Three days to the commencement of this year’s Hajj, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has expressed satisfaction with the facilities put up at Muna, also known as Tent City, by the Saudi Arabian authorities ahead of the arrival of pilgrims as from Thursday evening.
The Hajj body also assured Nigerian pilgrims of its readiness to ensure they enjoy their stay during the period of the Hajj, which is the fifth pillar of Islam.
The NAHCON Deputy Coordinator for Makkah, Alhaji Alidu Shuti, expressed satisfaction with the facilities, on behalf of the commission’s Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan, when he led some officials of the Hajj body to inspect the level of preparation for the Hajj exercise.
Speaking with journalists after inspecting the facilities, including toilets, kitchens, waste management vehicles, among others, Shuti expressed satisfaction with what the tram saw on ground, saying that there were a number of unique differences in what was on ground now.
According to him, NAHCON field officers to take care of Nigerian pilgrims had been on ground for between three and four weeks trying to put every things in place with a view to taking care of the pilgrims.
“I have gone round and seen the services being prepared for the pilgrims. If you see the toilets in the past and you see them now, you will see that there is facelift from what it used to be. Even the arrangements, everything is in order,” Shuti said.
He said part of the improvement was the reduction in number of a team of pilgrims to throw stones at the Jamarat from 250 to 90.
This, he said, “will allow pilgrims guides, those to guide the pilgrims to be able to give them effective coordination and efficient services. This is part of what makes 2022 Hajj a unique one in terms of administration.”
He informed that to ensure the pilgrims were able to perform their act of ibadah (worship) very well, NAHCON had engaged the services of notable Ulamas to teach them (pilgrims) what was expected of them during the pilgrimage.
“The pilgrims are coming to the Kingdom (of Saudi Arabia) for ibadah and this takes place at Mashai. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria has engaged notable scholars, nitabke Ulamas who are versed in Islamic knowledge.
“These Ulamas have been moving from one hotel to the other teaching our pilgrims of what is expected of them when they are performing Hajj Mabur,” he said.
Shuti added that, “I want to assure the entire (Nigerian) contingent to 2022 Hajj that NAHCON has perfected arrangements to make sure they enjoy their stay in the Kingdom.”
He, however, the Nigerian pilgrims to not only fear Allah but also be good ambassadors of Nigeria in Saudi Arabia and urged them to obey the rules and regulations of the host country.
“The advice I want to give the entire Nigerian pilgrims to the 2022 Hajj is for them to fear Allah. The best preparation is the fear of Allah. Fear Allah in your ibadah, you fear Allah in your relationship with your fellow pilgrims.
“And most importantly, I want to urge them to be good ambassadors of Nigeria in this Kingdom of Saudi Arabia because we are guest of Allah here. And as guests of Allah, the host country has rules and regulations.
“We must try as much as possible to conduct ourselves in tandem with the rules and regulations of the host country,” the NAHCON Makkah Deputy Coordinator advised.
and then