NAHCON cautions private Hajj firms

THE National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has expressed dismay that some private tour operators allow themselves to be used in some unethical activities during Hajj and Umrah.

It, therefore, urged them to be vigilant, fortify their operations and block all avenues that allow such activities to take place.

The chairman of NAHCON, Alhaji Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad, gave the charge on Monday during a meeting the commission held with Hajj Licensed Tour Companies (LTCs) to review the 2018 Hajj operations.

The meeting identified some of the challenges encountered during the exercise and how they were managed.

The parties also laid out plans for a successful 2019 Hajj operation.

Alhaji Mukhtar Muhammad reiterated the need to cooperate with the authorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by studying and abiding by Hajj and Umrah guidelines in order to spare the country from embarrassing situations.

The NAHCON boss advised the LTCs to increase their commitment to their clients by rendering to them, standard services which conform to agreed terms and conditions.

He also advised the companies to report to NAHCON any infractions on service delivery by service providers, lamenting that both LTCs and pilgrims lacked the knowledge of the right channels to employ to lodge complaints for prompt actions to be taken.

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On remittance of funds for Hajj registration, it was agreed that doing this belatedly is detrimental to the welfare of pilgrims since it takes a minimum of three weeks for NAHCON to transfer funds to the relevant authorities in Saudi Arabia.

The LTCs were requested to fill their prequalification forms correctly and accompany such forms with appropriate documents to avoid delay which it said it precipitated by unnecessary verifications between NAHCON and Saudi Arabian licensing authorities.

The meeting commended the Saudi government and its missions in Nigeria for the successful handling of the 2018 Hajj exercise.

It was generally resolved that all members will cooperate with the Saudi missions in Nigeria to address the menace of Hajj or Umrah over-stayers.