The Sokoto State Police Command has launched an investigation into the killing of a butcher, Usman Buda, by extremist Muslims over an alleged blasphemous comment against an Islamic prophet.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the butcher made the comment during an argument with another trader around 8am on Sunday at the Sokoto Main Abattoir.

Angered by his comment, an angry mob descended on him, beat him till he became unconscious and fled the scene.

The police, who stormed the scene, in a bid to rescue the victim, rushed him to the Usmanu Danfodiyo Teaching Hospital Sokoto where he died during treatment.

Reacting to the development, the state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Ahmad Rufa’i, said efforts were on to arrest the fleeing suspects.

He said, “A distress call was received around 09.20am that one Usman Buda of the Gwandu Local Government Area, a butcher at the Sokoto Abattoir, allegedly blasphemed the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW). As a result, he was mobbed and attacked.

“Upon receiving the information, the Commissioner of Police, Area Commander Metro and Divisional Police Officer, Kwanni, led a team of policemen and all other operational commanders to the scene.

“On arrival, the mob escaped the scene and left the victim unconscious where he was rescued and taken to the Usmanu Danfodiyo Teaching Hospital Sokoto for treatment and was later confirmed dead. Meanwhile, an investigation is on to arrest the perpetrators.”

No fewer than 50 people have been killed and over 170 houses burnt in renewed onslaught on residents of Izombe in Oguta, Imo State, in the last two weeks.

National President Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), Igboayaka O Igboayaka, disclosed this at a press briefing in Owerri, the state capital, this weekend.

He said Izombe and other neighbouring communities such as Agwa, Ejemkwuru, Awa, Akabuo, Mgbele and Ogbaku have been recording incessant security challenges due to the nefarious activities of criminal elements with a code name ‘Umuoma’ (Good children)”

A video had gone viral where charred remains of bodies and houses allegedly burnt in Izombe communities were seen.

In the text of the briefing he jointly signed with the Secretary General, Ifeanyi Nweke, the national president expressed regret that both the state government and security agencies in the state “kept quiet” while innocent blood were being shed and property with millions of naira destroyed.

The statement said, “Ohanaeze Youth Council noticed, with utmost dismay, the debilitating inability of Gov. Hope Uzodinma’s administration to checkmate the activities of the bandits coupled with military personnel, police and Imo State owned untrained security network called “Ebube-Agu” which has resulted to more casualties and deaths.

“But rather than help to engender peace and tranquility, the security operatives and Ebube-Agu have turned hostile to the residents of the areas particularly, Izombe.

“Unfortunately, the situation has affected socio-economic and other activities as markets, schools and churches have been closed down in Izombe for almost 8 months now.

An indigene of Amakpurudere Izombe village said over 50 natives of his village were killed by these security operatives between June 7 and Monday June 19, 2023.

“Some of the identified people killed at Amakpurudere Village alone included Benjamin Nwadirigbo, Nwabu Onuigbo (aka Danvata), Obieze Ajaere, Izuka Izuaghanwa and Chike Izuaghanwa”

“Witnesses in the community narrated that others were equally killed in other villages of Izombe like Ndiawa, Ndioko, Orsu and Ugbele and Agwa, a neighbouring Community to Izombe.

“The combined team of police, untrained and illegal Ebube-Agu and the military had equally destroyed more than 170 buildings in various villages including over 45 houses in Amakpurudere Village alone”.

“To add more Injuries into the agony of Izumbe people, a community source reported that security forces like Ebube-Agu looted people’s property. Lo and behold more than 90% of the residents had fled to safety from their the community.

“Since Wednesday June 7, and Monday June 12, 2023, thousands of people fled from Izumbe that the careless security operatives killed Benjamin and four others.”

According to community report to Ohanaeze Youth Council, the houses burnt down in Amakpurudere Village alone belong to the following: Emmanuel Chukwudoruo, Romanus Obiagwu, Philip Okoronkwo, Ifeanyi Umezuruike, Canice Ogbonna, Herbert Nwoke, late Lucky Nwoke, Lambart Ekejiuba, Simeon Ekejiuba, Sabastine Okereke, Emeka Awaeze and Dominic Iwuanyanwu.

