The announcement was made on Thursday.

Consequently, tomorrow will mark the beginning of the holy month. Also, the Hajj pilgrimage for 1445 AH-2024 will commence on Friday, June 14, with the day of Arafah falling on Saturday, June 15.

With the development, the Muslim biggest festival, Eid Al-Adha, will be observed on Sunday, June 16, 2024.

The Arafat Day, which precedes the festival, will fall on June 15.

Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court had on Wednesday called on all Muslims across the Kingdom to participate in the sighting of the crescent moon of the Arabic month Dhu Al Hijjah.

This action is expected to help determine the commencement of the new and last month of the Hijr and also the day the festival falls on (Islamic) calendar.

Eid Al Adha, the biggest Islamic festival falls on the 10th of Dhu Al Hijjah.

Eid ul-Adha is celebrated by Muslims all around the world on the tenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah (the twelfth month of the Islamic lunar calendar)

It is the second major Islamic festival celebrated by Muslims after Eid-ul-Fitr.

In a statement delivered by his spokesperson, Dele Alake, on Wednesday, Tinubu addressed reporters following the observance of the Eid-el-Kabir prayers at the Dodan Barracks prayer ground in Lagos.

Emphasizing the importance of unity and cooperation in the pursuit of a better Nigeria, Tinubu appealed to Nigerians to set aside ethnic and religious differences.

”May our sacrifices turn to prosperity. We have to make the sacrifices and that is clear, we have to. But Allah will not give you a burden that you cannot carry. He is there for us. We must have faith in the country. Have faith in ourselves, believing that as citizens of this country, we must join hands to build the nation”, he stated.

The announcement was made by Dr. Oluwatoyin Akinlade, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, in a statement released on Monday in Abuja.

Dr. Akinlade emphasized the significance of the occasion, highlighting the virtues of obedience, sacrifice, and faith demonstrated by Prophet Ibraheem (Peace of Allah be upon him).

She called upon Muslims and all Nigerians to embrace these values and contribute to the growth and development of their communities and the nation as a whole.

Expressing optimism, Dr. Akinlade expressed her hopes that the prayers and sacrifices made during this joyous celebration, along with the message of Eid-el-Kabir, will foster peace, unity, and progress throughout Nigeria.

Similarly, some buyers told our correspondents that ram prices had gone up, lamenting that it might deny them the privilege of killing rams for the celebration.

At the popular Kara market along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, many Muslim faithful lamented that as the festive day drew near, the possibility of them getting rams to kill was becoming slimmer.

A seller, Abdulrazaq Ibrahim said, “I get my rams from Adamawa State. Last year, I transported them with N600,000 but this year it is N1.6m. That is why the one of N90,000 last year has increased to N170,000 this year. The amount we spend bringing these rams here from the North is the reason they are so expensive this year and not many people can afford them.”

Another seller, Awwal Abdullahi, said, “I do not believe the removal of subsidy led to this increment. I sold over 1,500 rams to top government officials last year, but this year I have been selling two or three per day which I’m not happy with.

“I get my ram from Yobe State and I pay N500 on each ram for carrying them but it has increased to N950 this year. The size of the rams also is a factor. Last year, I carried them for N1m but this year it has increased to N1.8m. The least of my ram is N300,000.”

For Kunle Moshood, he said the high cost of fuel affected the business as transporters demanded more per ram.

He added, “Payment for transportation per ram last year was cheaper but this year is higher. The increment amounted to pay N1.5m compared to the N800, 000 we paid last year. I have not calculated the increase in price tags of their feeds such as: Soya beans, Kowa and Jusa which are exorbitant.”

The sellers said the increase in the price was responsible for the low sales.

Meanwhile, buyers lamented the increase cost of the rams.

One of the buyers, who preferred to be called Oluwagbenga for personal reasons, stated that the prices of rams were currently twice the amount they were sold last year.

He said, “It’s surprising that last year I bought two rams and each cost N80,000. Today, I came to the market to buy just one as I have heard the outrageous prices of ram. On getting to Kara, it has really increased as the seller told me he could only sell what I bought for N80,000 last year for N300,000 after haggling from N350,000.”

He added that the spike in the prices was as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy by the President Bola Tinubu which had also worsened inflation.

“I don’t believe the subsidy has affected the prices, is it a ram subsidy? Even if it’s getting high it shouldn’t be more than N100,000,” he added.

Another buyer, Sade Adelowo, corroborated Oluwagbenga’s position, saying, “I came from Ikotun and I encountered gridlocks. On getting here, I was shocked to hear the prices of rams. Surprisingly, the size of ram I bought for N60,000 last year, I begged to get it for N100,000 this year.”

