Uncertainty looms for over 7,000 Nigerians intending to perform this year’s pilgrimage as ongoing airlift to the Holy land by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, ends Saturday.
The NAHCON had fixed June 24 as the deadline for the conclusion of airlift of the country’s 97,000 intending pilgrims.
A statement on Thursday by the NAHCON spokesperson, Fatima Sanda-Usara had said that, “Outbound movement of pilgrims from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia would be winding up in a few hours’ time”.
“It has been a 27-day marathon, aboard 170 flights so far into Jeddah and Madinah airports, conveying above 71,000 Nigerian pilgrims and still counting.”
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that the NAHCON had shifted the deadline for three consecutive times – June 20, 22 and now 24.
But the latest announcement has reportedly sent shivers into the spine of thousands of intending pilgrims, especially those under tour operators.
It was also gathered that about 7,000 of the 20,000 tour operators’ pilgrims are still in Nigeria faced with looming uncertainty.
The commission had airlifted about 72,000 out of its 75,000 state pilgrims, leaving thousands of tour operators pilgrims to their own devices.
In Lagos, for instance, the tour operators pilgrims have been stranded within the vicinity of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA. They have been sleeping in mosques and open spaces in the airport vicinity for more than a week.
The situation is similar at the hajj camp in Abuja, where over 500 pilgrims were stranded for days without any official attending to them, according to a report by BBC Hausa.
While it is not clear yet which of the commission’s approved air carriers would airlift all the pilgrims before June 24, many Hajj industry stakeholders question the NAHCON’s rationale behind engaging many airlines to airlift the pilgrims.
A hajj stakeholder who declined being named for fear of a backlash said, “NAHCON approval for seven airlines for the operation didn’t help matters.
“It is evident that two competent air carriers can transport the entire Nigerian pilgrims seamlessly without any hitch.”
He said Pakistan with 250,000 pilgrims has only Air Pakistan and Flynas. Indonesia’s 221, 000 pilgrims were airlifted by Garuda Air and Flynas, while Malaysian Air and Saudia transport Malaysia’s pilgrims, among others.
The expert said instead of appointing many comatose air carriers, NAHCON should borrow a leaf from the bigger hajj countries by “appointing two airlines with verifiable competence and sound fleet, financial muscles, and managerial capacity in hajj sector to airlift all its pilgrims.”
He said the commission should also relieve itself the burden of appointing air carriers for tour operators.
“NAHCON should focus on airlifting its pilgrims. It should reverse to the past where tour operators are allowed to book scheduled airlines for their pilgrims. That is more efficient and time-saving,,” he said.
Meanwhile, some intending pilgrims have commended President Bola Tinubu for placing NAHCON under the supervision of the Vice President’s office.
“We are urging Vice President Kashim Shettima to set up a task force that will independently monitor the airlift of our pilgrims back home. We don’t want the repeat of what happened during the chaotic airlift of our pilgrims to the holy land,” Muhammad Ameen said.
On her part, Muhibbat Salami, said, “returning NAHCON to the VP’s office is a golden opportunity to right so many wrongs of the 2023 hajj operations.
“An independent task force from the office of VP is very expedient now to coordinate and monitor the return journey of Nigerian pilgrims. That will save Nigeria so many looming embarrassment.”
She said VP looking at what the chaos that marred hajj operations last year, “it is only necessary for VP Shettima to set up a task force that will stop the reoccurrence of last year’s ugly scenario and also gives him a full grip of the system and better understanding of the hajj ecosystem.”
