By Ignatius Okorocha

The Christian Mothers of Christ the King Catholic Church(CKC) Kurudu in Abuja Archdiocese celebrated this year’s Mothers Day in grand style,featuring Match-pass competition between four zones in the organization, comprising A,B,C and D and Queenship Competition.

The uniqueness of this year’s Mothers Day celebration was the emergence of zone D of the organization under the leadership of Mrs Chika Ihejirika in the highly competitive match-pass led by Mrs Francisca Nkiruka Okorocha,the Commander of the group which won the Trophy in 2025 and again this year as overall winner in both Match-pass and Queenship Competitions.

The group which appeared in Airforce attire, displayed experty in Match-pass attracting the commendations of the Judges, guests and spectators at the occasion.

Speaking on the zone’s victory at the competition, the Commander of the group, Mrs Okorocha attributed their success to their absolute trust in God, Blessed Virgin Mary and hard work.

Another key attraction at the occasion was the hosting of award ceremony and fund raising, where deserving women, parish leaders, and community role models were honored for their excellence in leadership, service, and motherhood.

The event which began with a solemn Holy Mass officiated by a visting Priest,the Parish priest, Very Rev Fr Thaddeus Chike Dim and one of his Associates , Rev Fr Cyril Udom also witnessed the active participation of women at the Alter Service,Choir and church wordering. The occasion which was mainly to celebrate women, saw women occupying half of the seats in the church.

Speaking on the uniqueness of this year’s Mothers Day celebration in an interview with the Publisher of Daily Echoes Media, Mr Ignatius Okorocha, the Parish Priest, Rev Fr Thaddeus Chike Dim, said Mother’s day celebration is a special Day in the Catholic church calendar that comes once a year,”when we honour those special creatures we call our Mothers.”

According to Fr Dim,”Women are endowed with all kinds of gifts from God . God uses them to continue his creation to bring into this world children. They are really special creatures of God and they deserve every honour and respect and celebration that we should give to them.
So,as we celebrate them today, it is a thing of great joy to really celebrate these women that we call our Mothers.”

We noticed the absence of some women of this parish in the midst of the Catholic Women Organization(CWO) of this parish, What could be the reason behind their absence?

We know that to be a Mother is actually not easy,so many of them go through a lot of difficulties and looking at the situation in our country ranging from high rate of inflation, lack of money or purchasing power etc. So many families are going through a lot of difficulties, so, for one reason or the other, there are some of the mothers who are not here.

This set of mothers would love to be here but due to the situation in the country, they could not make it but when you look around and see the number of women here you will see that yeah, its a great day, we are happy that we are celebrating our mothers.

As the Parish Priest of this parish and Chaplain of the CWO in the parish what is your advice to the mothers?

I wish to advise our Mothers to place their trust in God. The situation we find ourselves in Nigeria today,requires serious trust and commitment in God. The situation we are passing through in our country is a phase and it will come to pass. It will not always be there. What is more important this time around,is to remain faithful to God. You know with that resilience in women which make them go through difficult times and then as Nigerians we are people of strong character and strong resilience,we can cope with the situation. I would say, hold on, hold on by God’s grace and God’s intervention it will certainly pass away and those of them who remain faithful to God,will win at the end. That is a promise that is made to us in the scripture. So, my main advice is ,”Yes things are hard now but it is not always going to be like this. Remain steadfast, trust in God and keep on praying because prayers help us pass through difficult times, it brings about hope and other graces that will help us overcome this moment. We will look back and we will have cause to glorify God when we have conquered it.

Also reacting on the Mothers Day celebration in CKC Kurudu Parish, CWO President, Mrs Christiana Ijeoma Okwuduba said,”Today’s Mothers Day celebration is amazing, it is overwhelming and it is a beautiful outing. I thank the lord and I thank my amiable CWO sisters for making today’s outing a spectacular one. Indeed we are happy and I am really happy.

As an outgoing CWO President, what is your wish for the incoming successor?

My wish for my successor is for her to do better than I have done during my administration as the President of CWO of this parish because there is this saying that every mother prays that her child does more than she has done. I have no doubt that the little I have done to the glory of God and the help of our Mother Mary, my prayer and wish for our next President is that she is going do more than I have done and to the glory of God.

