Saudi authorities have yet to provide a breakdown of the nationalities of the 769 Muslim pilgrims they say were killed in the hajj stampede, but a number of countries have announced the deaths of their citizens.

The death toll given below by foreign officials and media is now 990, well in excess of the Saudi figure. The tallies also show another 615 people as unaccounted for:

By Abiodun Alade Follow @Biodunpen The perceived cold war between the presidency and the leadership of the Senate seems to be over as President Muhammadu Buhari and Senate President, Bukola Saraki exchanged pleasantries at the Independence Day ceremony at the Aso Rock Villa.

He made the declaration in his speech at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna, during activities to mark the country’s 55th Independence Anniversary.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Thursday urged Nigerians and Lagosians to cooperate with their respective governments at the federal and state levels, assuring that both governments are determined to take the country and state to new heights in infrastructural development, economic prosperity and security of lives and property.

Alhaji Ibrahim Dahiru, the Public Relations Manager, Max Air Ltd., on Thursday said the airline had returned 4,000 pilgrims who performed the 2015 Hajj to Nigeria. Dahiru told NAN in Kano that the pilgrims were transported back to the country in seven trips while the eighth flight was preparing to take off tonight.

In their usual style Awolowo hall residents also known as ‘Awo Boys’ of the Obafemi Awolowo University celebrated the Nigerian Independence at 55, it was a scene to behold as Awo hall guys were seen on a combination of Green white and Green, they sang in their top voices and celebrated a unique country in a unique way.

NAN recalls that the Chairman of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr Sam Amadi, recently told the Senate that the commission ordered the refund after series of complaints from AEDC customers. Croucher noted that the issue of over-billing was a legacy problem, which the company was currently working hard to address.

One of the enduring topics of debate over Nigeria’s nationhood is the question: was Nigeria’s amalgamation a mistake? In 1914, Sir Frederick Lugard amalgamated the Colony of Lagos and the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria with the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria. Thus, hitherto independent and culturally exclusive kingdoms, such as the Sokoto Caliphate, the Igbo hinterland, Oyo Kingdom, Benin Kingdom among a host of others, were forcefully brought under one political and administrative umbrella under the British Crown.

The Group Head, Energy of First Empire Group, Mr Dimeji Oganla said 80 percent of infrastructures in Lagos State are built by private individuals who have little or no knowledge of infrastructural development which is why low quality houses are sold at exorbitant prices.

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), yesterday, denied playing any part in the process that led to the issuance of Nigerian Visa to the wanted ISIS chief, Ahmed Al Assir in Lebanon, even as it said two men connected to Al Assir, who he was coming to visit in Nigeria, had been arrested in Kano and immediately handed over to the National Security Adviser, General Babagana Monguno (rtd).