Malam Abba Limawa, 52, a Nigerian pilgrim from Dutse Local Government Area of Jigawa State, has returned 10,500 Russian rubles, $800 and 690 Saudi Riyals he found to the authority in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the pilgrim handed over the different currencies on Wednesday in Makkah.
Limawa handed them over to the Executive Chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Malam Jalal Arabi, during the post-Afarat conference.
The pilgrim explained that he found the money inside a waist bag while on his way to pray at the Masjid Haram (Mosque).
He said: “Initially, I wanted to ignore the waist bag and move to the Mosque, but on a second thought, I said it might belong to a Nigerian, especially some of our old women.
“So, I decided to pick it, and I proceeded to the mosque
“When I returned to my accommodation, I opened the bag and discovered that there was no Nigerian currency and no sign that it belonged to a Nigerian.
“Immediately, I approached one of the officials of the Jigawa State Pilgrims Welfare Board, narrated the story and presented the money to him.
“From there, he commended me for showing exemplary character and honesty and told me that he will handover the money to the NAHCON to ensure that the owner gets his or her money.”
Responding, Arabi commended Limawa for being honest and projecting the image of Nigeria positively at the international arena.
Earlier, in his presentation on the outcome of the just concluded Hajj ritual, the NAHCON boss explained that the aim of the post-Afarat conference was to review what had transpired.
He said: “This will enable us to have a sincere postmortem of what we did at the battle field and improve on the success recorded.”
Arabi disclosed that the Saudi Arabi Government had released the time-table and timeline for the 2025 Hajj operation on Tuesday.
He said: “Perhaps by Thursday, we will have known what they allocate (Hajj slots allocation) to each nation of the world, how the visas will commence.
“But interestingly, for the first time, they (Saudi authority) have opened the e-portal as of Tuesday.”
Arabi, therefore, called on the States Pilgrims Welfare Boards, Tour Operators and all other stakeholders to take note of the development.
Also, the Head of Aviation of NAHCON, Malam Goni Sanda, said three flights carrying pilgrims from Kebbi and Nasarawa States and the Federal Capital Territory will take off to Nigeria on June 22
Source: The Eagle Online