More than 200 Muslim youth volunteers were said to have gone out today to protect Christians during church services to celebrate this year’s Christmas in Kaduna.
Pastor Yohanna Buru of Christ Evangelical Church, Sabon Tasha, Kaduna South who made this known to newsmen today in Kaduna said that the Muslims were at his church to help protect the faithful from any attack during the church service.
According to him, the feat is the first of its kind after the series of crises that rocked the state in recent past. “I really appreciate their love and care,’’ said the cleric.
Buru said the essence of that was to protect the Christian worshippers as part of effort to strengthen peaceful co-existence between Muslims and Christians in the state.
The pastor expressed happiness over the protection given to them by the Muslim brothers.
He noted that the initiative was an indication that peace has come to stay in the state, saying the measure will strengthen a lasting peace between the two religions.
He also prayed to God to continue to bring peace in the country, praying that other citizens would emulate the gesture.
He urged Nigerians to learn to live in peace with one another irrespective of ethnic or religious differences. The cleric said that peace was a major panacea to the positive development of any nation. [myad]
The President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor has said that he has seen signs of hope for the progress of Nigeria from 2015. In his Christmas message issued in Abuja today, Pastor Oritsejafor said: “There are signs of hope, both in the Church and in our society. I remain confident that good will prevail over evil.” The CAN President emphasised that despite the challenges of fundamentalism, terrorism, natural disasters, disease, epidemics and other forms of societal challenges in the year, he is optimistic that better times are ahead He however cautioned that Nigerians should be vigilant and secure their environment, advisinf Nigerians not to lose sight of the challenge of securing their environment even as they rejoice during the celebrations. “We must all be security conscious and assist constituted authority in securing our property. Nigerians must realise the fact that the true essence of this celebration lies in the sacrifices that we make in the interest of a better and more prosperous Nigeria. This season is one that inspires sacrifice which gives hope to the down trodden in our midst. “The joy that Christ brought to the world many years ago through His birth and still brings to our hearts today at Christmas should be shared to all. I remain confident that good will prevail over evil, as we genuinely reflect on these issues and renew our vows to God through the celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas.” He said 2014 has been a year of mixed fortunes – for individuals, for the Christian family, other faithful and the entire society but that “we have sailed through these trying times to the very moment we have found ourselves at present.” Oritsejafor added, “The greatest news in the midst of these challenges is that of hope and the promise of better times ahead of us, which is the message of Christmas. The great joy with which families all over the world, including Nigeria welcome the season of Christmas should be allowed to permeate through the fabrics of the society. “As we celebrate the solemnity of Christ’s birth, I urge all faithful to reflect on the happenings of the year, especially those moments that threatened the foundation and existence of our nation and work towards inspiring a positive change in our world. “Christmas comes with peace, love, sacrifice and hope for a better future and these should be the preoccupation of all faithful during the celebrations. Faithful should never spare a moment to reflect on the these virtues even as they eat, drink and make merry. “Eating chicken, Turkey and drinking wine often characterise this season but equally important at this time should be the virtues of peace, love, sacrifice and hope which should be the fulcrum of Nigeria’s progression into the New Year. Our actions, attitudes and entire body language in the coming year must reflect these three virtues. “With love, the less privileged are cared for; with peace, key actors of conflict will be inspired to lay down their arms; and hope brings on the spirit of a new Nigeria; so ultimately these virtues could together make the difference in 2015.” The cleric urged all faithful to use this auspicious occasion of Christmas to re-establish their relationship with God and mend broken ties with their fellow human beings, adding: “Christmas cannot be said to be truly celebrated if this commitment is not kept.” [myad]
The Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi-Otu V, has warned against threats to Nigeria’s democracy due to what he called the do-or -die manner in which some politicians are conducting themselves towards the 2015 general elections. The monarch raised the alarm against the backdrop of the controversies and bitterness that trailed the recently held primary elections of political parties in the country. Abasi-Otu who spoke to journalists in his country home in Adiabo, Odukpani Local Government Area, Cross River State yesterday said that with his knowledge of what happened during the primary elections of political parties, politicians cannot convince him that the interest of the country and the ordinary citizens occupy any space in their agenda. “The ambition and interest of many politicians seem to have overridden the interest of the people they are supposed to serve. The political class has now made politics a do-or-die business. To them, once you sail through, you automatically become a millionaire. “If we can separate the political powers from the financial powers in the running of the country, Nigeria will be better for it. The Governor, for instance, controls the State’s finances and decides what to do with it. “All over the country, people are complaining over the just concluded party primaries. It was very shabby. It was a disgrace to the power of democracy. They virtually hand-picked their cronies, and tactically lock out others. “Our democracy has deteriorated to the level that it is those at the corridor of power who decides who should take over political power, not on the basis of quality of service to the people. It has become an avenue to settle political acolytes. The people’s voices are no more important. This is very bad for our body polity.“ [myad]
Fast rising Nollywood actress, Adesua Etomi has won the ‘best new actress award’ in the 2014 edition of Nollywood Reinvented awards. The actress is believed to be popular for her outstanding performance in the movie: ‘Knocking on Heaven’s door.’ The actress emerged the winner with 61% of the votes. Adesua plays Debby, a gospel singer and a victim of domestic abuse. Adesua is also popular for her short film: ‘Brave.’ [myad]
This is Khutbah (Friday sermon) that was prepared for delivery today By Imam Murtada Muhammad Gusau, the chief Imam of Nagazi Uvete Jumu’at Mosque Okene, Kogi state Nigeria
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Alhamdulillah.
Indeed, all praise is due to Allah. We praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil within ourselves and from our wrongdoings. He whom Allah guides, no one can misguide; and he whom He misguides, no one can guide.
I bear witness that there is no (true) god except Allah alone without a partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad (SAW) is His ‘abd (servant) and messenger.
“O you who believe! Revere Allah the right reverence, and do not die except as Muslims.” (Al-Imran, 3:102)
“O people! Revere your Lord who has created you from a single soul, created from it its mate, and dispersed from both of them many men and women. Revere Allah through whom you demand things from one another; and (cherish the ties of) the wombs. Indeed, Allah is ever watchful over you.” (Al-Nisa’, 4:1)
“O you who believe! Revere Allah and say fair words. He will then rectify your deeds and forgive your sins. He who obeys Allah and His Messenger have certainly achieved a great victory.” (Al-Ahzaab, 33:70-71)
Indeed, the best speech is Allah’s (SWT) Book and the best guidance is Muhammad’s (SAW) guidance. The worst affairs (of religion) are those innovated (by people), for every such innovation is an act of misguidance leading to the Fire.
To proceed:
O servants of Allah! Allah the Most High said in His Noble Qur’an:
“Say! “Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is our Maula (Lord, Helper and Protector).” And in Allah let the believers put their trust.” (At-Taubah, 9:51)
He the Most High also said:
“No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz) before we bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah.” (Al-Hadid, 57:22)
Narrated ibn ‘Abbas (Radiallahu Anhu) he said; “once I was behind the Prophet (SAW) and he said: “O boy, I will teach you a few words:
Be loyal and obedient to Allah [worship Him Alone], remember Him always, and obey His orders. He will save you from every evil and will take care of you in all the spheres of life.
Be loyal and obedient to Allah, you will find Him near (in front of you) i.e. He will respond to your requests.
If you ask, ask Allah.
If you seek help, seek help from Allah.
Know that if all the people get together in order to benefit you with something, they will not be able to benefit you in anything except what Allah has decreed for you. And if they all get together in order to harm you with something; they will not be able to harm you in anything except what Allah has decreed for you.
