More than 400 golfers are set to compete in the Nigeria @ 65 Independence Golf Tournament at the Tukur Yusuf Buratai International Golf Resort and Country Club, Abuja.

The week-long tournament, organised to mark Nigeria’s 65th independence anniversary, will also honour retired and serving officers of the Nigerian Army.

The Chairman, Local Organising Committee, Dr James Agbonhese, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday that the tournament aims to promote unity, camaraderie and national pride.

“This is more than a sporting competition. It is a reflection of our national values; unity, perseverance, discipline and excellence,” Agbonhese said.

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He said the event would also feature the commissioning of new facilities at the resort, including a midway hut, a modern golf practice range, a back nine starter shed and a golf cart bay.

Agbonhese commended the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, Grand Patron of the tournament, for his unwavering support.

The Vice Chairman of TYB Golf Club, Dr Ali Peters, who represented the Club Captain, Maj.-Gen. Samson Jiya, said the event was a symbolic tribute to the military’s role in safeguarding national unity.

“As we celebrate, we must reflect on the legacy of our founding fathers and the sacrifices that brought us this far,” Peters said.

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He added that the new facilities would greatly improve the golfing experience for members and visitors.

Jummai Adamu, a member of the LOC, said more than 100 female golfers, including three professionals, would participate in this year’s tournament, reflecting golf’s growing popularity among women in Nigeria.

Tournament Manager, Mr Shola Adebayo, said the event would feature daily games, networking sessions and cultural showcases.

“It’s set to deliver not just top-level golf but an unforgettable experience for everyone involved,” he said.

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The tournament tees off on Sept. 27 and will conclude on Oct. 1 with a ceremonial tee-off.

Expected dignitaries include the DSS Director-General, Mr Oluwatosin Ajayi; Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, and Chief of Defence Intelligence, Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye.

Others expected are diplomats, retired senior officers and other distinguished guests.

An award ceremony will be held later in the day to crown the tournament champion and honour winners across various categories.

NAN

A Delta Airlines flight en route from Lagos, Nigeria, to Atlanta, United States, was forced to make an emergency diversion to Accra, Ghana, following a fire incident in the aircraft’s oven.

According to the spokesperson for the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, on Thursday, the incident occurred on Tuesday, 23 September, affecting Flight DL055, which had departed from Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

He said airline officials confirmed that while the fire was swiftly contained and posed no threat to passengers, the delay caused the crew to exceed their expected duty time, making them unable to continue the journey as scheduled.

Following the unscheduled landing in Accra, the airline initiated rebooking arrangements for stranded passengers. Some were accommodated on a Delta Accra-New York service the same evening, with further passengers rebooked on the following night’s flight.

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He said, “However, some passengers were rebooked on the airline’s Accra-New York flight the same evening, and this effort was repeated on Wednesday night for additional passengers.

“Flight DL055 LOS – ATL finally departed from Accra today, 25 September 2025, at approximately 1200 hrs.”

In a related development, Delta Airlines also cancelled its inbound flight ATL-LOS (Atlanta to Lagos) for Thursday, 25 September.
Though passengers were said to have been informed in advance, “The airline provided hotel accommodations and ground transport for those who still reported to the airport.”

To mitigate the disruption, the airline rebooked 23 affected passengers on Air France, while others were scheduled to travel via British Airways, KLM, and Lufthansa.

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The remaining passengers will be airlifted on Delta’s regularly scheduled flight tomorrow, 26 September, at 11:40 a.m.

He added, “Regarding today’s 25 September 2025 ATL – LOS arrival cancellation, although passengers were duly informed about the cancellation, the airline accommodated those who arrived at the airport by providing transportation to hotels as reported in the flight disruption this morning.

“Twenty-three passengers had been rebooked on Air France, while others would be airlifted on British Airways, KLM, and Lufthansa Airlines. The remaining passengers are scheduled to depart on the airline’s scheduled flight tomorrow, 26 September 2025, at 1140 hrs.”

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Contrary to earlier reports, the Air France flight from Lagos has not been cancelled and is expected to operate at 01:30 a.m.

“Air France flight has not been cancelled as speculated, but would operate at 0130 hrs. Kindly note that I am attending meetings in Montreal, but I have had to constantly leave the hall to make calls and get feedback.

“Follow-up continues. While wishing you safe travels, do not hesitate to reach out to me if there is a further need to,” Achimugu added.

The Nigeria Customs Service has announced the rescheduling of its recruitment pre-test for shortlisted applicants in the Superintendent Cadre, following what it described as “earlier challenges.”

In a notice released on Thursday, the Service said the affected candidates, who had previously received emails, had now been regrouped into four batches — A, B, C, and D.

“All shortlisted Superintendent Cadre candidates should use their NIN to check their Batch, Date, and Time via https://updates.customs.gov.ng,” the notice stated.

The Customs Service emphasised that compliance with the new schedule is compulsory, warning: “Strict compliance with your assigned Batch and Time is mandatory. Failure will lead to disqualification.”

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The notice further clarified that applicants in the Inspectorate and Assistant Cadres would be contacted separately.

“Inspectorate and Assistant Cadre applicants should NOT log in at this stage,” the Service added.

According to the NCS, the pre-test is not meant to determine recruitment outcomes but to help candidates get familiar with the online process.

“The Pre-Test does not affect your recruitment outcome; it is only meant to help candidates familiarise themselves with the system and aid proper planning of the exercise.”

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It also reassured applicants that there would be no changes to the earlier test link.

“All shortlisted Superintendent Cadre candidates should kindly note that the Pre-Test Link is the same as the one earlier sent,” the Service said.

The Customs recruitment drive continues to attract huge interest from Nigerian youths eager for opportunities in the federal workforce, making clarity around the process a top concern.

According to The PUNCH, the rescheduling comes after thousands of applicants were unable to access the portal during the September 22 test.

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Many had complained of repeated “500 Internal Server Error” and “Gateway time-out” messages, with some stranded for hours in cybercafés.

Several applicants took to social media to lament their ordeal. One user, Kiliya (@musa_kiliya), wrote that many candidates “could not access the site for about two to three hours, yet the site still did not open. Most cyber cafés were overcrowded.”

Another, Mario Twinsley, queried why the system failed to handle traffic, asking: “Who are your developers? Are they not aware of load balancing?”

The Customs Service later admitted the failure was due to heavy traffic and assured that technical teams were working to stabilise the portal.