The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has said that its chairman, Abdullahi Mukhtar has never blamed the Saudi Arabian government for low turn-out of pilgrims due to early closure of the Kingdom’s Hajj portal.
The commission also said Mr Mukhtar rather blamed the Nigerian pilgrims of “lacklustre attitude of waiting until the last minute to do the Hajj registration.”
A statement by the commission’s Head of Public Affairs, Fatima Usara, said the NAHCON’s chairman did not blame the Kingdom for the closure of Hajj registration portal during a recent chat with newsmen in Abuja.
The statement read in part: “The attention of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has been drawn to some misleading headlines with storylines that depict the NAHCON strongman as blaming Saudi government for low turn-out of pilgrims due to early closure of the Kingdom’s Hajj portal.
“They ascribe this claim to a recent interview which NAHCON’s Chairman, Barrister Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad granted to a couple of pressmen in his office, the previous week.
“The Commission would like to clarify that at no time during the interview did its distinguished Chairman, who reveres the relationship between Nigeria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, come anywhere close to blaming the Kingdom for closure of Hajj registration portal.
“In fact, in so many instances, he justified the closure seeing that an extension for the deadline was obtained thrice.
“Instead, he blamed Nigerian pilgrims’ attitude of treating Hajj registration with a lackluster manner, waiting until the last minute to make efforts for registration,” the statement read in part.”
The statement continued, “The Commission would like to clarify that at no time during the interview did its distinguished Chairman, who reveres the relationship between Nigeria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, come anywhere close to blaming the Kingdom for closure of Hajj registration portal.
“In fact, in so many instances, he justified the closure seeing that an extension for the deadline was obtained thrice. Instead, he blamed Nigerian pilgrims’ attitude of treating Hajj registration with a lackluster manner, waiting until the last minute to make efforts for registration.
“Those present at the forum would testify that several times during the interview, the NAHCON’s head appreciated the Saudi government and its mission in Nigeria for their support on Hajj and Umrah matters,”
The statement added that “Mr Mukhtar distinctly decried how Nigerians plan for Hajj and even juxtaposed it with how they plan for their vacations outside the country. He said when it comes to Hajj, they wait until the last minute.
“He further expressed hope that henceforth, Nigerians may learn to prepare for Hajj well ahead of time, seeing how it affected latecomers this time.”
“True, some Nigerians’ late Hajj registration attitude has always been a major setback to Hajj planning in the country.
“The Commission had hoped that the new Saudi policy that sets a deadline tothe closure of Hajj portal will motivate intending pilgrims to finally have a change of attitude from the typical,” it said.
NAHCON, therefore, cautioned journalists against straining the good diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.