The pens have stopped writings {Divine (Allah’s) preordainments}. And (the ink over) the papers (Book of Decrees) have dried.” (Sahih at-Tirmidhi)
Allah the Most High also said:
“Those (i.e. believers) to whom the people (hypocrites) said, “verily, the people have gathered against you (a great army), therefore, fear them.” But it (only) increased them in faith, and they said: “Allah (Alone) is sufficient for us and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us) (i.e. Hasbunallahu Wani’mal Wakeel).” (Al-‘Imraan, 3:173)
Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas (Radiallahu Anhu) that: (the saying “Hasbunallahu Wani’mal Wakeel” “Allah (alone) is sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us)”, was said by prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (A.S) When he was thrown into the fire; and it was said by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) when they (i.e. hypocrites) said, “verily, the people (enemies) have gathered against you (a great army), therefore, fear them, “but it (only) increased them in faith and they said: “Allah (Alone) is sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us).” (Sahih Al-Bukhaari)
He the All mighty and Majestic also said:
“… And whosoever puts his trust In Allah, and then He will suffice him…” (At-Talaaq, 65:3)
It is also reported on the authority of ‘Ubaadah ibn As-Saamit (Radiallahu anhu) that he said to his son: “Oh, son! You will never taste true faith until you know that whatever afflicts you would not have missed you, and whatever has missed you would never have come to you.”
My Respected people,
One of the main episodes which took place during his position as the minister of the interior was the occupation of the Al-Masjid Al-Haraam, Makkah. This is what happened as translated and reported in the Saudi Gazette from the daily newspaper, Al-watan (1979): “No one can open the file on Juhaiman bin saif Al-Otaibi and his Khawaarij group without mentioning the late Crown Prince Naif who was the interior minister at the time. When the group occupied the Grand Mosque, Prince Naif faced the challenge of liberating it. He insisted on overseeing the operation by himself without any outside help. When Juhaiman and Muhammad Al-Qahtani, who would later become his brother-in-law, joined hands, their collective ideologies began spreading poisonous ideas in small mosques in Madinah. In 1965, Juhaiman established a group called Al-Jamaa’a Al-Salafiyyah Al-Muhtasiba, which was an extension of the Ikhwaan ideology. Soon Juhaiman took control of the group and diverted its tasks to political activities. As the group expanded, he recruited youth from all over the kingdom. Prince Naif interfered at the time and called for the group’s activities to be supervised. As a result, Juhaiman isolated the group and himself from society. The Al-Watan newspaper carried the details of the operation in a report on Monday. In late 1978, Al-Qahtani told Juhaiman that he had had a dream in which he was the Mahdi, or redeemer of Islam, and said he wanted to liberate the Arabian Peninsula and the entire world from wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny. On November 20, 1979, 270 people from Juhaiman’s group entered the Grand Mosque under the pretext of attending the Fajr prayer. They were carrying several caskets with them and mosque guards were told they contained bodies. In reality, the caskets contained dozens of weapons that the group would later use to take over the Mosque.
Servants of Allah,
During the Fajr prayer, the group chained all of the Mosque’s doors and placed two guards at each door; several other militants stormed the microphone room and took control of the Mosque’s loudspeakers. Sheikh Muhammad Al-Subayyel, who was leading the prayer, said as soon as the prayer concluded, the group announced the appearance of the Mahdi. They said he had escaped from his enemies and was taking refuge inside the Grand Mosque. Juhaiman then introduced Al-Qahtani as “the awaited Mahdi and the redeemer of Islam.”
Juhaiman and his group then pledged allegiance of Al-Qahtani who asked the people to also do so while members of the group began firing gunshots in the air. The Mosque’s guards, who are not armed, tried to resist them but were shot and killed. A group of worshippers managed to escape from the Grand Mosque but others who tried to reason with the group and told them they were wrong were also shot dead.
Prince Naif immediately ordered the Grand Mosque to be surrounded and told officers not to engage in any contact with the group until the authorities had a clearer picture. Security forces began moving inside the Mosque complex and some of them managed to position themselves inside and waited for orders to attack. At the same time, Juhaiman’s group was trying to force all worshippers inside to pledge allegiance to the awaited Mahdi.
