WITH just a few days to the commencement of this year’s hajj rites, it is imperative to examine the performance of the coordinating body, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), thus far in some of the critical aspects of hajj operations.
Airlift
Since the commission kick-started this year’s flight with the successful inaugural flight at Umar Musa Yar’Adua Airport, Katsina, on the 10th of July, the commission has left no one in doubt that it is committed to discharging one of its onerous responsibilities of having prompt and uninterrupted airlift of Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. In this regard, the approved carriers, namely, Max Air, Medview and Flynas, have been the keys to the success of the operation.
With the deployment of arrays of their wide-body aircraft to ferry pilgrims in their numbers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it was not surprising that with about 20 days to the closure of the Saudi airspace, the three airlines have jointly ferried over 10,000 pilgrims to either Jeddah or Madinah in such a little space of time. One can succinctly describe the performance of the airlines as outstanding.
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Accommodation
If the reports and assessment of the pilgrims, state officials and the neutrals are anything to go by, then the commission deserves to be rated excellent in the area of housing provided to the pilgrims in Madinah, especially where the commission holds the ace.
The serene and hospitable accommodation in notable and famous five-star hotels in the Sanctuary City has been the best thing to happen to the country’s contingents in recent years, a situation which has drawn envy from the otherwise famous hajj countries of the world.
Here, the pilgrims literally experience the world of glamour and opulence many had never before come across in terms of modern facilities.
Indeed, so far, all Nigerian pilgrims are being accommodated in five-star hotels in the exclusive Markaziyah area of Madinah.
Feeding
NAHCON has focused on delivery of standard feeding arrangement for the pilgrims. Despite the difficulty involved in feeding of a multitude, the commission has done tremendously well in providing both continental and local dishes to the pilgrims with the staff members of the commission monitoring and supervising feeding arrangement from the preparatory stage up to the final consumption.
Staff/state officials
In fact, one of the keys to the outstanding success recorded so far in the course of Hajj 2019 is the commitment of the staff members in the various aspects of the operations. The officials have been channeling their passion for the operation by ensuring that pilgrims get the right attention, information and services. Aside from this time, the synergy and chemistry between NAHCON and state officials have been great. Unlike previous years, this year, all of the airlifted pilgrims are accompanied by officials, right from the first flight to the last one.
Although there is still a lot of business to be done if the objective of Hajj Mabrur is to be achieved, thus far, the commission can roll out the cymbals and, like the agama lizard, nod its head in self-praise – even if no one else will do so.
This year’s hajj is all about the pilgrims and the nation, and not of placing emphasis on the welfare or well-being of VIPs and government officials alone, which had been the case in the past. This is all due to the grounded team of NAHCON and state officials.
Ubandawaki is of the Information and Publication Unit of NAHCON.