“Others whose houses were affected are: Benjamin Ohanyirim, Jerome Ohanyirim, Late Marcelinus Ogbonna, Lawrence Ogbonna, Calistus Ononiwu, Chief Alex Madubuko, Chief Oliver Ihejirika, Anthony Ihejirika, Alphonsius Ogbonna among others.

Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Henry Okoye, could not be reached for comments.

Power distribution companies failed to remit a total of N208.8bn to the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry in 2022, the Federal Government has said.

Figures obtained on Sunday from the latest Fourth Quarter 2022 Report of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, a Federal Government agency, as well as those from the First, Second and Third quarters showed that the Discos never made complete remittances all through the period.

There are about 11 power distribution companies in Nigeria responsible for distributing electricity to consumers in their respective franchise areas of operation. They include Abuja, Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ibadan, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Yola Discos.

The Discos were created in 2013 as part of Nigeria’s power sector reforms aimed at improving the efficiency and reliability of electricity supply across the country.

The firms collect electricity bills from consumers on behalf of power market. They make remittances to the power market through the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc and the Market Operator, an arm of the Federal Government-owned Transmission Company of Nigeria.

But figures obtained from the power sector regulator showed that the Discos did not remit N49.23bn, N31.3bn, N58.3bn and N69.94bn in the fourth, third, second and first quarters of 2022, respectively, making a total of N208.8bn.

Commenting on market remittance, in its fourth quarter report, the NERC said, “The combined invoices issued to the Discos in 2022/Q4 was N231.01bn consisting of: i) generation costs from the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading company: N188.74bn; ii) transmission and administrative services from the Market Operator: N42.27bn.”

“From this amount, the Discos collectively remitted a total sum of ₦181.78bn (₦145.91bn for NBET and ₦35.87bn for MO) with an outstanding balance of ₦49.23bn.”

The commission stated that poor remittance by the Discos was a direct consequence of the power firms recording higher than allowed Average Technical Commercial and Collection losses.

The NERC also stated that the combined invoices issued to the Discos in the third quarter of last year was ₦204.84bn, adding that this was split into generation costs from the NBET, ₦164.34bn; and transmission and administrative services from the MO, ₦40.50bn.

“Out of this amount, the Discos collectively remitted a total sum of ₦173.55bn (₦140.67bn for NBET and ₦32.88bn for MO) with an outstanding balance of ₦31.29bn.”

On the power market remittance in the second quarter, the NERC stated that the combined invoices from the NBET and MO to the Discos in Q2 2022 was N185.01bn, split into generation costs – N149.89bn, while transmission and administrative services was put at N35.12bn.

“Out of this amount, the Discos collectively remitted a total sum of N126.69bn (N102.35bn for NBET and N24.34bn for MO) with an outstanding balance of N58.32bn,” the report stated.

Similarly, data sourced by our correspondent from the Q1, 2022 report of the NERC on market remittance indicated that the combined invoices from NBET and MO to Discos in the first quarter of last year was N205.63bn, split into generation costs – N164.86bn; while transmission and administrative services was N40.77bn.

“Out of this amount, the Discos collectively remitted a total sum of N135.69bn (N109.96bn for NBET and N25.73bn for MO) with an outstanding balance of N69.94bn,” the commission stated.

Nigeria’s power sector is faced with liquidity crisis and one of the reasons for this is the poor remittances by power distribution companies to the electricity market since the privatisation of the industry in November 2013.

The President, Nigeria Consumer Protection Network, and coordinator, Power Sector Perspectives, Kunle Olubiyo, urged the new government led by President Bola Tinubu to take a holistic look at the power sector.

He told our correspondent in a recent interview that the privatisation of the successor distribution and generation companies of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria in November 2013, should be reviewed.

This, he said, was particularly due to the dysfunctional outputs of the power distributors since they were privatised, adding that the 10-year moratorium on power sector privatisation would end this year.