One thing that surprises some of us is that during CWO election don’t nominate a candidate for the election rather somebody volunteer’s to stand in to be elected. Why is it so?

Yes, that is the criteria for CWO election in Abuja Archdiocese. In the past before we got to this level, we nominate candidates for election and when a person emerges winner of the election, she ends up not working.if you asked them they gave excuses that they never wanted to be nominated to contest the Presidency. They feel that they were forced to contest the position. So, our then Chaplain, (late)Rev Dr Willy Ojukwu now said, going forward that anybody who thinks that she can do the work of CWO President must bring herself out for election so that when you bring yourself out you know that you are sure of doing the work of God. You know what you have committed yourself to do for God and you follow it up. So, that is why the CWO election is not by nomination . Anybody who feels that she is led by God and that she can do it without any persuasion from others can stand in for the election can come out to be elected.

On this year’s event, Queenship Competition appears to have added colour to the year’s Mothers Day celebration and it appears CWO used it as fund raising event. Do you have any project insight? Having actualized the purchase of your long expected Bus?

Yes we have purchased our Bus but we still have an outstanding amount to the clear the debt for the cost of purchasing the bus and to the glory of God, I will be out of office as president of CWO kurudu without any debt in my name because with what has happened here today i am going to clear the little outstanding from the purchase of our bus.
After that, depending on how much we have, the new Exco may wish to acquire some Pews for our Parish while leaving some amount for carrying out any other project they may wish to carry out for the progress of the organisation and that of the parish.

By Abdul-Ganiyy Akanbi

Nigeria has airlifted about 70% of its registered pilgrims for the 2026 Hajj, with operations continuing smoothly across departure centres nationwide.

Data from the Hajj Gazette 2026 Hajj Tracker shows that 27,293 pilgrims have already arrived in Madinah and Makkah. The flights were operated by Flynas, Air Peace, MaxAir, and UMZA Aviation Services.

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, is coordinating the exercise alongside state pilgrims’ welfare boards and licensed private tour operators.

Private operators have also stepped up their airlift, moving many of their registered pilgrims to Saudi Arabia ahead of the core Hajj rites, which begin on the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah.

Stakeholders attribute the steady progress to improved coordination between Nigerian authorities, airlines, and Saudi officials, as well as early preparations by operators.

The ongoing airlift is part of NAHCON’s broader effort to ensure a hitch-free Hajj while complying with Saudi Arabia’s strict operational guidelines.

Saudi authorities have reaffirmed the “No Hajj Permit, No Hajj” policy, warning that only properly documented pilgrims will be allowed access to the holy sites.

The airlift is expected to continue in the coming days until all registered Nigerian pilgrims and officials are transported for the 2026 Hajj.

By Olugbenga Salami

The Independent Hajj Reporters, IHR, monitoring team has commended the Bauchi State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board and other stakeholders for a well-coordinated and seamless airlift of pilgrims from the Bauchi zone for the 2026 Hajj.

In a statement signed by IHR National Coordinator Ibrahim Muhammad, the team said it observed a high level of dedication and organisation from the Hajj camp to the airport throughout the exercise.

Officials, it noted, maintained order and efficiency, ensuring smooth movement of pilgrims during departures.

The IHR singled out Executive Secretary of the board, Imam AbdulRahaman, for his hands-on leadership, saying he was consistently present with pilgrims and personally accompanied them to the point of boarding at every stage of the airlift.

It also praised NAHCON zonal officials in Bauchi for their strong commitment to coordination.

According to the team, the use of uniforms, identification tags and clearly defined roles by Bauchi officials improved coordination and made it easier for pilgrims to identify and seek assistance.

Operational data showed steady progress over several days. On May 6, Umza flight UY3507 departed Bauchi for Madinah with 481 Plateau pilgrims, bringing total airlifts to 6,493 across 15 flights.

On May 7, two flights—UY3509 and UY3511—transported 958 pilgrims from Bauchi and Plateau, raising the total to 10,576 pilgrims across 25 flights.

Flight UY3513 on May 8 airlifted 479 pilgrims, while UY3515 on May 9 conveyed 485 Bauchi pilgrims. By May 10, flight UY3517 departed with 476 pilgrims, including one from Jigawa State.

Cumulatively, 16,932 pilgrims had been airlifted in 40 flights as of May 10, which the IHR described as a highly efficient and coordinated exercise.