NAHCON and 2023 Hajj: The facts behind the figures – Part 2

“… So whoever determines to undertake the Hajj (Pilgrimage) therein, then there shall be no sexual relations, nor ungodliness, nor disputation, during the Hajj. And whatever good you do, God knows it. Moreover, take with you your own provisions ‐ and, indeed, the best provision is to be ever God-fearing. ”

Brethren, in continuation of our sermon two weeks ago (August 4, 2023 precisely) examining the successes and challenges of the 2023 Hajj operations, we shall do a wrap up today. This becomes imperative in view of the timetable of 2024 Hajj exercise already released by the Saudi Arabia authority with September 16, 2023 as the take-off date for registration of intending pilgrims.

Besides, it is heartening to note that the protest spearheaded by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) against poor services generally, and particularly the tent crisis at Muna during the 2023 exercise has begun to yield fruits.

The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced strict penalties including heavy fines of SR500,000 for companies providing Hajj services without the necessary licenses.

The regulations come as part of preparations for the 2024 Hajj in order to uphold and enhance the quality of services rendered to pilgrims and also to curtail unauthorized service operations.

The Ministry said service providers are mandated to meet the standards set by the Ministry, with specific emphasis on offering high-quality services. In the case of failure to provide or if substandard services are offered, providers will be obliged to compensate the affected pilgrims.

As a living witness to the briefing held in Makkah on July 2, 2023, NAHCON Chairman Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan was point-blank cataloguing the infractions by the Saudi Arabian service providers. One of the major requests was the willingness of NAHCON to take over the feeding of Nigerian pilgrims, especially at Muna.

This request is motivated by the desire of NAHCON to maximise the economic benefit of Hajj through the exportation of goods and services.

This thinking was also reflected during the meeting the commission had with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) in Jeddah early this year expressing the need to explore the economic benefits of Hajj with emphasis on the importation of livestock from Nigeria for Hadaya (the sacrificial lamb slaughtered on the day of eid).

And in response to the September 16, 2023 opening of registration of 2024 intending pilgrims, the Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency has set September 1, 2023 as the date to begin collecting deposits from intending pilgrims.

Executive Secretary of the Agency, Dr. Yusuf Yakub stated this in Kaduna during a radio phone-in programme. He said the agency has set N3.5 million as initial deposit pending the final announcement by NAHCON.

Dr. Yusuf said efforts would be made by NAHCON and other stakeholders to ensure that the Hajj fare is affordable for Nigerian pilgrims.

With respect to affordable Hajj fare for Nigerian pilgrims, it’s important for the commission to strengthen its Hajj saving scheme initiated few years ago.

And the signal is looking bright. In one of the interactions with the media in Saudi Arabia during the just-concluded hajj, NAHCON Commissioner in charge of Policy, Personnel Management and Finance, Alhaji Nura Hassan Yakasai reiterated the agency’s commitment to further strengthen the hajj saving scheme for pilgrims to save gradually for the hajj.

According to him, sustaining the scheme will allow the commission to run a hitch-free hajj.

“Unless and until we, at least, improve in our organization and the only way we can improve is that at least, three months or four months to hajj, we know the number of people that are exactly coming and we also have their money. That will enable us to finish preparations two months ahead of the commencement of Hajj. So, this is the idea on why we brought the hajj savings scheme,” he said, assuring that preparations for the 2024 hajj will kick off in September this year. The NAHCON commissioner also hinted at the establishment of an African hajj Commission to cater to the peculiar needs of African contingents during the hajj.

“If we can come in block, we should be able to make sure that we made some impact on the whole hajj ecosystem and the processes. I believe that if we can be able to come in block, we will push a lot of things, we will be able to sit down with Saudi Arabia and then negotiate some things,” he said while making reference to the visit by the management of Ghana Hajj Mission to NAHCON office in Makkah where issue of collaboration among others were discussed.

Indeed, the major lesson from the last hajj especially from the perspective of airlifting (outbound and inbound) is the meticulous planning undertook by the commission of which its outcome is apparent.

Since room for improvement exists in every endeavour, it is expected that the NAHCON will not only consolidate the accomplishment but also break new grounds.

For the first time in a long while, the commission was able to ferry all the 95,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia in record time. The same feat was achieved during the inbound journey.

The remarks of the NAHCON Chairman on arrival in Nigeria on July 31 at the end of the inbound airlift summarised the experience. “There were some hitches in the sense that when we were starting the inbound to Nigeria, the slots were not accessible to Nigerian air carriers, but we were able to do what we did at the beginning. The outbound journey was for 28 days and now the inbound journey is also for 28 days despite the initial issues. Overall, we are grateful to Allah for having come to this successful end.”

May the Almighty continue to grant NAHCON and the entire Muslim ummah mercy from His own providence. And furnish us in our present circumstances, with right guidance. Jumu’at Mubarak.