By Olugbenga Salami

A faith-based registered civil society organisation, CSO, the Independent Hajj Reporters, IHR, has renewed its call on the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON and the State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards, SMPWBs to refund N19,228,000,000 excess payments made by more than 44,000 Nigerian pilgrims during the 2025 Hajj exercise.

According to the group, each pilgrim is entitled to an average refund of about N400,000 to N437,000, following a discrepancy between the exchange rate used to calculate the 2025 Hajj fare and the actual rate at which service payments were made.

IHR, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammad and released on Monday, said, “now that the 2026 Hajj is about to begins and 2025 Hajj accounts reconciliations has been completed, NAHCON should initiate prompt refund of the excess amount paid by 2025 Hajj pilgrims who registered before the official deadline.”

It recalled that the 2025 Hajj fare was pegged using an exchange rate of N1,600 per dollar, resulting in Northern pilgrims being charged $4,704.18 and their Southern counterparts $4,908.18, leading to overall costs exceeding N8 million.

The group, however, added that by the time NAHCON made payments for services between February 13 and 15, the official exchange rate had fallen to N1,507–N1,520 per dollar, leaving an unspent balance of about N80,000 – N93 per dollar per pilgrim.

It said that the exchange rates throughout February and March did not exceed N1,507 – N1,535 when the entire Hajj service payments were made, estimating that N437,000 is due to about 44,000 pilgrims who paid in full before the February 10 deadline.

The group also noted that NAHCON had previously acknowledged the possibility of refunds, stating it would act after the completion of the 2025 Hajj reconciliations, and therefore, urged immediate action now that NAHCON and SMPWBs have reconciled the 2025 Hajj operational accounts.

“We understand that the 2025 Hajj fare was computed using higher estimated rates to avoid the possibility of asking pilgrims to pay more. The payment for services was eventually affected with a lower exchange rate below the projected sum.

“Other countries where overpayments occurred have already refunded their pilgrims. Nigeria should do the same as a mark of transparency and accountability,” the group stressed.

IHR emphasised that the refund would help the affected pilgrims recover part of their expenses, especially given the economic challenges many faced in performing the pilgrimage.

It further urged NAHCON and the SMPWBs to jointly process the refunds and ensure timely disbursement to all eligible pilgrims.

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By David Owei, Yenagoa.

‎Coaches and Technical Officials of the Niger Delta Games would benefit from a training programme planned to improve their efficiency ahead of the 2026 Games.
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‎Sir Itiako Ikpokpo (KSM) Managing Director of Dunamis Icon Limited, the Managing Consultant for the Niger Delta Games, announced this on Channels Sports on Sunday.
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‎Responding to a question on how the games organisers plan to sustain the discovery of talents in the years ahead, Ikpokpo lamented the poor remuneration of coaches and wondered how their employers expect them to travel to communities to identify new talents.
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‎“We are working with partners, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and specifically for this event only, the Nigeria Local Content Development and Management Board to organise a workshop in January for Coaches and Technical Officials.”
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‎He urged governments in the states and at the federal level to fund sports the same way they are funding road and hospital projects.
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‎“For us to make any impact in sports, government must invest in sports infrastructure. It is good to build roads and hospitals, and it is also important that we invest in sports infrastructure.” Ikpokpo challenged the governments.
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‎Continuing on the challenge of infrastructure deficit, Ikpokpo, who is the chairman of the Delta State Athletics Association, lamented that schools are built in Nigeria without provisions for sports grounds.
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‎“The schools are the cradle of sports development, yet we have people building schools with no sports facilities.”
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‎He promised that the 2nd NDG scheduled to take place in Benin, the Edo State capital, will be an improvement on all fronts than the last edition.

By Magnus Chukwudi, Port Harcourt

President Bola Tinubu has called on public servants to uphold accountability in service to build trust, as he conferred the ‘Distinguished Award for Excellencein Infrastructure Delivery and Sustainable Regional Growth’, on the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, and other outstanding leaders.

Speaking at the third edition of the Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service, NEAPS, held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, the President warned that weak sanction systems and lax oversight often fuel cynicism about governance.

President Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, said the excellence award initiative would challenge officials to raise standards because “they know the people are monitoring them.”

He observed, “The unsystematic enforcement of law and institutional mechanisms for holding civil servants and public officials accountable will always lead to a negative impression on the citizens.

“I wish that leaders would arise and stand up to be counted among leaders who have distinguished themselves to do the right thing and leave their footprints on the sands of time.”

The President argued that public service is a trust that must be exercised with “responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency,” adding that officers are expected to think creatively to solve citizens’ problems.

He observed that the excellence award organised by The Best Strategic Media in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation “relies on performance indices, not politics, to select honourees.”

The President said: “These awards are born out of empirical evidence of performance and not politics,” he said, commending recipients drawn from federal and state institutions, including some governors and ministers.

Speaking on the award, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Ogbuku, remarked that it showed that Nigerians appreciated the work the NDDC was doing in Nigeria’s oil-rich region.

He thanked President Tinubu and the NEAPS award committee for the honour, reaffirming his commitment to sustaining the pace of development and transforming the Niger Delta region.

Ogbuku noted: “This award serves as a motivation to continue driving the sustainable development of our region. We will continue to serve the needs of the people and enhance the quality of life for them.”

“This honour calls for more hard work, and we will not rest on our oars until we satisfy the yearnings of the people of the Niger Delta region and take development to the nooks and crannies of the region as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu’s administration.”

In a congratulatory message, the Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, described the award conferred on Ogbuku as a testament to the innovations and progress, he brought into the management of the Commission.

He stated that Ogbuku was rightly chosen for the prestigious award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to nation-building, dedication to fostering progress and unrelenting pursuit of excellence.

Ebie noted: “The activities of the current Board and Management of the NDDC now resonate with the people of the Niger Delta region and beyond.”

The Chairman of the NEAPS Advisory Committee and a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Justice Mary Odili, observed that service excellence must never be taken for granted, stating: “Excellence in public service is a value we must continue to uphold.”

The NEAPS 2025 awards were presented to 44 distinguished Nigerians, in categories that include excellence in infrastructure service delivery, urban renewal, financial innovation, digital innovation, outstanding reform initiative, security management, transparency and open governance. ###.