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Hajj 2019: We don’t collect pilgrims’ money for Hadaya, Kano clarifies

By Murtala Adewale, Kano
06 August 2019   |   2:38 pm
Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board reacted to alleged diversion of pilgrims' remittance of Hadaya (animal sacrifice) during 2019 Hajj. Addressing a press conference in the city of Madinah, the executive secretary of the board, Mohammad Abba Danbatta exonerated the board from the purported conduct. He insisted Kano pilgrims welfare board has neither demanded nor collected…

Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board reacted to alleged diversion of pilgrims’ remittance of Hadaya (animal sacrifice) during 2019 Hajj.

Addressing a press conference in the city of Madinah, the executive secretary of the board, Mohammad Abba Danbatta exonerated the board from the purported conduct.

He insisted Kano pilgrims welfare board has neither demanded nor collected any money from its pilgrims in respect of animal sacrifice
known as Hadaya.

Abba affirmed that Jaiz Bank was the only institution certified by the National Hajj Commission and Saudi authority to collect the Hadaya remittal, saying the board can not serve as an agent of the bank.

Abbas’s reaction comes after an alleged dubious act by some states board who collects money from pilgrims through an unauthorised agent.

A civil society organization that monitor Hajj and Umrah activities in Nigeria, Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), accused some states Muslim pilgrims welfare boards of hiding detail of pilgrim’s Hadaya for suspicious reasons.

In a statement jointly signed by its coordinator Ibrahim Muhammed and publicity secretary Abubakar Mahmoud, the IHR frowned at Hajj managers of Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Niger, FCT, and Yobe State for ignoring its Freedom of Information (FOI), request the number of intending pilgrims that paid for Hadaya.

The IHR said it “concluded all necessary arrangements to ensure that we monitor how pilgrims conduct their Hadaya this year. We are also aware that some states have collected Hadaya money from pilgrims without issuing them a receipt.”

It said the acts negate open transparency as it has begun identifying different methods used to scam pilgrims by some dubious agents in collaboration with top state pilgrims boards officials.

But Abba insisted that since Hadaya was not made compulsory, the board has not directed Kano pilgrims to remit money meant for animal sacrifice with the board.

Abba said it does not ask its pilgrims to pay since it is not an agent of Jaiz bank that is responsible for the collection.

“So for anybody to ask us to provide information in respect of what we don’t do or have control on, is not fare. What we do since it was said it is not compulsory, was to direct anybody that wanted to pay for Hadaya to go personal to Jaiz Bank and pay. We don’t collect and we don’t ask anybody to collect on our behalf,” Abba said.

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