Tajudeen Balogun
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has reiterated its call on State pilgrims welfare boards, agencies and commissions to ensure that intending pilgrims from the states paid the agreed N4.5 million
as a deposit for next year’s Hajj exercise.
NAHCON said the consented timeline for the deposit is 5th of next month.twenty.
Speaking with Freedom Radio Group, Kaduna Station, in Abuja, the Commissioner Operations of the Commission, Alhaji Abdullahi Magaji Hardawa said it was imperative to beat the deadline, as the Commission was determined to ensure that it worked within the Saudi timeframe of all arrangements for next year’s Hajj operation.
He stated that, from engagement so far with the Saudi authorities, it appears it is not going to be business as usual, hence, the need for intending pilgrims and their state handlers to hasten in meeting up all guidelines within the stipulated time limits.
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He fears that this time around there might not be waivers and other favours of extension of time by the Saudis, a privilege Nigeria had heavily relied on and was notoriously noted for in the past due to lacklustre approach to serious national and international matters.
The Commissioner, who acknowledged the hiccups of last year’s Hajj, particularly at Muna, said already the Commission’s officials would be leaving for Saudi anytime from next week to engage stakeholders in the Kingdom to ensure adequate space, security, proper feeding and other logistics for Nigerian pilgrims in the holy land during the Hajj rites, saying that they were determined to ensure that feeding of pilgrims at the Mushã’ir was reverted to state pilgrims boards, agencies and commissions, as was the practice in the past.
NAHCON, he said, would do everything humanly possible to ensure that pilgrims got good services for their money in all aspects possible.
Hardawa, restated that NAHCON, will be meeting with Nigerian aviation authorities to review Saudi aviation guidelines given recently and to map out strategy for engaging airlines that would be involved in the coming Hajj operation.
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