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2024 Hajj: NAHCON organises prayers for security, prosperity in Nigeria

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) today seized the opportunity this year’s Arafat Day to organise a national prayer session for security and prosperity in Nigeria.

The 2024 Hajj reached its climax today with over one million, eight hundred pilgrims from across the world and some Saudi locals, including Nigerian pilgrims, converged on the plains of Mount Arafat as part of their Hajj rites to seek Allah’s forgiveness and divine intervention in their lives both on earth and in the hereafter.

The prayer session, which was held in one of the tents of NAHCON, commenced at 3 pm Saudi time (1 pm Nigerian time) and had members of the Ulamas team to this year’s Hajj, the Hajj commission’s staff and management.

In his opening remarks, NAHCON Chairman/CEO, Malam Jalal Ahmad Arabi, expressed to Allah for the successes achieved so far in this year’s Hajj as well as for making it possible for all those present at the prayer session and other pilgrims to be alive to witness another Arafat Day and attending the prayer session.

Arabi submitted that it was grace all had to not only be at Arafat this year but also found worthy to perform Hajj despite the initial challenges witnessed back home.

The chairman called on all stakeholders in the Nigerian Hajj industry to continue to partner with NAHCON and make useful suggestions to the commission for the benefit of Nigerian pilgrims and all.

Prayers were offered by selected Ulamas in English, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Fulani and Kanuri for peace to reign in Nigeria in the face of the current spate of insecurity facing the country.

They further prayed for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice-President, Senator Kashim Shettima, leadership of the National Assembly, state governors as well as other leaders for them to be able to steer the ship of Nigeria successfully to the promised land.

Speaking with journalists after the prayer session, Arabi asserted that the digital Hajj introduced this year by the Saudi Arabian authorities was the best for all.

Speaking against the backdrop of what happened last year when illegal pilgrims took over facilities provided for legal pilgrims at Muna, the NAHCON boss said the digitalisation of the processes this year was the best for everyone.

According to him, “If we are talking about last year or the previous years, we could have seen faces of people who are not supposed to be here. With the new technology, you can’t be here unless you are a pilgrim and a genuine one.

“What people tend to forget is that any illegible pilgrim that has found his way here is displacing an eligible pilgrim. In other words, all the pilgrims that are here paid their money for the services.

“The money they paid includes where they will sleep, the bus they will ride and the food they will eat. So imagine people coming and along the way displacing a person that has paid.

“That is a cheat but part of this innovation that was introduced that you have to have a card that gives you access for coming; you have to carry your visa, which will be scanned to come in before even getting to your accommodation, the bus, that is labelled in so many ways.

“With the much improvement in the services in the tent, you will know that if you do this according to plan, you are bound to have your space and enjoyment without any hindrance. So the digital Hajj introduced will be the best for everybody.”

Determination, the spirit of teamwork and patriotism, is not an indictment in any way today of our predecessor, we came in with a different strategy to see whether we getting other results and thinking positively. Collectively we have out all that it is in the table until we get a result.

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