Olubiyo said, “When this moratorium expires by October, naturally it will be without litigation because they’ve given the privatised companies 10 years. And so if in between the lines we try to shift the goal post, then litigation can arise.

“If not for the activities of the banks that are now involved in the day-to-day running of some Discos, there is no way we would have been able push out this height of impunity in the sector. People make as much as N15bn in a month and they will still have a licence for zero remittance.

“As consumers, are we not paying our power bills? For the generation companies, don’t they pay for gas? And somebody will collect money on our behalf and will not remit. So this system of privatisation cannot work and has not worked since the sector was privatised 10 years ago.”

The Abuja-based power sector expert and former member of the Presidential Adhoc Committee on Review of Electricity Tariff in Nigeria, further called on the government ro pull out its 40 per cent stake in the Discos and break the 11 distribution companies’ franchises into smaller units so as to break the present market monopoly and promote the ideals of a competitive electricity market.

Four men were on Friday arraigned at the Yaba Magistrates’ Court for allegedly defrauding their employer, Think Finance Microfinance Bank of N150m in the FESTAC Town area of Lagos State.

The defendants include the company’s Head of Risk Management, Ojimi Ayodeji, the Loan Officer, Isaac Eddy, Joseph Setonji and Juwon Irinyemi, and were arraigned before Magistrate Patrick Nwaka on three counts of theft.

The prosecutor, Thomas Nurudeen told the court that the defendants employed by the firm were put in charge of giving loans to people for business purposes, but they conspired and used fake names to borrow money from the firm to the tune of N150m which they shared among themselves without interest and never paid back.

The defendants presented individuals and represented them with bank verification numbers, account names and passport photographs which were not real to borrow the money.

Nurudeen stated that the defendants committed the offences between 2019 and December 2022 at the Think Finance Microfinance bank located at FESTAC Town.

According to Nurudeen, the offences contravened and are punishable under Sections 314, 325 (1) and 287 (a) (b) (e) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The charges read in part, “That you, Ojimi Ayodeji, head of risk management, Isaac Eddy, loan officer, Joseph Setonji, Juwon Irinyemi and others now at large, between the year 2019 and December 2022, at the Think Finance Microfinance Bank, FESTAC Town, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit fraud and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 325 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

“That you, Ojimi Ayodeji, head of risk management, Isaac Eddy, loan officer, Joseph Setonji, Juwon Irinyemi, and others now at large, between 2019 and December 2022, at the Think Finance Microfinance Bank, FESTAC Town, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, fraudulently allocated loans of N150m to the individual representing them with BVN and account name and passport photographs which were not real, the representation which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 314 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.”

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The defence counsel, one barrister Ola, prayed the court to grant them bail in the most liberal terms.

Without opposition from the prosecution, Nwaka admitted them to bail in the sum of N2m each with four responsible sureties in like sum.

He said each surety would present a tax clearance receipt of three years that would be verifiable by the court and adjourned the case till August 16, 2023.

The National Coordinator of Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint the next Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from the southern part of the country.

Onwubiko while addressing newsmen in Abuja, said appointing the next EFCC Chairman from the region would be sending a powerful message of unity and demonstrating commitment to fostering a harmonious and balanced Nigeria.

HURIWA’s call is coming after the suspension of Abdulrasheed Bawa on 14th June, 2023 by president Tinubu, while Abdulkarim Chukkol was asked to step in as Acting Chairman of the Commission.

Onwubiko’s words: “Nigeria is a diverse nation, with over 250 ethnic groups and a multitude of languages and cultures. It is imperative that our national institutions, such as the EFCC, reflect this diversity and promote a sense of inclusivity.

“We firmly believe that there are highly capable individuals from the South who possess these qualities and are more than qualified to take on the position of EFCC Chairman. It is essential to prioritize competence over regional considerations to ensure the effectiveness and credibility of the commission.

“The appointment of the next EFCC Chairman should be based on merit, competence, and relevant experience in the field of combating economic and financial crimes. The individual chosen should possess the necessary skills and expertise to lead the institution effectively.

