Hajj: Pilgrims may pay N2.5m as Bayelsa, Imo, Rivers get zero allocation – Newstrends
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Hajj: Pilgrims may pay N2.5m as Bayelsa, Imo, Rivers get zero allocation

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The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria on Thursday said it had projected that Nigerian pilgrims may pay as much as N2.5 million to participate in the 2022 pilgrimage exercise.

The amount is over 50 per cent increase from N1million paid by pilgrims in 2019 before the outbreak of COVID-19, which stalled Hajj operations.

This is just as Kaduna and Sokoto received the highest allocation of 2,491 and 2,404 hajj slots while states like Bayelsa, Imo, and Rivers got zero allocation.

The Chairman of NAHCON, Alhaji Zikrullah Hassan, announced the projection during a meeting with executives of the State Pilgrims Board for the preparation of the 2022 Hajj.

According to him, the projection of the increase was due to an increase in the foreign exchange rate, a rise in inflation by almost 10 per cent, and the increase of Value Added Tax from 5 to 15 per cent by Saudi authorities.

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Hassan said the commission did not have control over the factors.

“The projection is on the increase because as of 2019, the exchange rate for Hajj was N306, but now it will be at N410 to a dollar. We all know that Hajj is 97 per cent by foreign exchange for food, airlines and others.

“In addition, Saudi Arabia has increased their VAT from 5 to 15 per cent. We will try our best to mitigate whatever hardship this will cost the pilgrims. Still, I am sure for many people who wished two or three years ago to go to the holy land, and this won’t be a sacrifice too many,” he said.

The NAHCON CEO said out of 43,008 slots given to Nigeria, 33,976 would go to states. At the same time, 9,032 would be allocated to private tour operators.

Speaking on the sharing formula, he said Kaduna and Sokoto received the highest allocation of 2,491 and 2,404, while states like Bayelsa, Imo, and Rivers got zero allocation.

Explaining why these states were not given a slot, the NAHCON boss said the states did not meet the requirements to be licensed to organise Hajj.

“The commission licenses the tour operators that are managing Hajj and Umrah. So equally are all states licensed. So those states without allocation have not met the requirements to be licensed, so they can’t perform.

“When a state is not licensed, it is not permitted for that state to organise Hajj or Umrah. For Muslims in that state and are desirous of performing Hajj, the commission would care for that,” he said.

On the backlog of payments already made by pilgrims, he said selection would be made based on a first-come-first-serve basis with a sharing formula of 40 per cent for the regular Hajj and 60 per cent for those on Hajj Savings Scheme.

Hassan said the prospective pilgrims would be required to be fully vaccinated with a booster shot, saying that a PCR test is also a must.

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Defamation: Court orders arrest of prophet, two others

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Defamation: Court orders arrest of prophet, two others

Justice Olaolu Olanipekun of Oyo State Magistrates’ Court 7 sitting in Iyaganku, Ibadan, has issued a warrant for the arrest of a prophet of a Cherubim and Seraphim (C&S) church, Ojo Amos (aka Elewuogbo).

Justice Olanipekun ordered that Elewuogbo and his two sureties be arrested and detained for jumping bail.

Elewuogbo is on trial for alleged defamation of character of the Founder of One Love Family, Sat Guru Maharaj Ji.

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Elewuogbo and a Lagos-based blogger, Gbenga Asabe, had, through publications, accused Maharaj Ji of selling human body parts for money rituals.

The court also granted request for consolidation of the cases against Elewuogbo and Asabe brought by Maharaj Ji’s counsel, Dapo Akinosi.

Akinosi prayed the court that since the facts were related, they should be merged. The court granted the application and adjourned the case till April 30.

Defamation: Court orders arrest of prophet, two others

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Students drag university to court over payment of registration fees

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Students drag university to court over payment of registration fees

Three students of one of the universities in northern part of the country, Al-qalam University, Katsina, have dragged the institution to a High Court in Katsina over payment of registration fees.

The applicants, Hauwa’u Sani-Barda, Rabi’atu Sani-Barda and Hafsat Sani-Barda, all students of the respondent, got admission in 2018 and 2019, and graduated in 2022 and 2023.

They, however, claimed that the respondents had refused to mobilise them for the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), because they had not settled all fees due to the institution.

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During the proceedings on Thursday, the applicants’ counsel, Muhammad Mukhtar-Lawal, told the court that his clients had filed an exparte motion in pursuance to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

Mukhtar-Lawal said that the application sought the leave of the court to apply for judicial review.

After the counsel’s submission, the judge, Justice Abbas Bawale, said that the applicants should have filed a motion on notice.

Bawale, however, granted a leave order to the applicants to apply for judicial review by way of mandamus.
He said after that, processes would be served on the university and enable the court to hear the case.

Students drag university to court over payment of registration fees

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NAFDAC busts fake Eva water factory, arrests suspect

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NAFDAC busts fake Eva water factory, arrests suspect

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has exposed a counterfeit bottled water operation in Port Harcourt, specifically targeting the renowned brand Eva water.

Following a tipoff, NAFDAC officials conducted a raid on a derelict shop situated on Pipeline Road, Eneka.

The establishment disguised as a pool house and served as the hub for producing the fraudulent water.

During the operation, authorities discovered that used Eva plastic bottles were being refilled with contaminated water sourced from a paint bucket.

The water was then filtered through unhygienic rubber funnels covered with cloth.

Counterfeit Eva labels were affixed to the bottles, which were subsequently sealed with fake Eva corks.

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One suspect, identified as Chibunna James, was apprehended while in the process of loading the adulterated water for distribution. However, the mastermind behind the operation remains at large.

The confiscated products were promptly evacuated to the NAFDAC office for further investigation and analysis.

Cyril Monye, NAFDAC’s Public Relations Officer for Rivers State, disclosed that the scheme of the perpetrators involved repackaging contaminated water in used Eva bottles, employing makeshift filters made from unsanitary materials, and applying fake labels and corks to deceive consumers.

While efforts are underway to locate and apprehend the ringleader of the syndicate, NAFDAC urges the public to provide any relevant information that could aid in their apprehension.

Furthermore, Monye revealed that thirty packs of the counterfeit products were confiscated and transported to the NAFDAC office in Port Harcourt for thorough investigation. To prevent the circulation of the counterfeit water, the uncorked bottles were emptied and disposed of.

NAFDAC busts fake Eva water factory, arrests suspect

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