Lagos State Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr Kadri Hamzat, have sponsored the compulsory medical screening for the 1,400 state’s intending pilgrims embarking on holy pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The gesture, in a statement yesterday, is in fulfilment of the governor’s directive that every pilgrim going for the spiritual and tedious exercise from the state must be certified medically fit.

Commissioner for Home Affairs and Amir-ul-Hajj, Ibrahim Layode, while speaking during the flag off of the medical exercise in Badagry Local Council Secretariat, Ajarah, said Lagos State placed premium on the wellbeing of the pilgrims, stressing that the decision to bankroll the screening was to relieve them of the financial burden after paying the huge hajj fare despite the current harsh economic situation in the country.

He said: “The governor and his deputy felt deeply concerned about the economic hardship in the country and decided to foot the bill of the screening to alleviate the intending pilgrims of the cost of the screening.”

The commissioner said that the results, which would be released after the blood and urine samples have been collected, would confirm their true health status and help to know how best to manage them during their stay in the Holy Land.

The Coordinator of the medical screening exercise, Dr Mazeedat Erinosho, said that others new tests, such as TB, E, U + Cr and so on, were added with a view to giving the intending pilgrims the benefits of knowing their health status and ensuring that they are medically sound before embarking on the spiritual journey as directed by the governor.

On his part, the Board Secretary, AbdulHakeem Ajomagberin, urged all the intending pilgrims to take advantage of the free medical screening exercise by participating fully, saying that this kind of opportunity provided by the governor and his deputy was unprecedented.