The then King of Makkah, Khalid met with Muslim scholars and briefed them on the situation. Scholars said surrender should be negotiated with the group and if they refused, then they should be forcibly evicted even if it meant killing them.
Meanwhile, Prince Naif had arrived in Makkah to personally supervise the operation and plans to liberate the Grand Mosque.
People and residents around the Grand Mosque complex were asked to clear the area due to the guns being fired by Juhaiman’s group from the Mosque’s minarets. Saudi security forces managed to identify their positions and the type of weapons they were using. Groups from the National Guard were brought in along with the armed forces in preparation to storm the besieged Mosque. King Khalid’s directives at that time were to give the group time to surrender and to ensure the safety of the innocent people stuck inside the Mosque. Saudi forces used microphones to ask the group to surrender and release the hostages but they refused. There were scattered clashes with the group and Saudi snipers were brought in to take out the snipers inside the mosque. The Saudi troops already positioned inside also began engaging Juhaiman’s group and forced them to release the hostages. Saudi troops forced the group to withdraw to the tunnels in the lower level beneath the mosque and they then took control of the roads leading to the tunnels.
Juhaiman and his group barricaded themselves in several rooms underneath the Grand mosque.
After five days of being surrounded, dozens of members in the group surrendered to the authorities. After the news of Al-Qahtani’s death began to spread, many other members laid down their arms and surrendered. On December 5, 1979, the Saudi Army and the National Guard laid out a plan to put an end to the siege. They started a final push and managed to isolate the group far away from the Ka’aba. Saudi forces then cut electricity and water to them. Some immediately surrendered while others continued to fight.
My Respected people, know that,
The report and the news about French, Jordanian and Egyptian forces participating in the operation to liberate the Grand mosque were not true. At the time, Saudi Arabia received many offers of help but they were all declined. King Khalid addressed the country’s security forces and the National Guard and thanked them for liberating the Grand mosque.
On January 10, 1980, 63 people who carried out the attacks were executed in several different cities while Juhaiman was executed in Makkah. The nationalities of the people that were executed are as follows: 34 Saudis, 9 Egyptians, 3 Kuwaitis, 6 Yemenis, 1 Sudanese and 1 Iraqi. Prince Naif said at a press conference after the incident that 19 people went to jail and 23 women and children were sent to juvenile centers.
Prince Naif also announced that 12 Saudi officers and 115 soldiers died during the operation. In addition, 402 officers and 49 soldiers were injured. Prince Naif said 75 members of Juhaiman’s group were killed during the siege. Fifteen bodies belonging to the group were later found in the tunnels underneath the mosque.”
My Respected Brothers and Sister,
Wallahil ‘Azeem this is one of the evils of khawaarij, the deceitful and foolish-minded people and dogs of hellfire. They attacked the grand Mosque in Makkah talk less of Masallacin Sarki (Emir’s Mosque) in Kano. The khawaarij, Terrorists and extremists are the people of misguidance, they make it Halaal to take the blood of people, and call them kuffaar (unbelievers). They perform takfeer (excommunication and declaring someone an apostate) upon ‘Uthman and ‘Ali and of a group from the pre-eminent companions and killed them – May Allah be pleased with all of them.
Verily, therein is indeed a reminder for him who has a heart or gives ear while he is heedful.
Allah is sufficient for us and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us). And in-shaa-Allah the days of evil-doers and their underground collaborators and sponsors are numbered. Just let’s keep praying sincerely, Allah the one that neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him is with us and He will surely not let the wrong-doers go unpunished.
Allah the Most High said:
“Consider not that Allah is unaware of that which the Zaalimuun (killers, murderers, mischief makers, wrong-doers, and evil-doers) do, but He gives them respite up to a Day when the eyes will stare in horror.” (Ibrahim, 14:42)
Servants of Allah,
We seek the ALLAH’S help and protection from their evil deeds. And may He SWT guide them and protect the Muslims and Islam from their misguidance. And we also seek refuge in Allah from the evil of what they are upon of ignorance, misguidance and scum.
