The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), on Monday, commenced this year’s Hajj operations with the dispatch of its first batch advance team to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Dispatching the team off to Saudi Arabia at a welfare ceremony at the international wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, NAHCON Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan, told members of the advanced team that their departure signalled the commencement of this year’s Hajj operation.
While tasking members of the advance team to set the pace for the successful accomplishment of the 2022 Hajj, Hassan said the rest of Nigeria’s Hajj pilgrims were coming to meet them soon.
Alhaji Hassan then ordered them to station themselves on the ground awaiting the hitch-free arrival of pilgrims and to treat them with the utmost respect as guests of the Almighty Allah.
He reminded them that their major responsibility is to go over all the agreements signed with service providers to ensure that the details are fully implemented.
The NAHCON CEO instructed heads of the different committees to pay a familiarisation visit to the office of the Adillah company in Madinah to introduce themselves as NAHCON’s representatives before the arrival of the pilgrims.
This, according to him, was to enable the Adillah to identify who to contact when necessary.
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Those on the advance team included medical personnel, house managers, feeding staff, Makkah and Madinah reception team members.
NAHCON Assistant Director, Public Affairs, Fatima Sanda Usara, informed that prior to the team’s departure, the commission chairman had last Saturday briefed the members of the advance team at NAHCON Hajj House headquarter, where he reminded the staff that this was the time to put into practice all the training they had received.
Meanwhile, Usara added that all pilgrims who paid for the 2022 Hajj through the Hajj Savings Scheme (HSS) and have completed their payments are to visit the State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards which they selected at the time of enrollment for necessary preparations.
According to her, they were to carry along their international passports, Covid-19 vaccine certificate and yellow card if they have been inoculated already.
She notified intending pilgrims that the announced Hajj fare of maximum N2,496,815.29 is inclusive of their $800 Basic Travel Allowance (BTA).
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NAHCON commences 2022 Hajj operations, despatches advance team to Saudi Arabia