Saudi Arabia on Friday announced the sighting of the Ramadan crescent in the Kingdom. The holy month of Ramadan will consequently begin on Saturday, 1 March. Recalls that the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, had on Thursday called on Muslims to look for the crescent of Ramadan 1446 AH. …

The Federal Government has signed a cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Halal Products Development Company to establish Nigeria as a leading player in the global halal market valued at $7.7 trillion. The agreement will facilitate investment, technical cooperation, and market access across key sectors, including food production, pharmaceuticals, finance, and livestock for both countries. Speaking on Wednesday, during the signing …

Italy’s Euro 2020 winning coach Roberto Mancini admitted on Sunday that he had regrets over leaving the Italian national team to take control of Saudi Arabia. Mancini left the Azzurri in August 2023 to take over as coach of the Saudis, but was fired from his role in October following a run of poor results during his 14-month stint in …

The United Bank for Africa (UBA) plans to open a branch in Saudi Arabia as part of its expansion as a global bank. The Group Managing Director (GMD) Mr Oliver Alawuba, disclosed this at a send-forth dinner held in honour of the bank’s retired non-executive directors in Abuja on Wednesday night. He added that the bank would expand its operations …

Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup was considered a “medium risk” for human rights by FIFA in its evaluation report, which said implementing reforms could take “significant time and effort”, says AFP. The release of the report on 30 November comes ahead of the FIFA Congress on 11 December, when a vote will be held to select …

President Bola Tinubu, alongside the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Ministers and heads of agencies will, on Sunday, depart Abuja for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit, scheduled to commence on Monday, 11 November 2024. The Summit is being held at the invitation of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and follows last year’s summit …

At least 19 Jordanian and Iranian pilgrims have died while on the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, authorities from their countries said on Sunday, as temperatures soar in the kingdom. “Fourteen Jordanian pilgrims died and 17 others were missing” during the performance of hajj rituals, Jordan’s foreign ministry said in a statement. AFP reports that the ministry later confirmed that …

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has said it had adopted a strategy to reduce the number of days Nigerian pilgrims spend in Saudi Arabia for Hajj rites. The commission’s Executive Chairman, Malam Jalal Arabi, announced this while addressing reporters on arriving at the Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah. Arabi said the commission had succeeded in …

A Lagos resident who travelled on a holy pilgrimage to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the year 2024 annual Hajj pilgrimage, Oloshogbo Idris, has reportedly died on Tuesday. According to the information made available to newsmen on Wednesday, the pilgrim gave up the ghost while eating, a few minutes after returning from the circumambulation of the Holy Kaaba in …

The first and second batches of 845 pilgrims from Ogun State led by officials of the Ogun State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board have arrived in Medina, Saudi Arabia, to perform this year’s holy pilgrimage. The first batch of the pilgrims landed at Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Airport on Sunday at about 11.15am while the second batch touched down on Monday …