News & Announcements

At the Dodan Barracks Praying Ground in Lagos, President Bola Tinubu participated in the Eid el-Kabir prayers alongside other Nigerian Muslims.

The president was accompanied by top government officials including Mr. Babatunde Fashola, a former governor of Lagos State, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, the president’s chief of staff, and others.

Sheikh Suleiman Abu-Nolah, the Chief Imam of Lagos, stated in his sermon that the celebration fosters a spirit of sacrifice, togetherness, and tolerance among the Muslim faithful.

He said, “Religion does not permit the practise of selfishness, intolerance or sectionalism.

“We should use the occasion to reflect on the various challenges facing the country and use it to rectify whatever is our challenge through prayer to God Almighty.”

The Chief Imam prayed for Nigeria’s continuing peace, development, and stability and urged all Nigerians to adopt the moral principles of Prophet Ibrahim.

The deputy governor of Lagos State, Mr. Femi Hamzat, asked Nigerians to keep praying for the welfare of their nation.

Why is Arafat Day so important?

It is the day on which Allah completed our religion, from the time it was initially sent down on the night of Laylat al-Qadr, “The Night of Power,” during the last ten days of Ramadan, until it was completed on this day, the “Day of Arafat.”

“Today I have perfected your religion and completed My blessing upon you, and I have chosen Islam as (your) religion.” (Qu’ran, 5:3)
What and where is Arafat?

Mount Arafat is a granite hill about 20km southeast of Makkah in the plain of Arafah. It is often called the “Mountain of Mercy,” because it is the hill upon which Prophet Ibrahim (as) was prepared to sacrifice his son Ismail (as) before Allah mercifully substituted a ram for sacrifice in place of the boy.

It is also the place where on this day, Hajj pilgrims pause before moving on to Makkah. They stand before God (wuquf), in contemplative vigil, offering supplications, repenting and atoning for their sins, and listening to the sermons of Islamic scholars.

This vigil on Arafah is essential. Otherwise, their Hajj is considered invalid. This year, however since Hajj is confined to local pilgrims, Muslims around the world will recite their Arafah prayers at home, or in their local mosque.

Arafat Day is regarded as a day of great gratitude – expressed in the celebration of Eid ul-Adha which follows.

What to do on the Day of Arafat;

1. Arafah Prayer
We should make dua – spend as much of the day as possible in worship, with the most important times being between Dhuhr and Maghrib.

2. Arafah Fast
Fasting on Arafat Day is recommended sunnah, and earns a great reward – the forgiveness of our sins, not only in the year just gone, but in the year to come.

“It expiates the sins of the past year and the coming year,” said the Prophet (saw)
Unlike at Ramadan, fasting at this time is optional for Muslims, but is expected for all those not performing hajj in Arafah. For we believe our fasting will reap us great benefits, and ensure our sins will be forgiven.

3. Seek Forgiveness
Asking Allah (SWT) for the forgiveness of our sins.

“There is no day wherein Allah (SWT) sets free more slaves from Hellfire than the Day of Arafat.” The Prophet (saw).

4. Make the repeated utterings of Dhikr 

5. Give a Prophetic Qurbani

If we can afford to, giving extra Qurbani brings extra rewards on the Day of Arafah – doubling our benefit to others by providing even more families with the meat of our sacrifice, to be enjoyed during the days of Eid al-Adha.

Julius Maada Bio has been sworn in as President of Sierra Leone for a second term by the Chief Justice, immediately after the National Electoral Commission declared Bio the winner with 56.17% of the votes, against the main opposition APC candidate – Samura Kamara scoring 41.16%.

The ECSL announcement comes after three days of political tension and serious violence in some parts of the country, especially in opposition strongholds where security forces shot and killed several people.

According to the ECSL, Julius Maada Bio won 1,566,932 of the total votes cast, against Samura’s 1,148,262.

There were 2,789,808 total votes cast across all polling stations in the country, with 10,883 invalid votes counted.