All praise belong to Allah, may His peace and blessings be upon our final and beloved Prophet Muhammad, his family, his companions, and all those who follow his guidance.
O Allah! Guide us and protect us from the causes of ignorance and destruction! Save us O Allah, from the defects of our selves! Cause the last of our deeds to be the best and most righteous! And forgive all of us. I ask Allah (swt) to bless Nigeria with good leaders, peace, justice, stability, mercy and protectiveness, ameen, Yaa Ar-hamar-raahimina Yaa Rabbal ‘Aalameen.
And lastly, servants of Allah! Anything good I have said in my today’s khutbah (sermon) is from Allah the Al-Mighty, and any mistakes are my own and we seek refuge in Allah from giving wrong advice and from all forms of calamities and fitnah. And I ask Allah’s forgiveness if I stepped beyond bounds in anything I said or I do. With this, my beloved and respected people, I conclude my Khutbah (Sermon) and ask Allah again the Al-mighty and the Sublime to forgive all of our sins and failings. So seek his forgiveness, He is All-Forging, Most Merciful.
May the salutations and peace of Allah be upon our beloved Prophet, his family and his companions.
Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) has scored the President Goodluck Jonathan administration very low in many socio-economic political and security fronts which he said, Nigerians should consider to vote his government out in the 2015 general elections.
Fashola stated that change of leadership is expedient at the national level because Nigeria is too important both globally and continentally to be left in the hands of those who “play politics with the lives of her citizens.”
Addressing members of the Yoruba Tennis Club and their Island Club counterparts at their respective Club Houses in Onikan, Lagos, Governor Fashola said the national government, formed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has failed to provide its most important responsibility, which according to him, is the security of life and property of citizens and protection of the territorial integrity of the nation.
The Governor noted that Nigerians handed over a whole country to the ruling party in 2011 but regretted that the same party is now returning to Nigerians to ask for another leadership mandate with only part of the country, having lost some parts to insurgents.
“They are returning now to ask for our votes with only a part of the country that we gave them because some parts of the country have been lost to people we didn’t elect. So, in that most important responsibility, they have dropped the ball.”
Governor Fashola, who expressed dismay that the PDP has politicized everything, noted that nothing is too much for the party to sloganize about.
He accused the federal government of playing politics with the very sensitive issue of the more than 200 abducted secondary school girls in Chibok in Borno State.
The Governor also said that the PDP-controlled Federal Government has also orchestrated about how it made the country “the biggest economy in Africa”, wondering why smaller economies could provide electricity for their people while the self acclaimed “biggest economy” could keep her people in darkness.
“Please ask them why smaller economies could get petrol easily for their people and why we have to queue for hours and days to get petrol in a biggest economy in Africa,” the Governor said.
He also wondered why the so-called biggest economy in Africa is trying to buy arms from a smaller economy to secure the country.
He pointed out that the nation’s currency, the Naira, is now trading for N180 per Dollar while the South African Rand is trading at R11 to one United States Dollar.
According to Fashola, what matters is the quality of the life and prosperity of the citizens and not the size or number being bandied by the PDP-led government.
Governor Fashola tasked the people to figure out the last time the President went to present the Annual Budget in the National Assembly, an obligation which, according to him, is a constitutional one.
The Governor also said that the Federal Government also played politics with the Ebola Virus Disease containment as it almost turned the very grave situation into a political trophy.
Governor Fashola said that the All Progressives Congress controlled Lagos State Government has done well at many fronts including the Education, Security, Power and the financial sector in spite of the very precarious economic and security situation in the country.
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state has said that in the name of subsidy, large sums of money are being stolen from the nation’s treasuery, accusing the Federal Government of failing to account for about $30 billion that have accrued to Nigeria’s excess crude account in the last three years.
