By Donald Ugwu and Ignatius Okorocha

Rev. Fr. Uche Secundus Ogu has advised Christians to embrace the virtue of suffering as a necessary condition for obtaining salvation.
Ogu, the Parish Priest of St Andrew Catholic Church, Orozo, FCT, gave the advice during his homily at the Harvest and Thanksgiving Mass of Christ the King Catholic Church (CKC) Kurudu, on Sunday.

This is even as the host Parish Priest of Christ The King (CKC) Kurudu,Very Rev. Fr. Thaddeus Chike Dim has admonished Parishioners to give generously to God in thanksgiving for all they received from his through out the year, for God rewards a cheerful giver.

Continiuing Fr Ogu noted that the notion being spread by some preachers that Christians were not meant to suffer was both unscriptural and deceitful adding that Christ endured suffering and recommended same for the salvation of mankind.
“Jesus was the first to undergo torture and persecution for faith. He was scourged and crucified by soldiers for us but he accepted the condition in order to fulfill the will of God,” he said.
The cleric noted that virtually everyone passes through trials and other excruciating difficulties which often threaten their faith in God.
He, however, explained that such conditions did not mean that God has abandoned His children.
“Suffering prepares one for eternal life. When you fall, strive to rise again from the ashes of destruction, or despair because when Christ decrees “it is finished”, Christ has taken away your shame, sorrows and weaknesses.
“Christ went through both physical and spiritual torture through which He brought comfort to sinners.”
Reflecting on the theme of the Harvest and the luturgy the priest noted that very many persons destroy their relationships with God by the way they indulge in immoral conducts.
Ogu reminded Christians to always bear in mind that their bodies are temples of God and should strive not to defy God’s temple.
“Ask God for mercy when you defile your body and do not pretend that your pleasures will not deny you a place in the heavenly kingdom on the last day.”
According to him, couples who always fight, beat up their spouses or spit causes against their spouses and children desecrate God’s temple.
The priest enjoined Christians to give necessary attention to their souls as they attend to their bodies because “inside appearance of your soul is better than polishing the outside.
“If you polish your body, also polish your soul as practical Christianity is when you give your entire life to Christ.”
On the Harvest he said it was time to thank God for helping to build the church.
“If you are a Christian and you want to grow higher you have to give to God.
“When you give, blessings come and if you do not give, blessings cease.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and everything is added unto you.”
In a remark to appreciate the worshipping community and the visiting priest, Rev. Fr. Chike Dim (OCD), the CKC parish priest reminded all that God does not abandon anyone who sows seeds

By Abdul-Ganiyy Akanbi

A faith-based Civil Society Organization, (CSO), in the Hajj and Umrah Industry, the Independent Hajj Reporters, IHR, has once again appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the 36 state governors to bail out Nigerian intending pilgrims from missing out on participating in the 2026 Hajj.

The group, in a statement signed by its national coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammad who is currently attending the 5th Hajj and Umrah conference taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, said that any amount approved as a loan will be refunded to the state governments immediately after pilgrims pay their fares.

It lamented that is the first time in 20 years that the Nigerian Hajj quota is being slashed from 95,000 to 66,000, warning that further reduction is looming.

“The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has given the Nigerian Hajj authorities two weeks (14 days) to make all necessary payments for its allocated slots as was done by other countries.

“The Ministry threatens to further reduce the Nigerian Hajj quota from the downgraded slots of 66,000 to 50,000 if the Nigerian Hajj Mission fails to comply with the requirements,” the IHR stated.

It, therefore, urged President Tinubu to help rally state governors to immediately approve a loan that will cover the allocation to their states and to also make the funds available to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON to enable the commission to make the necessary payments within the specified period.

“Failure to assist will demote Nigeria from one of the major Hajj participating countries, and the country will permanently be placed on 50,000 slots because other countries are currently applying for an increase in their quota,” the statement said.

IHR recalled that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, had set December 21, 2025, as the deadline for payment for Mashaa’ir Camp fees on Nusuk Wallet while January 4, 2026 was scheduled for all Hajj participating countries to finalise payments for camps and services, noting that the process of making payments on the Nusuk app takes time.

It explained that the situation becomes critical because its finding reveals that the number of intending pilgrims that have so far registered falls below 20,000 nationwide, putting NAHCON in a difficult position.

The CSO noted that the “late and sluggish pre-Hajj preparations contributed to the decline in numbers of registered pilgrims, coupled with our penchant to always wait till the tail end of the month of Ramadan before pilgrims will be rushing to make payments.”

By Abdul-Ganiyy Akanbi

National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has announced a downward review of the 2026 Hajj fares for intending pilgrims from the country showing significant reductions across different zones.

This was even as the commission added that previous slots allocation to states no longer stands, saying “it is now a matter of states that remit their Hajj fares earlier will secure slots for their registered number of pilgrims based on first-come-first-served.”

The decision for downward review of the Hajj fares, according to a statement signed by the NAHCON’s Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations, Fatima Sanda Usara, on behalf of the Chairman/CEO, Prof. Abdullahi Saleh Usman, was reached after extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders and the necessary approval from the appropriate authorities.

Details of the review show that intending pilgrims from the Maiduguri/Yola Zone, which were previously asked to pay
N8,118,033.67, will now pay N7,579,020.96

Similarly, those from other parts of the
Northern Zone will now pay N7,696,769.76 instead of N8,244,813.67 charged in 2025.

Also, intending pilgrims from the Southern Zone are to pay N7,991,141.76 against the previous year’s N8,561,013.67 fare.

According to the NAHCON, “the revised fares were computed based on an exchange rate of N1,443 per US Dollar.

“Consequently, intending pilgrims from the respective zones will enjoy reductions of N539,013, N548,043.91, and N569,871.91 respectively.”

It, however, advised the intending pilgrims to complete their Hajj fares remittances by December 5, 2025 due to
time constraints and payment framework by the authorities of Saudi Arabia.

“This is to accommodate all transfers to NAHCON’s IBAN account before Saudi Arabia’s deadline. The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has set 21st December as deadline for transferring of all funds for basic services contract and has vowed not to extend the date,” the statement stressed.

It also revealed that “transfers into IBAN accounts take between 10 days to two weeks before being credited which may be impossible to beat without the deadline shifted earlier, which is the 5th of December.”

In his submission at the meeting between NAHCON and states held on Monday in Abuja, the Chairman Forum of States, Alhaji Idris Al-Makura called on his members to conclude their assignments in Saudi Arabia on time and return to Nigeria immediately to mobilize for Hajj registration, considering the seriousness of the time condition given to the country to fill its quota for the 2026 holy pilgrimage.