This is the second time Samura Kamara is losing the presidential election to Julius Maada Bio. In 2018, Samura lost by 3 percentage points. Today, he has lost by a massive 15 percentage points.
As President Bio begins his second term in office, he now faces the huge challenge of governing a massively divided nation that is not at ease with itself.

Does President Bio have the temperament and skill to bring the nation together to heal, after an election that has created such huge divisions in the country across tribal and regional lines?
If the last five years are anything to go by, then the next five years will be just as chaotic, divisive, and bloody, with no hope in sight of a better Sierra Leone, economically, socially, and politically.

But where does another five years of Maada Bio now leaves the main opposition APC party, after losing the presidential election by 15 percentage points?

The APC will need to take a look at itself in the mirror and ask whether it likes what it sees. In the last five years, APC has been dogged by infighting, a lack of strong leadership, poor planning, and an endless court battle for the heart and soul of the party.

The APC party needs to go back to the drawing board and rebuild its support base across the regions, especially in the south and east of the country.

The ruling SLPP has shown how violently brutal it can be when faced with opposition. Its use of state machinery, including the judiciary and security forces to muzzle and destroy any opposition is now on record for posterity. Since 2018, over one hundred people, have been killed by security forces under Bio’s watch. This trend is expected to continue.

So what do another five years of Julius Maada Bio mean for the people of Sierra Leone? More of the same, if not worse.

The economy is in serious decline; unemployment – especially youth unemployment is at a record high; Leone has lost over 60% of its value since 2018; inflation – especially food inflation is running at over 40%; foreign investors are shying away from Sierra Leone; and government borrowing is at a record high. The Bio-government will need to continue relying on foreign aid to keep the country going.

Dayo Israel, a witness, testified in front of the Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Tuesday that the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his wife, Ibijoke, were permitted to cast their votes in the March 18 governorship election despite holding invalid voter identification.

Israel gave this statement as part of the appeal submitted by the Labour Party candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, to invalidate Governor Sanwo-Olu’s return. Israel acted as an agent for the Labour Party for Unit 006, Ward 15, Lagos Island Local Government.

The witness testified in court that he saw the card reader show that Sanwo-Olu and his wife had invalid IDs but were still allowed to vote, which he believed to be a breach of the Independent National voting Commission’s voting procedure.

“I observed that the card reader showed their cards to be invalid but Sanwo-Olu and his wife were allowed to cast their votes and this is against INEC’s electoral process,” he said.

Israel said that on election day, APC supporters beat him up during cross-examination by INEC’s legal representative Charles Edosomwan.

He asserted that he was able to identify them as APC members based on their language and that they threatened to assault voters who supported the opposition party.

He said, “I am not a member of the Labour Party, but I was assigned as an agent. When the APC thugs recognised me as an LP agent, they beat me up. They also said if voters did not vote for APC, they would beat them too.”

Israel continued by saying that he was accosted by four people during the voting process but that he was able to flee, change into a disguise, and then return to watch the vote-counting.

The witness also mentioned instances of repeated voting at the polling place, stating that INEC officials did nothing when they saw the irregularities but were aware of them.

The hearing on the petition has been continued until July 3 for further consideration.

Garba Shehu, a former spokesman for ex-President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the former Nigerian leader postponed the removal of petrol subsidies and the unification of the country’s foreign exchange rates “for a better time.”

Shehu stated this in a statement on Monday, exactly four weeks after President Bola Tinubu took over from Buhari on May 29, 2023 and declared the end of petrol subsidies, with a litre of the crucial commodity rising from N184 to over N500, causing economic agony.

“Removing subsidies for the Naira and PMS (Premium Motor Spirit) was cued and put on hold. Look for example in the Petroleum Industry Act. The important decision was kept for a better time,” Shehu said.

“It could not have come at a time when tensions were high in the country and no responsible leader would have added fuel to the fire.”

