The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria has called on the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board and Tour Operators companies to step up awareness on the importance of Nusuk ID cards among the pilgrims.
The call was contained in a statement signed by Dr Aliyu Tanko, NAHCON Coordinator, Makkah, on Thursday.
The statement made reference to the earlier advisory on the use of the cards, as well as confirming that seven Nigerian pilgrims from two states were arrested in front of their hotels on June 5 and June 6, for not being in possession of their Nusuk ID cards.
Dr Tanko indicated that carrying the ID cards was important, especially now that Hajj activity is expected to intensify soon.
To this end, the Commission’s Coordinator called for mandatory possession of Nusuk ID cards, on arrival in Makkah from Mutawwif officials.
Dr Tanko stressed that carrying of the cards at all times is key, as they are the recognized means of identifying pilgrims and having access to the key areas during Hajj rites.
He urged pilgrims with smartphones to download the Nusuk app from playstore or iTunes stores, using their passport and visa numbers to activate digital copies of their Nusuk cards.
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Dr Tanko reminded pilgrims about penalties of not having Hajj permission, harbouring or aiding those without it.
According to him, the sanctions include: SR10,000 fine, six months imprisonment, deportation and banning from Saudi Arabia for 10 years.
Dr Tanko urged all SMPWB’s and Tour Operators to ensure that their pilgrims adhere strictly to the guidelines, so as to avoid any inconvenience or disruption in their spiritual journey.
Meanwhile, NAHCON said few Licensed Tour Operator Companies have approached it to facilitate additional transfers into their IBAN accounts to process more travel documents for their clients.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Commission’s Assistant Director Public Affairs, Fatima Sanda Usara, on behalf of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mallam Jalal Ahmad Arabi on Thursday.
Usara stated that the request was coming barely hours before Saudi Arabia suspended all visa activities for the 2024 Hajj and despite the fact that the Tour Operators’ association (Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators in Nigeria, solicited for extension of the registration portal to May 31, 2024.
She disclosed that NAHCON approved up to June 3, out of compassion, still, some of the AHUON members continued to plead for further extension of registration to the extent that certain payments were made as late as Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
“Without NAHCON’s intervention, please note that Saudi Arabian authorities would not have accommodated further visa processing for any category of Nigerian pilgrim up to this period. However, NAHCON did not turn away the Tour Operators’ appeals for additional payments knowing that they need to serve their clients to remain in business.
“Currently, out of 13,562 visa requests by the private Hajj operators, the Commission was able to intervene with the production of 12,277 visas for such operator companies that remitted their funds early and at the right foreign exchange rate. The remaining unprocessed visas correlate with those operators that paid their monies late.
“Hence, NAHCON accepted to accommodate late transfers with a caveat, that only deposits made by 5th of June will be honored. Additionally, after the payments, they are advised to stay in action until the Central Bank of Nigeria approves the Naira to Dollar Value rate upon which the private travel companies paid their additional deposits” Usara revealed.
The third measure Usara indicated was that if the funds value is commensurate with the CBN exchange rate, they must remain hopeful for the Central Bank to successfully transfer their funds into the IBAN account before closure of Hajj registration portal by the Saudi Arabian authority.
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