Many of the buyers and sellers called on the Federal Government to quickly look into the hardship caused by the fuel subsidy removal.

Recall that the NCDC had last week confirmed a case of the dreaded SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in the country.

NCDC Head of Risk Communications Division, Dr Yahya Disu, gave the warning when he appeared on ‘Sunrise Daily’ a programme on Channels Television.

While giving this warning, Disu attributed the spread of the COVID-19 second wave pandemic in the country to the number of people who travelled for Christmas last December.

Disu said, “Before now, we knew the third wave was going to be inevitable. Third wave is about having an increase in the number of cases. We have had an increase and decrease in the number of cases before now. So, the third one is starting but what is important is what we are able to do to ensure that we are able to reduce it.

“More importantly, Sallah is coming when people just travel and that makes the risk higher in villages, in different parts of the country. So, we need to warn people: they don’t need to travel if it is not necessary, you can celebrate where you are. During Sallah, we go to the mosque in large numbers, but this is the time we need to be very cautious.

“We are working with religious organisations. The second wave in Nigeria started because of Christmas, because people travelled for Christmas. So, we can avoid it, we can learn from it. A life that we lost is very important for every one of us, it could be anybody. So, it is not worth it to lose a life because we want to celebrate Sallah or Christmas.”

According to a statement signed by the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President made the pledge while addressing reporters after observing the Eid-il-Fitri prayers at the State House in Abuja on Thursday.

The statement was titled, ‘President Buhari Pledges Action Against Bandits’ Threat To National Food Security.’

The President who hoped for a good rainy season this year said “the law enforcement agencies are working hard to regain confidence against bandits so that we can go back to the land. This is very important.

“This is what the agencies are busy doing right now. We want people to go back to the land so that we can get enough food for the country and even export.”

“We are working very hard. We are hoping Nigerians will understand the problem. Nigerians know at what stage we came in in 2015, what state we are today both on security and the economy and we are doing our best.”

He commended the National Assembly for its support, saying emphatically that “the National Assembly is cooperating very well. Within the resources available, they are certainly giving us priority on our (military) requests.”

The Nigerian leader made an appeal to the nation’s elite to show a better appreciation of the problems facing the country.

“The elite should make the attempt to understand the military. If we order for weapons and armored vehicles, it takes time for the manufacturers.

“It takes time to ship them and when brought here eventually, they are taken to training institutions, train the trainers before sending them to the field. This is a very long process.

“I expect Nigerians to be more understanding on the issues involved, looking at time and available resources”, Buhari added.

The CAN Chairman, Kano State chapter, Reverend Adeolu Samuel Adeyemo, stated this in a Barka Da Sallah message to Muslim faithful in the state.

He said, “Our dear Muslim Umma, it is our sincere prayers that God will rescue all those in the kidnappers’ den, and the shedding of young innocent blood will come to an end in Nigeria.

“The entire Christian community and the Christian Association of Nigeria, Kano State chapter, rejoices and congratulates our Muslim brothers and sisters, His Royal Highness the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero; and His Excellency the Governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje; for the successful completion of the Ramadan fast.

“We must not relent in prayers for the peace and security of our nation. Let us continue to live lives that reflect the gains of Ramadan.

“Let us commit ourselves to loving our neighbours irrespective of tribe and religion, and let all of us be agents of peaceful coexistence, united on all fronts to defeat our common enemies.”

WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

“As we approach the Eid Al Adha feast, there is also increased risk of transmission as a result of social and religious mass gatherings.

“Any decision to restrict, modify, postpone, cancel, or proceed with holding a mass gathering should be based on a standardised risk assessment, and should be part of a comprehensive approach taken by authorities to respond to the pandemic,” Al-Mandhari said.

WHO remarked that under-reporting of cases is a challenge as testing for COVID-19 in Africa remains low by global benchmarks but capacity has expanded significantly.

It added that about 7.7 million tests had been performed in Africa since February.

“The number of tests performed per 10 000 population as of mid-July was below 100 in 43 countries out of the 54 assessed. This must improve,” the organisation said.

It noted that although infections are on the rise across the continent, the trend is varied. Nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa have reported a decline in cases over the past three weeks, according to the health body.

Gabon and Mauritania have made significant progress with the time it takes for case numbers to double increasing.

In Djibouti and Tunisia, very few cases have been reported in recent weeks, and most were imported. In Egypt, one of the hardest hit by COVID-19, a decline in cases has been observed over the last five weeks.

