Chairman, Oyo State Pilgrims Welfare Board (Muslim Wing), Professor Sayed Malik has blamed bureaucratic bottlenecks and reduction in Hajj slots by the government of Saudi Arabia, in adhering to COVID-19 protocols, for the problems encountered by the state’s pilgrims in participating in this year’s Hajj.
Though he acknowledged that this year’s exercise was marred by issues of delays in airlifting of intending pilgrims, delays in payment of basic travelling allowance (BTA) to the pilgrims and inability of some pilgrims to perform hajj, Malik said the inadequacies were not caused by the state pilgrims’ welfare board.
Addressing journalists at the state secretariat, Ibadan, on Monday, Malik said the state’s pilgrims’ board was rendered helpless when the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON), at the eleventh hour, reduced the state’s slot from 779 to 629 thereby denying 150 intending pilgrims the opportunity.
Though he noted that the Saudi authorities had drastically reduced the slots given to countries for intending pilgrims worldwide, Malik said NAHCON had earlier granted its request for 150 additional slots to the 629 slots allocated to Oyo State only to be informed later that 150 pilgrims had been denied visas.
He, however, said Governor Seyi Makinde has approved that all those who missed out on this year’s pilgrimage and request their money, not wanting to leave their money for the 2023 hajj, be refunded.
Malik said: “It is true that this year’s exercise was marred by several inadequacies which included delays in the airlift of intending pilgrims to Holy Lands, delays in payment of basic travelling allowance (BTA) to the pilgrims and the inability of some of the intending pilgrims to perform hajj.
“I am stating here in all honesty that the irregularities and difficulties experienced by the intending pilgrims in this year’s hajj exercise were not caused by the State Pilgrim Welfare Board.
“Rather, the problems were caused by the bureaucratic bottleneck and the anti-Covid 19 protocols.
“The hajj slots given to NAHCON by Saudi authorities were reduced drastically in compliance with the Kingdom’s anti-Covid 19 protocols.
“Out of these 43,000 slots given to Nigeria, 629 was allocated to Oyo State, where over 1,000 Muslims have already registered to perform hajj this year.
“To take care of the shortfall, we in Oyo State Pilgrim Welfare Board requested additional slots from NAHCON. And this was granted, as additional 150 slots were given to Oyo State, thereby increasing the State’s slots from 629 to 779.
“Based on its correspondence with NAHCON, Oyo State Pilgrim’s Welfare Board made preparation for 779 pilgrims. But the State’s slot was reduced to 629 a few days before the pilgrims were scheduled to go to Holy Lands. Consequently, 150 of the pilgrims were denied visas at the eleventh hour. The State Pilgrims’ Welfare Board was thus rendered helpless.”
On alleged shortchanging of pilgrims, Malik said the delay in the release of Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) to pilgrims is because the authorities delayed in the release of the circular guiding the payment of allowances.
Pointing to the delay in the circular, Malik explained that the first batch of pilgrims from Oyo State left before the BTA was secured while for the second batch, only a fraction of the entire BTA had been secured.
He added that the delay in securing the required BTA is because of dollar scarcity in the foreign exchange market.
Notwithstanding the delay, Malik assured us that all pilgrims are getting their entitlements.
He added that the delay in the airlift of pilgrims was due to changes in the Hajj flight schedule.
Malik added: “The truth of the matter is that there were delays in the release of BTA to the Board as a result of the late release of the circular guiding the payment of allowances by the authorities.
“As a result of the delay, the first batch of pilgrims from Oyo State and several other states of the federation had to embark on the trip to Saudi Arabia before the BTA could be secured.
“The delay, however, does not indicate that any of the pilgrims would lose their entitlements.
“By the time the second batch of the pilgrims were leaving Nigeria, only a fraction of the entire BTA had been secured and it was concluded that each of the pilgrims is made to get $400 while those who were already in Saudi Arabia were paid $200 each, pending the release of the entire BTA.
“It must be placed on record that the dollar scarcity which had hit the foreign exchange market is a key contributor to the delay to secure the required BTA.
“While the delayed payment of the BTA is regretted, we have to place on record that there is no intention to divert anyone’s entitlement or deny any of the pilgrims their due. “We make bold to say that each of the pilgrims later got, what was approved for them in the course of the Holy Pilgrimage.”
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