“Over the past 18 months, we have not shared the excess crude account and yet, the account is empty. Sometimes we are told they have taken money from it to fund subsidies including subsidy on kerosene but your royal highnesses, there is nowhere in your various domains where kerosene is sold for N50.
Governor Oshiomhole spoke today when he received members of the Association of Enegies from Edo South who paid him a courtesy call at Government House, Benin, the state capital.
The governor said Nigeria’s budgets for the past three years, have been based on the average of $77 and $79, while the average price of the country’s crude has been $108 per barrel, which gives an average surplus of $30 per barrel.
“Ideally, we ought to be saving $36 per barrel on the 2.3 million barrel a day over the past three years and if you look at these numbers you will find that what we have in our excess crude oil account should be over $30billion but as we speak, we have barely $3 billon in our excess crude account.”
Oshiomhole also wondered why the Excess crude Account is presently almost empty when proceeds from the account have not been shared for18 months now.
“Things are tough now around the country because the Federal Government mismanaged our national resources and what is being stolen, nobody agrees it is being stolen. What is arguable is who is responsible for this stealing. When the Federal Government and the President talk about oil theft and the amount that is allegedly stolen is huge such that whereas we have the capacity to produce about 2.4 million barrels a day, what accrues into the federal government account is less than 1.8 million barrel a day.
“From the last time we had a meeting, the handouts they distributed shows that sometime for a period of two weeks, we were losing as much as 700,000 barrels a day and that has been on for the past 12 years. I am not able to understand why, suddenly, Nigeria cannot protect its territorial waters because the boundaries have not changed and the people are still the same and at the peak of the so-called militancy, we were still exporting about 2 million barrels a day.”
The governor also wondered why the country is still losing so much to oil theft even after the issue of militancy in the Niger Delta has been addressed and ex-militants rehabilitated with some even awarded contracts.
“To the best of my knowledge, there is no major known person who has been prosecuted and convicted for oil theft in a way that reflects the magnitude of what is allegedly stolen,” he said.
The Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC, meeting for November had ended in confusion on December 16 as representatives of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory accused the federal government of not accounting for about $1billion(N168 billion) of excess crude oil money.
The Chairman of State Commissioners of Finance, Timothy Odaah, told reporters after the meeting that no state knew how the $1 billion difference reported in the Excess Crude Account balance, between October and November, came about.
The Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, later said the $1 billion said to be missing was used by the Federal Government to settle debts to petroleum products marketers.
Okonjo-Iweala did not say why the Federal Government dipped its hand in the ECA without the knowledge or consent of the 36 states.
The FAAC meeting is a monthly gathering of state finance commissioners and the federal finance ministry and the Accountant General of the federation, where federal oil receipts are shared between the federal and state authorities.
With falling oil price, the 36 states have turned more attention on the Excess Crude Account, which has depleted from more than $40 billion in 2007 to about $4 billion in 2014.
Governor Oshiomhole said Nigeria is presently suffering from dwindling oil prices because the country failed to save for the rainy day. He said such inability to save is what has led to the devaluation of the Naira.
“Already as low as N180 per dollar and I believe by February when the elections are over, nobody is going to want to hold the naira. Wherever the election goes, I expect that the naira will hit over N200 per dollar. The inflationary consequence of that is prices of everything will go up and part of the vicious cycle of the devalued naira in the manner that is being done is that the price of petroleum products imported in dollars will go up in naira and government will be asking people who are already poor to pay more money for petroleum products.
“I see this vicious cycle setting in and people are likely to get poorer and that will lead to more tension and we already have our fair share of insecurity,” he said.
Oshiomhole appealed to the visiting royal fathers to pray for the country, adding: “the year that is coming is going to be a very tough one. Pray for Nigeria, 2015 will be tough.”
The traditional rulers, who spoke through the Ogiegbaen of Egbaen, commended the governor for his efforts at developing the state, even as they pledged to continue supporting his administration.