The former presidential spokesman said only a new administration with a “goodwill that fills a warehouse can attempt” such in view of the volatile security situation of the country when Buhari held sway as Nigeria’s president between May 2015 and May 2023.

Shehu also noted that being “politically honest”, the Buhari administration, in its last days, could not have gone ahead with the earth-shaking reforms “because the APC (All Progressives Congress) had an election to win.”

He said that the ruling party would have been thrown out of office if the decision on subsidy removal on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) known as petrol was made.

“With the election now behind us, a capable leader as we now have in place is best positioned to move forward. We have nothing but confidence that the new administration will carry the nation and all its constituents into a stable future in the aftermath of these major economic and financial decisions,” Shehu added.

He lauded the timing of the decisions to remove petrol subsidy and unify foreign exchange rates by the Tinubu administration, saying the President and his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima have done “overwhelmingly well” and have been “most dexterous in managing the aftermath of the decisions by successfully avoiding any crisis.”

The former presidential spokesman further stated that though his ex-boss did not remove petrol subsidy, he removed electricity subsidy, fertilizer subsidy. Hajj/Christian Pilgrim subsidies, diesel subsidy, aviation fuel subsidy, kerosene subsidy, amongst others.

“For those with short memories, many of those subsides were all in place when President Buhari was elected to office in 2015: all those in place were gone by May 2023 – including the annual fertilizer subsidy that weighed 60-100 billion Naira (that’s a trillion naira in about 10 years – yes you read that right) heavy on the federal budget each year.

“So no, Buhari didn’t remove the petrol subsidy – but in vitally important stages, he removed every other budget-busting, egregious, economic-growth-crushing subsidy along the way,” Shehu stated.

The Federal Government yesterday paused further work on the current rehabilitation in response to public uproar about the chaotic traffic situation on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

The ban, according to a statement from the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mrs. Olukorede Kesha, was implemented to avoid any potential traffic jams during the Eid-el-Kabir celebration scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

The statement reads: “Due to the recent heavy traffic flow being experienced on the Lagos-Shagamu route in the last couple of days, the inclement weather conditions, the forthcoming Eid Kabir and the advice of the traffic management team deployed to manage traffic-related issues on the project.

“Construction activities on this ever busy and very important highway will be suspended from Tuesday, 27 of June to Sunday,2 of July 2023.

“This is to allow travellers easy passage during the Eid holiday and minimise the discomfort of traffic gridlock during this very important period.

“Travelers are advised to cooperate with Traffic Management Team deployed on the highway to manage traffic.”

A US woman has been charged with murder after shooting an Uber driver she thought was kidnapping her, police say.

According to police in the border city of El Paso, Texas, Phoebe Copas believed she was being taken into Mexico.

She then shot driver Daniel Piedra Garcia, the authorities said in a statement.

The 52-year-old died in hospital after several days on life support.

As she was in the car, Copas saw traffic signs that read Juarez, Mexico, according to police documents.

The two cities lie side-by-side on either side of the US-Mexico border.

Police documents further explain that after thinking she was being kidnapped, Copas pulled a gun from her handbag and shot the driver in the head. The car then hit barriers before coming to a stop.

Copas – who is from Kentucky but was visiting her boyfriend – is alleged to have then called the emergency number 911, took a photo of the driver and texted it to her boyfriend.

“The investigation does not support that a kidnapping took place or that Piedra was veering from Copas’ destination,” El Paso police statement said.

The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria has been instructed by President Bola Tinubu to rename various federal airports in honor of illustrious Nigerians.

This was contained in a memo directed to all Head of Operations of FAAN and titled, “Naming of Federal Airports in favour of some prominent Nigerians,” by the Federal Ministry of Aviation dated June 1, 2023.

The memo signed by the Director of Airport Operations, Mrs Joke Olatunji, was made available to The PUNCH on Monday, read, “I am directed to refer a memo with reference number, FMA/T4464/7090/T7B/647 from FAAN on the naming of some federal airports after notable Nigerians.

