NEWS
House of Reps To Probe Challenges Faced By Nigerian Pilgrims In 2023 Hajj
The House of Representatives has made a decision to investigate the circumstances that led to the difficulties faced by Nigerian pilgrims during this year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
The resolution was reached after Hon Ahmed Idris presented a motion during Thursday’s plenary session.
The lawmaker mentioned that more than 95,000 Nigerians took part in the religious pilgrimage this year.
He also highlighted that Nigeria was allocated approximately 95,000 slots for the Hajj, which were managed by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria.
During his motion, the lawmaker expressed concern over the significant turnout for the 2023 Hajj, which was reported to be one of the highest in history with global media estimating over 2.5 million pilgrims in attendance.
He expressed disappointment over the poor service provided by certain airline operators, including Arik Air, which failed to transport pilgrims on time due to insufficient aircraft.
Additionally, the lawmaker listed several other challenges faced by Nigerian pilgrims, such as inadequate tent accommodation in Mina and Arafat, the provision of substandard tents with unsatisfactory living conditions and environment, insufficient medical attention for emergencies, and inadequate transportation, among other issues.
He further asserted that Nigerians experienced missed flights due to strict bottlenecks, including the withholding of their international passports and the inability to secure airport slots for Nigerian airline operators to transport Nigerian pilgrims from Saudi Arabia back to Nigeria, among other factors.
The lawmaker emphasized that a significant number of Nigerian pilgrims, around 25,000 individuals, including those who had paid for Tent A VIP Class, found themselves stranded in Mina due to insufficient tents and oversubscription.
As a result, Nigerian pilgrims resorted to sleeping on roads, under bridges, and in nearby mosques as alternative accommodations.
Furthermore, the lawmaker highlighted cases involving various public officials, including present and former Governors, lawmakers, and others who were unable to secure tents and were forced to sleep in poor hygienic conditions and inappropriate places.
The lawmaker highlighted that VIP pilgrims were required to pay a significant amount of approximately $5,000 or 18,000 riyals for VIP tents. Despite paying such exorbitant fees, these pilgrims found themselves stranded, while others were allocated tents of lesser value than what they had paid for.
The House, therefore mandated “The Committee on Pilgrims Affairs (when constituted) to conduct a detailed investigation into the several anomalies that emanated from the 2023 Hajj and report back to the House within four weeks for further legislative action.”
NEWS
Moghalu Prescribes Good Governance As Panacea To Ethnic Agitation
The President of the African School of Governance, Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu has admonished state actors against resorting to brutal force in the bid to muscle out separatist agitators.
In the aftermath of Mazi Simon Ekpa, the Finland based Biafran nationalist agitator being caught in legal web and the Nigerian government moving swiftly to seek his repatriation, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cautioned that ‘We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.’
ALSO READ: Finnish Police Arrest Simon Ekpa Over Terror-Related Allegations
The political economist, while expressing his hope in Nigeria, made it clear that “hope is not a strategy”.
He bared his mind in a series of posts on his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X on Friday.
Moghalu wrote, “Despite sustained contemporary difficulties, I am hopeful about Nigeria. But hope is not a strategy. We need to improve state capacity for effective governance.
“We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.
“We must learn to be honest with ourselves and address the root causes of our problems. Why ignore them, when the problem is actually quite solvable? The problem with continuing with this approach is that when the danger crystallizes, those who thought they were benefiting from
NEWS
N1.7trn Loan: Atiku Blames NASS For Worsening Nigeria’s Debt Burden
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has criticized the federal government’s plan to secure an additional N1.7 trillion loan through Eurobonds to cover a shortfall in the 2024 budget, describing the borrowing as unsustainable and harmful to Nigeria’s economy.
In a statement shared on Thursday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Atiku accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of burdening Nigerians with debt while failing to provide clear answers about the country’s fiscal challenges.
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He also faulted the National Assembly for enabling what he called a “voracious appetite” for loans.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate expressed alarm over a recent World Bank report ranking Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), calling the development troubling.
“The recent report released by the World Bank, showing Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), is very concerning,” Atiku stated.
He raised further concerns about the government’s decision to benchmark the proposed loan at an exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate being over N1,600.
“What makes this particular loan proposal even more concerning is that it is benchmarked at the exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, whereas the current exchange rate from the Central Bank of Nigeria stands at over N1,600 to 1 USD,” he said.
Atiku questioned the need for additional borrowing, given the government’s earlier claims of record-high revenue collection.
“In July this year, Tinubu boasted that the FIRS and Customs under his watch had collected all-time high revenues to finance the budget. Why are they still borrowing?” he said
He accused the government of a lack of transparency, describing the borrowing spree as detrimental to Nigerians already struggling under economic hardship.
“There is something that they are not telling Nigerians, even as they are being crushed by a combination of their failed trial-and-error policies and loan rackets.”
Atiku also referenced a report by BudgIT, a budget monitoring group, which criticized the 2024 budget for its inefficiencies.
He alleged that corruption, rather than infrastructure or development needs, was driving the government’s borrowing decisions.
“These loans are powered by corruption and not for infrastructure and development needs. This voracious appetite for humongous loans is deeply concerning,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s financial history, Atiku lamented the return to significant foreign indebtedness just years after former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration cleared the country’s debt.
“It is agonizing to see that just a few years after the Obasanjo administration took us out of foreign indebtedness, we are today back at the top spot in the same conundrum,” he stated.
He called for a more cautious approach to borrowing, urging the government to prioritize fiscal responsibility and transparency to avoid worsening Nigeria’s economic challenges.
International News
ICC Issues Arrest Warrants For Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Others
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a historic step, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The charges include crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during Israel’s recent assault on Gaza.
In a detailed statement, the ICC accused the Israeli leaders of “intentionally and knowingly depriving the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”
READ MORE: Osun Govt Decries Attempted Murder Of Park Mgt Chairman By Police
The ICC’s move marks a significant escalation in international scrutiny of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu and Gallant are alleged to have orchestrated policies that caused severe harm to the civilian population in Gaza, leading to widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.
Alongside the charges against Israeli officials, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. Deif has long been a central figure in Hamas’s military operations. Israel’s military claims to have killed him in a July airstrike, although this has not been independently verified.
The warrants highlight growing calls for accountability amid the ongoing conflict in the region. The ICC’s actions are likely to provoke heated debate and may complicate diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.
With the warrants issued, global attention now turns to how the international community will respond and whether any practical steps will be taken to enforce them.