Don’t jeopardise Nigeria’s participation in 2022 hajj, group cautions N/Assembly

THE Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), an organisation that monitors and reports hajj activities in Nigeria and in Saudi Arabia, has urged the National Assembly to suspend all actions capable of jeopardising the participation of Nigerians in this year’s hajj.

The IHR, in a statement signed by its national coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammad, said recent moves by the Senate and House of Representatives to amend the National Hajj Commission of Nigerian (NAHCON) Act as it relates to the operation of the commission’s Hajj Savings Scheme (HSS) were coming at a wrong time.

The organisation said it acknowledged National Assembly’s constitutional responsibility of making laws or performing oversight functions but the sudden interest of the lawmakers in the scheme constituted a threat to the certainty of intending pilgrims in the country performing hajj this year.

The IHR’s statement reads in part: “The Senate, sequel to a motion sponsored by Senator Ibrahim Danbaba (Sokoto South, APC), is planning to amend the law to compel NAHCON to domicile all funds accruing to the Hajj Savings Scheme in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) instead of commercial banks.

“Earlier, the House of Representatives had directed NAHCON to suspend the implementation of the Hajj Saving Scheme after one of the lawmakers raised a motion for the investigation of the scheme.

“Independent Hajj Reporters believes that the timing of this bill will hamper the operational system, alter hajj activities and adversely affect this year’s pilgrimage.

“Our appeal for the suspension of any action that can create operational challenges is centered on the interest of the 2022 intending pilgrims who are not party to the current administrative and legal squabbles.

“Further actions on how to make hajj operations a success in Nigeria can be reactivated after the 2022 hajj without disrupting the hajj industry.

“Since 2019, our dear intending pilgrims had paid to travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to fulfill the fifth pillar of Islam. Unfortunately, COVID-19 shattered their hope of performing hajj at the time they desired to do so.

“It is interesting to note that thousands of intending pilgrims’ hajj fare is currently domiciled in the Hajj Saving Scheme in Jaiz Bank. Therefore, suspending such scheme now will definitely affect the 2022 hajj pilgrims because of limited time.”

The group noted that according to a timetable released by Saudi Arabia General Authority of Civil Aviation, the airlift of this year’s pilgrims would begin on May 31, saying this leaves Nigeria and other hajj-participating countries less than 30 days to complete preparations for the transportation of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.

IHR said subjecting NAHCON or states Muslim pilgrims welfare boards’ officials to other engagements would create distractions that might jeopardise preparations for the holy pilgrimage.

The body urged the two chambers of the National Assembly and all hajj stakeholders in the country to work towards a seamless conduct of hajj this year for the sake of intending pilgrims who had deposited nearly N2.5 million each to enable them perform the pilgrimage.

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