The airports in Port Harcourt and Maiduguri were given new names in honor of the late philosopher Obafemi Jeremiah Awolowo and President Muhammadu Buhari, respectively.

Ilorin Airport has the name of General Tunde Idiagbon, while Nasarawa Airport honors Sheikh Usman Danfodio.

Additionally, the Ebonyi Airport was renamed in honor of the late Senate President Chuba Okadigbo, the Ibadan Airport was renamed in honor of the late Premier of the old Western Region, Ladoke Akintola, and the Benin Airport was renamed in honor of the late Oba of Benin, Oba Akenzua II.

See the full list below:
1. Akure Airport – Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu
2. Benin Airport – Oba Akenzua II

3. Dutse Airport – Muhammad Nuhu Sanusi
4. Ebonyi Airport – Chuba Wilberforce Okadigbo
5. Gombe Airport – Brigadier Zakari Maimalari
6. Ibadan Airport – Samuel Ladoke Akintola
7. Ilorin Airport – Gen. Tunde Idiagbon
8. Kaduna Airport – Hassan Usman Katsina
9. Maiduguri Airport – Gen. Mumammadu Buhari
10. Makurdi Airport – Joseph Sarwuan Tarka
11. Minna Airpor – Mallam Abubakar Imam
12. Nassarawa Airport – Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio
13. Osubi Airport – Alfred Diete Spiff
14. Port Harcourt Airport – Obafemi Jeremiah Awolowo
15. Yola Airport – Lamido Aliyu Mustapha

Former President Muhammadu Buhari finally spoke out on Monday over the ‘challenge’ he left for Bola Tinubu to take on regarding the withdrawal of the petrol subsidy, claiming that the All Progressives Congress, or APC, and Tinubu would have lost the most recent general election if the policy had been put into place.

The statement, according to Shehu, was in response to persistent queries by some critics who have questioned why it took Tinubu only weeks to remove the petrol subsidy, whereas Buhari didn’t do so for several years.

According to him, successive polls indicated that the ruling party would have lost the 2023 election if the Petroleum Industry Act, containing the petrol subsidy removal, was implemented before then.

However, the former president applauded the actions taken thus far by the current administration in implementing the removal of the petrol subsidy and endeavor to equalize the Naira currency rate through a statement issued through his former spokesman, Garba Shehu.

In the statement titled “Buhari didn’t fail to remove subsidy”, Shehu wrote: “Why did it take the new Tinubu/ Shettima presidency weeks to remove the petrol subsidy when Buhari didn’t do so for years, fails to ask the right question.

“The massive electricity subsidy. The fraudulent fertilizer subsidy. Hajj/Christian pilgrim subsidies. Remember them?

“The diesel subsidy. The aviation fuel subsidy. LPFO. Kerosene. Cooking gas and the other subsidy policies we found in place, and put them firmly on the ground. Remember them?

“For those with short memories, many of those subsides were all in place when President Buhari was elected to office in 2015: all those in place were gone by May 2023 – including the annual fertilizer subsidy that weighed 60-100 billion Naira (that’s trillion naira in about 10 years – yes you read that right) heavy on the federal budget each year.

“So no, Buhari didn’t remove the petrol subsidy – but in vitally important stages he removed every other budget-busting, egregious, economic-growth-crushing subsidy along the way.

“So far I have refrained from answering these repeated questions on the removal in Nigeria of subsidies on Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, and that arising from the dual rates of the Naira in the Central Bank and the parallel market: Why did Buhari ‘fail’ to do these?

“First of all, my thinking is that instead of the former President answering this question, it is the party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, that is best suited to speak and failing to do this, we are forced to say what will follow here.

“Secondly, we are mindful of the fact that with a Tinubu/Shettima presidency now in place and for which there is a ‘New Sheriff in Town’, we do not want to distract them from the onerous tasks facing them and the nation.

“Neither is it our wish to take the spotlight away from them in any way.