“HURIWA strongly urges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to seize the opportunity to promote equity and competence by appointing a candidate from the South as the next EFCC Chairman. This step will not only address regional imbalances and promote national unity but also enhance the effectiveness and credibility of the commission. By prioritizing merit-based appointments, we can foster a stronger, more inclusive Nigeria in the fight against corruption.”

– Says UK Issued 325,000 Visas To Nigerians In One Year

British High Commissioner to Nigeria Richard Montgomery says the UK government’s new policy on the restriction of foreign student visas is aimed at managing the pressure on social services for scholars.

Montgomery, who said this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, explained that the policy was not aimed at discouraging Nigerian students studying in the UK.

According to him, at the moment in the UK, Nigerians desiring to study in the UK have 97 per cent visa approval rate.

He urged Nigerians to see the new visa regime in the UK in a bigger context, a thing which he said is “really a positive for Nigeria and the United Kingdom”.

“Three years ago, there were 20,000 Nigerian students in British higher education institutions, and last year, the number increased to 127,000.

“So, we had a five-fold increase in the number of students from Nigeria coming to UK universities.

“We are delighted that UK universities continue to attract the best and brightest from Nigeria.

“And in the wider context, last year, the UK granted three million new UK visas of various types including students and other visitors.

“Nigerians alone received 325,000 of those 3 million visas.

“So more than 10 per cent of the visas from the UK are to Nigerian citizens which is fantastic.

“It goes back to the fact that the UK and Nigeria have strong people-to-people links.

“The policy change is about people who are doing non-research degrees coming to the UK as undergraduates, or for a one-year master’s degree programme, and who decide to bring their dependents.

“We have had a very significant rise in the number of people coming from all around the world, not just from Nigeria.

“This has caused some strain on the UK.

“Sometimes it is difficult to find good accommodation as a student and there is real pressure on housing and social services for students.

“If you looked at it three years ago, only 1,500 dependants of students were coming to the UK from Nigeria, but now it was 52,000 last year.

“I am just trying to put it in proper context, that this is an adjustment.

“The words that are being used in the media to describe the situation are misrepresenting. We are making an adjustment that enables us to manage the demands on services in university towns and elsewhere.

“Nigerians are very successful in acquiring visas. We have a 97 per cent approval rate and so that is the big context,” Montgomery said.

He expressed the UK’s pride in its research institutes and higher education which, he said, were listed among the top hundred universities in the world.

The higher institutions, he said, are very open to students going to study in the UK.

He expressed the belief that Nigerians stand to gain massively from the international exposure and international networks offered by studying in the UK.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the UK Home Office in May announced that from Jan. 2024, undergraduate and master’s students would no longer be allowed to take their dependents along with them to the UK.

The restriction does not apply to students in research programmes.

By Samuel Olanrewaju Bill

Aboru, Abose, Abosise! Has two meanings, literally meaning and meanings according to Odu Ifa(Ifa Corpus).

Literally meaning and the layman's definition;

Aboru (Ebo Aru) meaning May sacrifice be successful.

Aboye (Ebo Aye) meaning May sacrifice be accepted.

Abosise (Ebo adi sise) meaning may sacrifice do what it was intended to do.

So Aboru, Aboye, Abosise literally means May sacrifice be successful, may sacrifice be accepted, bring life and may sacrifice do what it was intended to do. That is according to the common man(Non initiate).

What is Ebo? Ebo means sacrifice, oblation, offering or something offered to God/gods to appease him or beg him or to seek favor and mercy. We also use it to plead to God/gods, It can also be termed as a praise offer to God/gods that is Ebo ope(Sacrifice of praises), it is also a religious ritual.

What is the real meaning of Aboru, Aboye, Abosise according to Ifa priest and devotee? It is a greeting used by initiates and practitioners of Ifa divination such as a babalawo and Iyanifa It is usually responded with the greeting ogbo ato. It is an appropriate and acceptable way of greeting Ifa priests.

