The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria on Wednesday said it had
transported more than 29,000 intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for
the 2015 Hajj.
The Director of Public Affairs of the commission, Alhaji Uba Mana,
said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
Mana said the commission had also recorded 74 flights to date.
He said: “Flynas, Medview, Kabo, Skypower, Max, Topbrass and Donia
airlines, among others, are involved in transporting the pilgrims from
Kaduna, Lagos, Gombe, Ibadan, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Dutse, Abuja and
Kastina to Saudi Arabia.”
He said some of the pilgrims were transported direct to Madinah and
others to Jeddah, adding: “Those taken to Jeddah will move to Madinah
from the airport as vehicles are stationed at the airports for that
purpose.”
He said the commission had secured 57,000 visas out of 66,000 required
for the pilgrims, assuring that the remaining 8,000 pilgrims would be
ready before their schedule flights.
The director said although the commission anticipated problems with
the E-track system introduced by the Saudi authorities, which must be
strictly complied with before securing visa was discovered to be
faster.
Mana said the airlifts would be concluded before the September 17
deadline, adding: “The airlift is hitch-free and has not encountered
any flight delay.”
He advised the intending pilgrims not to expose themselves to the sun
during day time, adding: “Intending pilgrims are advised to take
excessive water.
“We were informed Saudi Authorities that the weather will be extremely
hot, about 40-44 degrees Celsius.
“Pilgrims should take precautionary measures to avoid sun.”
Mana also warned female pilgrims to move in groups and to avoid
unfamiliar areas.
They should also avoid using unmarked taxi cabs for their safety, he said.
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