The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has disclosed that it is engaging the relevant authorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with other countries, to explore avenues for reopening visa issuance.
This engagement by Nigeria and other countries is ongoing, while Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Passports announced that a total of 1,180,306 pilgrims had arrived from abroad through the Kingdom’s air, land, and sea entry points as of Tuesday, May 27.
According to NAHCON’s Assistant Director of Information and Publication, Fatima Sanda Usara, the engagement with the relevant Saudi authorities is aimed at enabling intending pilgrims affected by the recent visa closure to participate in this year’s Hajj exercise.
Usara stated that the Hajj Commission remains optimistic about a positive outcome and assured that once it is realized, NAHCON would immediately transport the affected pilgrims to Saudi Arabia under a special arrangement.
“NAHCON wishes to reassure intending pilgrims affected by the recent visa closure that the Commission, along with other affected countries, continues to engage with relevant Saudi authorities to explore avenues for reopening visa issuance, enabling affected pilgrims to participate in this season’s pilgrimage to Makkah.
“There is optimism for a positive outcome, and once that is realized, the Commission will immediately transport the registered pilgrims for Hajj under a special arrangement. To facilitate this, a few NAHCON staff remain on the ground to address necessary issues,” she stated.
NAHCON further informed that FlyNas, the Saudi-based airline approved for the airlift of Nigerian pilgrims this year, has officially concluded the conveyance of pilgrims under the government quota with the airlift of Kebbi State pilgrims on Tuesday.
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The Commission disclosed that a total of 41,546 Nigerian pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj exercise since the commencement of outbound airlifts on Friday, May 9.
According to Usara, FlyNas was initially scheduled to return to convey Kebbi VIPs and a few remaining pilgrims today (Thursday).
“Leading the Kebbi State contingent were the State Amirul Hajj, Malam Faruqu Aliyu Yaro, and the Executive Secretary of the Kebbi State Pilgrims Welfare Board, accompanied by 402 Kebbi pilgrims,” Usara stated.
She added that a special flight was scheduled for today (Wednesday) to transport the NAHCON Chairman/CEO, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, and key officials of the Commission.
Twenty-two pilgrims who were previously unable to travel due to various reasons — including 13 from Nasarawa State, three from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and six from Kaduna State — are among today’s passengers.
In addition, UMZA Aviation is scheduled to operate two private flights for tour operators on May 29 and 30, with other VIPs also expressing interest in joining the flights.
In another development, the General Directorate of Passports announced that a total of 1,180,306 pilgrims had arrived from abroad through the Kingdom’s air, land, and sea entry points as of Tuesday, May 27.
It stated that of this number, 1,115,663 pilgrims arrived through airports, 60,365 via land border crossings, and 4,278 through seaports.
According to the Saudi Gazette newspaper, the directorate also reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to facilitating entry procedures for pilgrims by equipping all international ports with advanced technologies operated by highly trained, multilingual personnel.
In a related development, the newspaper reported that the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance has launched a 24/7 toll-free helpline (8002451000) to respond to pilgrims’ inquiries and provide religious edicts (fatwas) related to Hajj.
According to the Saudi Gazette, the service offers religious guidance in 10 languages: Arabic, English, French, Turkish, Urdu, Indonesian, Bengali, Hausa, Amharic, and Hindi.
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