The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria said it had transported 57,616 out of the 76,000 Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the 2013 Hajj within 18 days.
Alhaji Abdullah Muhktar, the National Commissioner in charge of Operations, announced this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ibadan, Oyo State on Tuesday.
Mukhtar said that the commission transported the pilgrims in 118 flights out of the slated 152.
The commission, which had its inaugural flight from Maiduguri, Borno State on September 14, is expected to conclude the flights by October 9.
Muhktar said the deadline for transportation of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia was October 9, ahead of the Arafat on October 14 or 15.
He assured Nigerians and the remaining 18,384 prospective pilgrims that they would be transported to Saudi Arabia before the close of Saudi’s airspace.
The commissioner said this year’s Hajj was so good “that everything went on smoothly beyond our imagination”.
He added: “Everybody, including the airlines, the pilgrims, the state welfare boards as well as other Hajj operators, cooperated with the commission for the success so far recorded.”
Muhktar also expressed appreciation, on behalf of the commission, to President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo as well as the national Amirul Hajj for their support.
NAN reports that due to the early transportation of the pilgrims, 50 per cent of them were taken directly to Medina, as against Jeddah in the past, to ease their difficulties.
Before now, pilgrims from Nigeria had to travel by road from Jeddah to Medina, a distance of over 600 kilometres.
Nigeria’s allocation and those of other countries were slashed by 20 per cent due to the ongoing expansion of Ka’abah in Makkah.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