In Odu Ifa (Ifa Corpus) precisely 'Odu Ifa Ogunda Meji', narrated the stories of three women; Aboru, Aboye, and Abosise who were believed to have rendered special assistance to Orunmila. In order to see Olodumare these three wonderful women were said to be like an intercessor and ombudsmen that need to be appeased. Orunmila made sacrifices to these divine women and obtained their favor, kindness and had an easy passage to Olodumare.

Orunmila later marries the three women and loves them dearly. In honoring these powerful women, Orunmila declared and commanded that anyone who wants to see or greet any Ifa priests (Babalawo or Iyalawo) must first pay homage to Aboru, Aboye, Abosise and that is how it becomes sacred words and greetings amongst Ifa devotees and before you greet the Babalawo himself, you must first greet this three important women by saying "Aboru, Aboye, Abosise". And the Babalawo or Iyalawo will reply with "Ogbo ato o!"

According to the interpretation of some other Ifa priests as regards to 'Odu Ifa Ogunda Meji'. Aboru, Aboye and Abosise were said to be three important women that helped Orunmila when he was in despair and hopelessness. Whatever the narration or interpretation, these women were kind to Orunmila and played an unforgettable role in his life adventure.

Back to Tope Alabi, based on literal meaning, she says "Aboru ni mi, Aboye ni mi, mo di Ebo" That is, I am Aboru, I am Aboye, I am the sacrifice. Then she may not be wrong as many think. She is metaphorically saying she is the Sacrifice "Ebo" offering to Olodumare, Ebo in this context stands for praise offering "Ebo Ope" and herself as a vessel used in offering sacrifices to Olodumare through praising. She was convinced the praise(Ebo) was successful, this is "Ebo ru/Aboru" and that Olofumare accepted the praises (Ebo) 'Ebo ye/Aboye" and that is why she call herself "Aboru and Aboye"

If Tope Alabi call herself Ebo.(Sacrifice) she is very right after all the bible says in Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. King David always offer God praise offering and that is reason the Bible calls David “a man after God's own heart”

Likewise praising Olodumare and offering praise is not alien to Yoruba traditional religion. Before the foreign religion came, our father always offered praise to Olodumare before anything we did or said, we started Iwure (prayer) with thanking and praising Olodumare. No religion came to Introduce our father to Olodumare but they only came to introduce their own culture and try to kill ours.

According to Odu Ifa Irete-Ofun, which says:

"Nje won ni ope nii pe ni s'aiye, Awo ile Alara.

Iyin nii yin ni sile alaaye, Awo ode ijero.

A dia fun Oromodimodi;

To n fojoojumo beere oore.

Sugbon, ti kii f'ojo kan dupe……."

-Thanks brings life, the divination of Alara.

Praise makes us alive, the divination of Ijero.

Make a divination for Oromodimodi;

That asks for goodness daily.

But never for a day say thanks…..

The above Odu Ifa shows how important it is to praise and thank Olodumare.

On the other hand, These women were powerful, saints and divine beings according to the narrative of Odu Ifa. So if we can see a man named Micheal, Gabriel, Rafael and other names after angels and saints then nothing wrong if Tope Alabi too calls herself these reverent names. We have names like Moremi who were named after the heroine/gods that liberated Ile-Ile, we also have uncountable Yoruba names that were tagged after Yoruba deities and gods. So if she decided to adopt these beautiful titles then nothing wrong.

Some claim the words used are strictly means for the initiates and ifa devotees, these words are Yoruba greetings and a way to greet Babalawo or Iyalawo just as we say "Arepa ni ti ogun/Arepa ogun" to hunters, "Aroko bodun de'' to farmer, "Oju gboro o/eku ewa o" to hairstylist, "Awaye o/Oko are fo" to drivers. Even we greet the pastor/prophet as "Eku ise oluwa o, oluwa yi oso agbara di otun" Yes, the words Aboru, Aboye, Abosise originated from Odu Ifa. Just as all Yoruba proverbs and sayings have origin. We have what we call "Itandowe/Itan di owe"(History turned proverbs), those are proverbs that have their roots from a particular history. Aboru Aboye Abosise can also be tagged as "Itan di Ikini" (History turn salutation) that is greetings or salutations that had his root from history. Until recent Yoruba history has had two sources; oral history that is from mouth to mouth, from a generation to generation and second source is Odu Ifa(Ifa oracles). Aboru, Aboye, Abosise was not the only Yoruba history traceable to Ifa as majority of our history was in Ifa account. What I am saying is that no one should demonize these beautiful and reverent names/words as they have done to many Yoruba words and names such as the translation of "Esu, laaroye, olola ilu'' to Satan. Yoruba names are not demonic but meaningful and beautiful.

