for 114th international convention from 27th to 31st May 2023. The weather was cold but we survived. Melbourne, noted for its high-rise buildings in the Central Business Area, is the coastal capital of Victoria, the southeastern state of Australia which has different time zones. During our stay in Melbourne, the difference with …

Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj lamented on Saturday that they were stranded at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, blaming Arik Air for failing to meet its schedule. It was gathered that this crippled operations of most of the international hajj operators under the Association for Hajj And Umrah Operators Of Nigeria Lagos zone as scores …

On our return trip from Ibadan, a sad commentary on the business model that the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is running poked us in the face. At the splendid Omi-Adio station (aka Ladoke Akintola), the travelling contingent was merely a little more than half of the number of people we left Agege with (something needs to be done to the …

The House of Representatives on Thursday rejected a motion seeking to declare emigration of young Nigerians abroad, known as japa syndrome as a national emergency. This followed the adoption of a motion by Hon. Philip Agbese (APC-Benue) who was based in United Kingdom before becoming a lawmaker in Nigeria during plenary. Presenting the motion, Agbese said statistics from the Nigerian …

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has disclosed that about 75 pregnant pilgrims have been referred to hospitals in Makkah and Medina for urgent medical attention. The commission said despite an awareness campaign against pregnant women embarking on Hajj, many had ignored the counsel by “sneaking” into Hajj. During a chat with journalists in Makkah on Wednesday, Usman Galadima of the …