FOR the second consecutive year, no foreign pilgrims will perform the Hajj this year in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sunday Tribune has learnt.
According to the Arabian government, the decision follows the restriction it placed on the 2021 Hajj programme, which allows only 60,000 citizens and residents of its country to participate in the spiritual exercise.
Reporting the decision of its government to the public recently, the Saudi Arabia’s state-owned news agency (SPA) stated that the decision to bar foreign pilgrims from the Hajj programme was to prevent the spread of the deadly Coronavirus pandemic.
“Those wishing to perform the hajj must be free of chronic diseases and be vaccinated,” SPA said, adding that, “In light of what the whole world is witnessing with the coronavirus pandemic and the emergence of new variants, the relevant authorities have continued to monitor the global health situation.”
It will be recalled that in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, only 1,000 Saudi citizens and residents were allowed to perform the Hajj, which findings revealed, has been a major revenue earner for the country, earning it about $12 billion per year. In its response to the 2021 restrictions on the programme, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) said it respects the country’s decision and accepts it as Allah’s divine design.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NAHCON, Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan, said that the commission’s officials in Saudi have confirmed the cancellation of the 2021 Hajj for international pilgrims, just as he commended the resilience and the support of the Nigerian intending pilgrims in the long and tortuous wait for Saudi’s decision.
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