The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman Pakistan, disclosed this on Freedom Radio Kaduna, Hausa programme, Barka Da Warhaka.
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The Chairman stated that the Vice President would be making the trip, to perform the annual religious rite as a Muslim and also to personally supervise the Hajj exercise to see and assess how it would be handled by those saddled with its responsibility, instead of relying on third party information, saying this could aid in guarding against being misinformed by particularly those who see nothing good in any, other than themselves, a situation that has given Hajj operations in Nigeria negative narratives year-in-year-out.
Speaking on the ongoing arrangements for this year’s Hajj, Professor Abdullahi Pakistan said everything was on course as already provision for over seventy thousand pilgrims from the ninety five thousand Saudi approved Nigeria’s quarter has been made.
He expressed delight that the measures taken so far have tamed the annually astronomical rise in the cost of the yearly religious ritual, saying more reliefs were still being expected for this year’s intending pilgrims from some charges and taxes intending pilgrims used to pay some government agencies during previous operations.
He further stated that, though the time frame for payment of Hajj fairs had lapsed, nonetheless payment are still being accepted to a particular date the Commission kept to itself after which no payment would be accepted.
The Chairman disclosed that the Saudi authorities have introduced new dual health measures – Health Service Providers – for pilgrims which all participating countries would abide by either.
The two categories of Health Service Providers are, the all encompassing Health Service Provider, in which all health matters of pilgrims, from supervision, diagnosis to treatment and medicaments would be exclusively handled by Saudi health officials, doctors and hospitals, while the other Provider would play supervisory role only in which the Saudi health officials would ensure conformity and adherence to laid down health laws, rules regulations and guidelines for pilgrims, saying Nigeria, in the meantime, opted for the second Health Service Provider, due to the high financial implications of the first measure.
Professor Abdullahi Pakistan advised state pilgrims welfare boards, agencies and commissions to strictly adhere to the Saudi health guidelines on pilgrim’s health condition to ensure that only healthy and able bodied persons embarked on the pilgrimage to guard against fatalities and casualties.
The NAHCON Chairman was optimistic that the Hajj Saving Scheme which is the exclusive preserve and responsibility of states pilgrim handlers under the supervision of the Commission, would ease and simplify Hajj affairs in Nigeria if diligently handled and operated, saying the floodgates of the scheme would be plunged open for more Banks inclined to Islamic guidelines on banking and investment to participate in the scheme, hoping in few years Nigeria would become, Indonesia, or Malaysia in Hajj affairs.
Professor Abdullahi Pakistan said the Commission welcomes constructive criticism and well intentioned advices that would improve service delivery to the Nigerian pilgrim in particular and the Muslim Ummah in general, advising against mischief, unguarded utterances, and unfounded allegations against the Commission or its staff, as these vices benefit neither the detractor himself, nor Islam, or the Muslim Ummah.