WHO said it was supporting countries to respond to COVID-19 by providing technical guidance, crucial medical equipment and has remotely trained more than 72, 000 health workers and partnered with regional and national professional associations to build on existing capacity.

WHO added that, “Through an online supply portal, WHO, other United Nations agencies and partners have also organized shipments of more than 650 requests of key equipment, including more than 2,400 oxygen concentrators to 47 countries in the region.”

The President also reiterated his call on citizens to continue to exercise patience and understanding over the inconveniences, especially the regulations on places of worship.

In his Sallah message to Muslims on Thursday, ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, the President said the outbreak of the coronavirus has made it difficult for people to gather in places of worship as they are used to, urging worshipers to abide by the guidelines for safety of their lives, and loved ones.

“The coronavirus has had devastating adverse impacts on our social, economic and spiritual lives.

“The preventive guidelines we have introduced to contain the spread of this deadly disease have unfortunately limited people’s freedom to gather and worship in large numbers in Mosques and Churches.

“Every measure that has been introduced to contain this disease may have its unintended consequences on the daily lives of our people, and I, therefore, call on Muslims and other faithful to continue to show more understanding with the government as we take correct steps to protect our people through the social distancing,” the President said.

He added: “No elected government would intentionally take away its people’s religious freedom by limiting the number of people that will gather in worship centres at the same time.

“The guidelines are dictated by necessity in order to safeguard public health and should, therefore, not be perceived as infringement on people’s right to worship.”

Commended the sacrifices of Muslims and Christians in abiding by the COVID-19 guidelines for the good of society, the president gave the assurance that his administration would continue to provide economic reliefs to the people.

“On our own part, we shall continue to provide economic reliefs to the people to minimize the unintended hardships these guidelines have inflicted.”

The President also reminded worshippers that COVID-19 is a worldwide affliction which has forced places of worship around the world to be shut down.

While wishing Muslims a happy celebration, the President called on worshipers not to forget the symbolic significance of the sacrifices of the Eidel Kabir.

“Muslims should imbibe the noble virtues of our great prophets in order to establish closer connectivity between religious teachings and practice,” he said.

“We can create the greatest impact by putting into practice the noble teachings of our religion. In whatever we do in life, we must put the fear of God in our daily activities to make our society better.’’

Speaking further, the President reminded Nigerians of his efforts to root out corruption in the country, stating that the efforts had so far brought a lot of changes in the country’s polity.

He appealed for more support and understanding as investigations are carried out on both legacy and fresh cases.

The Governor who through his official Twitter handle @jidesanwoolu convey his Sallah message to Lagosians noted that he was inspired by the viral video of the unidentified boy asking his mother to ‘calm down’.

Explaining further, Sanwo-Olu said he was inspired “because of the deeper meaning it conveys,” urging residents to “calm down.”

The Governor in the series of tweet also expressed his willingness to meet the unidentified boy, but he didn’t disclose why he wants to meet him.

“As an aside, I would like to meet the young boy since we both now have exclusive rights to the phrasal verb ‘calm down’. Slightly smiling face,” Sanwo-Olu said.

In the video, the boy is seen appealing to his mother to “calm down and rest a little,” evoking laughter from social media users.

He also tells his mother to pardon him, saying “this is my last chance,” a phrase that provokes further laughter.

He said: “I saw a video of a charming young boy online asking his mom to ‘calm down’ as she was set to punish him for a misdemeanour.

“I was moved by his sobriety, which reflected in his promise of “last chance”, when confronted with the fact that he is a regular offender.

“The exchange was indeed funny, but it depicted the efforts parents put in moulding children into responsible adults. I want to assume that his mom indeed calmed down because the appeal was moving enough to make anyone change their mind.

“Interestingly, the video inspired this special message to the good people of Lagos State because of the deeper meaning it conveys.

“Fellow Lagosians, we need to ‘calm down’ as we enjoy the coming holiday and festivity.

“It is a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim’s heart of sacrifice and faith in Allah. We need to emulate and demonstrate his sense of self- restraint at this time the world is combating the scourge of #COVID19.

“We need to be moderate in our celebration and observe prescribed protocols towards defeating the deadly coronavirus. The world needs the responsibility and commitment of its people to oust coronavirus.

“I urge every Lagosian to ‘calm down’ and not get carried away. Like the rest of the world, we are still in the middle of a pandemic and need to remain extremely careful to keep the gains of the sacrifices we have all made in the past months. Let’s calm down!”