Tope Alabi is a blessing to Yoruba race as a whole being a Christian, Muslim or Traditional religion practitioner. Her deep knowledge of Yoruba language and literature beyond elucidation. She is the best of its version and style. Her rendition is obviously conspicuously unique. He has promoted the beautiful Yoruba language far and wide and deserves our accolade.

She is so rich in words, her lyrics are delighted to the soul, deep in thoughts, philosophical in composition, stands out amongst all and she is beautiful to behold. She is second to none in using Yoruba figurative speech, master in usage of 'Iforo-dara, Iforo-sere, Iforo-yaworan, Ifohun-dara and Akanlo ede. Tope’s lyrics are deeper than sea, her choice of Yoruba words are astounding and prodigious. Her phenomenal way of praising Olodumare is mind-blowing, dumbfounding and no one close to her in that aspect. Tope Alabi has aggrandize herself to the highest level of Yoruba literature idols. In her own line she does it better.

My encomium and laudation is not to say she is beyond correction, criticism and condemnation but on this current issue there is no reason for denunciation, opprobrium or disapprobation of her. Let her breath and allow her to continue the task Olodumare assigned to her, let us give her the adulation and panegyric she deserves in order for us to see more of her. We need more beautiful names of Olodumare from her. Let her play her roles without hindrance while we continue to be blessed by Olodumare through her.

Aboru, Aboye, Abosise to all Ifa priests and my homage to all elders.

Note! I am not an Ifa priest nor a pastor. The write up is just my own personal opinion and basic knowledge.

Samuel Olanrewaju Bill.

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Vast crowds of robed pilgrims made solemn circles around the Kaaba, the black cube at Mecca’s Grand Mosque, on Sunday as the biggest hajj pilgrimage in years began in the heat of the Saudi summer.

Islam’s holiest site is expected to host more than two million worshippers from 160 countries during the annual rites that could break attendance records, with 1.6 million foreigners already arriving by Friday evening.

The hajj began early on Sunday with the “tawaf” – the circumambulation of the Kaaba, the large cubic structure draped in black cloth with gold trimmings that millions of Muslims pray towards every day.

“I am living the most beautiful days of my life,” said Abdel-Azim, a 65-year-old Egyptian as he performed the ritual.

“The dream has come true,” said the retiree, who saved up for 20 years to pay the $6,000 fee to take part.

The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once.

A series of rites are completed over four days in Mecca and its surroundings in the west of oil-rich Saudi Arabia.

On Sunday night, pilgrims will start moving to Mina, about five kilometres (three miles) from the Grand Mosque, ahead of the hajj’s climax at Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final sermon.

‘Great blessing’

Outside the Grand Mosque, thousands prayed on colourful carpets that adorned the pavement, with male pilgrims wearing a simple white robe. The area was dotted with ambulances, mobile clinics and fire trucks.

The hajj poses a considerable security challenge and has seen several disasters over the years, including a 2015 stampede that killed up to 2,300 people.

There have been no major incidents since, and catastrophe was the last thing on pilgrims’ minds.

“I cannot describe my feelings,” said 25-year-old Indonesian student Yusuf Burhan.

“This is a great blessing. I never imagined that I would perform the hajj this year.”

This year’s summer timing for the hajj, which follows the lunar calendar, will test the endurance of worshippers during the mostly outdoor ritual.