“In terms of the timings of the decisions to remove fuel subsidy and unify the currency, the Tinubu/Shettima administration has done overwhelmingly well.

“Even more importantly, they have been most dexterous in managing the aftermath of the decisions by successfully avoiding any crisis.

“To this extent, our wish and prayers are that fellow countrymen will continue to support the new leadership in these very laudable decisions and, in particular, for the Labour leadership and civil society to work with them to ensure that the palliative efforts as promised are successfully implemented.

“The decision to remove subsidies, as in our case – and we believe in all situations – was not for the President to take all by himself.

“That’s why it’s important to remind ourselves – and all those who have conveniently forgotten – that Buhari administration had been on this pathway from the very beginning in 2015.

“Removing subsidies for the Naira and PMS was cued and put on hold. Look for example in the Petroleum Industry Act. The important decision was kept for a better time.

“It could not have come at a time when tensions were high in the country and no responsible leader would have added fuel to the fire.

“In the view of many – including those in the security circles – only a new administration with goodwill that fills a warehouse can attempt this, and here now comes in the wit and grit of the Tinubu government.

“Finally, we must be politically honest with ourselves. The Buhari administration in its last days could not have gone the whole way because the APC had an election to win.

“And that would have been the case with any political party that was seeking election for another term with a new principal at its head.

“Poll after polls showed that the party would have been thrown out of office if the decision as envisaged by the new Petroleum Industry Act was made.

“With the election now behind us, a capable leader as we now have in place is best positioned to move forward.

“We have nothing but confidence that the new administration will carry the nation and all its constituents into a stable future in the aftermath of these major economic and financial decisions.

“As they say, there are times when you have to lose in order to win.”

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency announced on Sunday that Monday Saba and Hakeem Kwana, two Ghanaians, and 11 other individuals had been detained for drug-related offenses in various regions of the nation.

In a statement released on Sunday, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the development and said that two imported consignments of the potent loud strain of cannabis, with a combined weight of 5,344.1 kilograms, were intercepted by agency officials in the Lekki area of Lagos State.

He further disclosed that, on the basis of reliable intelligence, NDLEA agents ambushed a white truck traveling along the Epe-Lekki Expressway in the early hours of Monday, June 19, carrying 50 jumbo bags of the illegal material, each weighing 2,434.1kg.

The anti-narcotics agents demobilized the truck, according to Babafemi, who also claimed that the driver leapt out of the car and fled in a security van that was accompanying the truck carrying the drug exhibits.

The NDLEA spokesman went on to say that the following day, based on intelligence, agents from the agency’s marine command stopped a boat carrying the same imported drug, weighing 2,910kg, as it arrived from Ghana in the area of Alfa Beach.

Babafemi said, “Two Ghanaians, Monday Saba, 30, and Hakeem Kwana, 27, found with the consignments, were promptly arrested. In Niger State, two suspects, Abubakar Mohammed, 32, and Nuhu Sale, 43, were arrested on Sunday, June 18, along Abuja Expressway, Suleja, with 31 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 517kg, while 30-year-old Amina Alilu was arrested with 171kg of the substance on Wednesday, June 21, at Ogbogodo village, Dekina LGA, Kogi State.

“A suspected fake female security agent, Ogedegbe Dorcas, 34, was also nabbed at Ajegunle, in the Asa Dam Area of Ilorin, Kwara State, with 30kg of cannabis on Thursday, June 22, while in Oyo State, NDLEA operatives intercepted 42-year-old Segun Olajide with 49.2kg of same substance on Saturday, June 24, in Oyo town.

“Operatives in Edo State stormed Ekudo Forest, Uhunmwode LGA, where they destroyed a cannabis farm measuring 2.494863 hectares, recovered processed weeds weighing 67kg and arrested six suspects including Onyeka Onyedinma, Monday Onyedi, Alex Eboh, Edosa Imariagbe, Godbless Tunde and Godstime Osarobo in the early hours of Monday, June 19.”