Many airline operators may have capitalized on the Christmas celebration today by increasing air fares. The fare increase, which caught most passengers unawares left them stranded at the two domestic wings of Lagos airport.
It was discovered that the air ticket for an hour flight currently ranged from N30, 000 to N43, 000, depending on the carrier. This was against N18, 000 to N30, 000 a few days ago.
Officials of some of the airlines said the rush for tickets was more pronounced on Lagos, Enugu, Abuja, Owerri, Calabar and Port Harcourt routes.
The carriers currently operating commercial services in the country are Arik Air, Aero Contractors, IRS Airlines, Med-View Air and Overland.
Findings at the Lagos airports as well as enquiries from airline representatives showed that the average fare on the Lagos-Enugu route, which was less than 45 minutes, was N35, 000 as against N20, 000 about two months ago.
Similarly, the Lagos-Abuja route attracted an average ticket price of N40, 000. This was against an average of N24, 000 recorded some weeks ago.
On the Lagos-Port Harcourt and Lagos-Owerri routes, it costs between N38, 000 and N45, 000.
It would be recalled that rgw General Manager, Corporate Communications in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigera (FAAN), Yakubu Datti, had on December 11 advised Nigerians to make use of passenger service portals.
Datti said this was to help them plan their trips ahead in order to avoid last-minute stress.
He said the platforms empower passengers with tools to make the traveling experience seamless for them during periods when there is an upsurge in demand for air transports
Pope Francis has lamented that there are so many tears this Christmas even as he called for an end to “brutal” religious persecution, killings and hostage-taking in the Middle East and Nigeria as well as violence against children.
In his annual Christmas “urbi et orbi” message, Pope Francis denounced conflicts in Ukraine, Libya and elsewhere, the last week’s deadly attack against schoolchildren in Pakistan.
The pontiff said: “truly, there are so many tears this Christmas.”
Delivering his second Christmas blessing, the Argentine pontiff, visibly moved and departing from his text, said that vast numbers of children “are victims of violence, made objects of trade and trafficking.”
He asked Jesus to “give comfort to the families of the children killed in Pakistan,” referring to the 149 people, including 133 schoolchildren, killed in Peshawar by the Taliban.
Speaking to a large crowd massed outside Saint Peter’s Basilica, the pope urged Ukrainians to “overcome tensions, conquer hatred and violence and set out on a new journey of fraternity and reconciliation.”
He also addressed the violence wrought by Islamic State fundamentalists this year in Syria and Iraq.
“I ask him, the Saviour of the world, to look upon our brothers and sisters in Iraq and Syria, who for too long now have suffered the effects of ongoing conflict, and who, together with those belonging to other ethnic and religious groups, are suffering a brutal persecution.”
There were “too many displaced persons, exiles and refugees, adults and elderly, from this region and the whole world,” he said.
He called for peace in “the whole Middle East” and continued efforts toward “dialogue” between Israelis and Palestinians.
The pope too urged peace in Nigeria “where more blood is being shed,” as well as in Libya, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A senior Journalist in Abuja, and Media Assistant to Senator Bala Mohammed, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nosike Ogbuenyi, was shot and wounded by suspected armed robbers yesterday. Information reaching us indicated that the robbers trailed him from his office at Area 11 and snatched his official car, a black coloured 2011 model Toyota Corolla salon car at gun point. The incident took place close to Dantata overhead bridge along the Umaru Yar’Adua express road at about 7.00pm when Mr. Ogbuenyi was heading home from office. The suspected robbers shot him at close range on the right leg and is currently on admission receiving treatment at a hospital in Abuja. Among the items in the snatched car are two Samsung handsets, one Window 7 HP Laptop, two hard disc memory devices, three USB devices, one large photo book, bank documents, two ATM cards and office records. According to witnesses, the robbers headed towards Gwarinpa-Zuba road through Dantata bridge with the snatched car. The FCT Police Command has requested anyone who sees the car to report to the nearest Police Station.
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