Carrying white umbrellas to protect themselves from the scorching sun, policemen in the mountainous city have conducted foot patrols and set up checkpoints to inspect hajj permits.

Others splashed water on pilgrims as temperatures climbed towards 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).

Inside the Grand Mosque, thousands of paramedics stood on standby. Saudi authorities said more than 32,000 health workers will be on hand to help fend off heatstroke, dehydration and exhaustion.

‘Not a single vacant bed’

The hajj, with its hefty fees, makes billions of dollars a year for the world’s biggest oil exporter, which is trying to diversify its economy beyond fossil fuels.

This year’s will be the biggest since 2019, when about 2.5 million people took part. Only 10,000 were allowed in 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, rising to nearly 59,000 in 2021. Last year’s cap of one million has been removed.

Saudi businessman Samir Al-Zafni said all his hotels in Mecca and Madinah are at full capacity until the first week of July.

“This year there is not a single vacant bed in our group of 67 hotels,” he told AFP from his office.

The hajj also demonstrates social reforms in the deeply conservative country. This year’s pilgrimage will be the biggest since Saudi Arabia scrapped rules in 2021 that banned women who weren’t accompanied by a male relative.

Leaving the Grand Mosque after evening prayers on Friday, Ramot Ali from Niger struggled to describe the feeling of performing hajj for the first time.

“I am very happy,” she said.

Former federal lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani has asked President Bola Tinubu to courageously allow a full-scale probe of the “plunder” that occurred under the former President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

The former lawmaker demanded that the investigation should begin with former President Buhari, his ex-ministers, his service chiefs and the cabal wing of his Government.

Following Tinubu’s assumption of office, he removed Godwin Emefiele as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and Abdulrasheed Bawa as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Sani in a tweet on Sunday said redesigning the Naira is not the only economic Crime perpetrated under the Buhari administration and urged Tinubu to “courageously allow a full-scale investigation of the plunder that occurred under the Buhari administration, beginning with Buhari, his ex-ministers, his service chiefs and the cabal wing of his Government.”

“The President should not also shield former Governors who are now at liberty, even waiting for political appointment as entitled men. One or two persons in the cage can’t answer for the crime perpetrated by others in the last eight years. The current investigation can easily be stained as selective if the probe net is restricted.

“The simple question is; what about others who also contributed to ruining the economy? Or maybe some of us are just too impatient because of lack of knowledge of what is ahead.”

President Bola Tinubu says a naval officer once slapped him for overcharging him unintentionally when he was a taxi driver in the United States.

The president made this known as his shared stories of humble beginning in a biography published on the back page of a national daily.

The biography titled, ‘Tinubu: My life as gypsy cab driver in the US’, was authored by Nigeria’s seasoned journalist, Mike Awoyinfa.

According to Tinubu, in the story, he worked as an unlicensed taxi driver in Chicago, the US picking passengers from the airport to their destinations.

The president said the driving job was embarked on in order to sustain him financially before he went to school.

He narrated, “We got an unregistered used car commonly called Gypsy, which we ran as a taxi. We operated at the airport where we picked passengers, and not anywhere else, like the hotel because it was forbidden for unlicensed cab drivers to do so.

“We did that for a while to raise some money. Bolaji went to Tennessee, while I headed for Chicago.

“I was supposed to have started schooling in April. I deferred it till September in order to have more money. Immediately I got to Chicago, I went straight to Richard Daley College. It was very interesting.

“I was able to pay for my apartment and tuition fees at Chicago State University. I supplemented that by doing different menial jobs like door guard and security man.”

Speaking further about the incident, he said the naval officer he picked at the airport slapped him because he overcharged him, as his destination was nearby.

“As a cab driver, one experience I will never forget was when I over-charged a naval officer who was returning to the country. It was not intentional,” Tinubu said.

“Apparently, I didn’t know the direction. There was no GPRS in those days to locate directions. So, he gave me the direction to his house in a Virginia suburb.

“I gave him the price and the man responded with a slap to my face. He said I should know the correct price to charge to the location he mentioned. He slapped me and gave me the money.”