Head of the Kaduna State delegation to this year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia, the Amirul Hajj, Engineer Suleiman Umar, has described this year’s pilgrimage as one of the best in recent years for the state pilgrims.
The Public Relations Officer of the board, Alhaji Yunusa Muhammad Abdullahi, said in a press release that Umar, who is the Emir of Lere, pointed out that the success story can be attributed to the patience of pilgrims and the diligence of the board, management and staff of the Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency.
The Amir Hajj, who was said this while visiting pilgrims’ accommodations in Makkah, listed the early airlift of pilgrims from Nigeria to the Holy Land as one of the successes recorded this year.
According to him, pilgrims were transported from Jedda airport directly to Muna in recent past, adding, ‘’This year, our pilgrims visited the holy places at Madina before coming to Makkah. The last batch even spent about five days before the trip to Muna.’’
The head of the delegation also praised the diligence of the Hadaya Committee of the agency, which ensured that pilgrims got a good discount on the rams that each pilgrim sacrificed.
‘’Ás a result of the good bargain and supervision of the committee members, 700 pilgrims that paid the equivalent of $150 each to the agency’s account in Nigeria, each got a refund of $50,’’ he added.
The Amirul Hajj implored the pilgrims to exhibit the same patience during the journey back home, adding that pilgrims that first arrived Saudi Arabia would be the first to be airlifted back to Nigeria.
While underscoring the significance of patience, he further said that the entire Hajj is built on patience, pointing out that each year brings its own peculiar challenges.
While acknowledging complaints about the shortfall of Basic Travelling Allowances(BTAs), where most pilgrims received $400 as against a few who collected $500, the emir promised to get to the root of the matter even after the pilgrimage.
Speaking during the interactive session, the Executive Chairman of the agency, Malam Salihu S. Abubakar, advised pilgrims to stick to the prescribed weights of luggage, adding that hand luggage should weigh 8 kilograms while the required weight of the carrier bag is 32 kilograms.
The Amirul Hajj, members of the board and management of the agency visited both male and female accomodations, where they also fielded questions from the pilgrims.
