THE chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Alhaji Zikrullah Hassan, his commissioners, management and staff members of the commission have been vaccinated with the Oxford Astra-Zeneca vaccine against COVID-19.
According to a statement by the head of NAHCON’s public affairs unit, Fatima Sanda Usara, before the vaccination, on Monday, the commission had sent letters advising state pilgrims’ welfare boards and intending pilgrims to register and receive jabs of the vaccine under their respective state government allocations.
This move, the statement said, followed an advisory letter from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) expressing fear that if intending pilgrims missed the first phase of vaccination, the time frame might be insufficient for them to receive the second dose before the 2021 hajj season.
“It is, therefore, recommended that intending pilgrims wishing to participate in the 2021 Hajj should seize the opportunity of the on-going inoculation exercise to be vaccinated.
“Some SPWBs have already commenced vaccination of their registered pilgrims in alliance with their respective state governments,” the statement noted.
After receiving his jab of the vaccine, the NAHCON chairman expressed gratitude for witnessing the day, stressing that he “feels fine.”
Hassan encouraged whoever wished to participate in this year’s hajj to have hope and start preparing by first availing themselves of vaccination as exemplified by NAHCON.
The vaccines were administered to the chairman and others at the Hajj House, Abuja.
Also, the Lagos State government has vaccinated about 1,700 Muslims who intend to embark on this year’s holy pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
A statement from the public affairs unit of the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board (LSMPWB), signed by Mr Taofeek Lawal, said the two-day vaccination exercise, which took place last weekend at the Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, was conducted by officials of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Health.
Speaking during the exercise, the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Prince Anofiu Olanrewaju Elegushi, emphasised that since the COVID-19 vaccine is one of the requirements for gaining entry into Saudi Arabia, it became expedient for every intending pilgrim and other stakeholders to get the vaccine.
He disclosed that 1,518 intending pilgrims, 105 clerics, 25 hajj guides and 52 members of staff of LSMPWB were vaccinated during the exercise.
While affirming that not all the state’s intending pilgrims were present for the weekend’s vaccination exercise, Elegushi urged those that falls into this category to quickly get themselves vaccinated in any of the accredited centres across the state.
The commissioner urged them to take the vaccine in order to meet up with the average of 12 weeks interval required for every intending pilgrim to take the two doses of the vaccine before departing for hajj.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Mrs Elizabeth Adekanye, who was at the venue to monitor the exercise and ensure strict compliance with the COVID-19 protocols, said the two-day exercise was commendable.
She also advised those that had gotten the vaccine outside the board’s arrangements to endeavour to bring their certificates to the board for necessary documentation.
On his part, the Executive Secretary, LSMPWB, Mr Rahman Ishola, expressed delight at what he called the impressive turnout of the intending pilgrims for the vaccination despite the short notice.
Reacting to allegation in some quarters that a fee for the vaccination was included in the hajj fare, Ishola debunked the claim and described it as “fake, unfounded and blatant falsehood.”
He pointed out that the N1.3 million hajj fare had been fixed before the COVID-19 pandemic struck the whole world in 2020.
He stressed that the state government did not include any vaccination fee in the fare for Hajj 2021 exercise “which still stands at N1.3 million.”
While confirming that the vaccination was given free of charge to every intending pilgrim that came for the exercise, Ishola stated that during the 2019 hajj exercise, the state government refunded N100,000 to each of the pilgrims out of the N1.4 million initially charged.
He said the refund was done to acknowledge the fact that the state government “is not in the business to cheat or make unwarranted profit from any of its citizens but to serve them diligently and selflessly.”
The LSMPWB boss, therefore, appealed to “merchants of fake news” to desist from the act in order not to disparage the “enviable image” the state had built over the years on hajj operations.
He also commended NPHCDA officials for what he described as a job well done, as well as the intending pilgrims for comporting themselves well throughout the exercise.
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