THE chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Niger State council, Mr Abu Nmodu, has called for the participation of more journalists in the dissemination of hajj activities for effective and efficient media coverage.
Nmodu made this call when he led other officers of the NUJ in the state on a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of the state Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Umar Makun Lapai.
He called for a provision that would allow journalists to participate in hajj operations.
According to him, many other states had made adequate provisions for the participation of members of the Fourth Estate in hajj operations hence the need for Niger to also toe this path.
The state NUJ chairman said the aim of the visit was to introduce the new executives of the union with a view to cementing the relationship between the two organisations.
In his response, Alhaji Makun Lapai described the conventional media as the epitome of responsible journalism and propellers of peace as against promoters of fake news on social media.
He noted the board under his leadership had been media-friendly and would continue to be.
According to him, the board, which had the largest number of hajj pilgrims in 2019, is recognised as a leading hajj management body in the country.
Makun Lapai, who put the number of the board’s outstanding hajj pilgrims at 1,968, noted that the board had suspended the collection of new hajj fares until further instructions from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
He, therefore, warned members of the public to be wary of fraudulent individuals inviting them for fresh hajj registration in the board’s name.
He disclosed that the board had returned about N1.2 billion to 834 pilgrims that could not perform hajj in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Makun Lapai, who underscored the importance of media in societal development, assured the NUJ chairman that, like other professionals, journalists would be accorded proper attention in the conduct of hajj operations.
