The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Abuja is to sanction Intending Pilgrims who deliberately miss their flight schedules during airlift for this year’s hajj operation.
The Director of the Board, Mallam Abubakar Adamu Evuti disclosed this at meeting with Islamic Scholars mobilized to conduct the education and orientation exercise for the 2023 intending pilgrims from the FCT.
Mallam Abubakar Evuti said the attitude of some Intending Pilgrims who refuse to come out for airlift would no longer be tolerated as such behaviour destabilizes the arrangement for the operations.
The Director disclosed that the Board would introduce measures against such behaviours, among which is, each Intending Pilgrim would be given a chance to select the flight he or she intends to travel to Saudi Arabia.
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He stressed that any Intending Pilgrim who refuses to come out for the airlift after being scheduled in such flight would be sanctioned in line with international travel standard.
Mallam Evuti stated that considering the status of the Federal Capital Territory, the Board would continue and even improve on its policy of educating the intending pilgrims on how to perform the religious obligation for them to attain an acceptable Hajj and get value for their money.
The Director called on the Islamic Scholars who would serve as Resource Persons to strive hard to ensure that those who partake in the hajj exercise through the Board achieve the desired goal.
He also recognized the experience of the Scholars in all aspects of Islamic religious knowledge and expressed the hope that they utilize their wealth of knowledge and experience in educating the intending pilgrims, not only on religious matters, but also in the operation in general.
He disclosed that the Board was committed to conducting the education and orientation exercise in phases using seven languages of English, Hausa, Yoruba, Nupe, Ganagana, Egbra and Fulfulde for the benefits of the intending pilgrims.
The Director also pleaded with the Resource Persons to assist the Board in educating the Intending Pilgrims on the policies introduced by relevant authorities, aimed at ensuring a hitch free exercise.
He charged the Resource Persons to always advise the Board on operational issues that would assist in ensuring a successful Hajj exercise for the benefit of the intending pilgrims.
He added that the FCT Administration was committed to ensure that this year’s Hajj exercise recorded the best ever success for the benefit of the residents of the Territory and therefore called on all stakeholders to redouble their efforts in ensuring that contingents to the hajj from the FCT get the best services in line with world travel standard.
In his remark at the meeting, the leader of the scholars and the Chairman of committee of Imams in the FCT, Sheikh Tajuddeen Bello Adegun pledged to do everything possible to ensure that the Intending Pilgrims from the Territory get the basic rudiments of hajj that would guide them to achieve acceptable hajj in line with Islamic injunctions and teaching of the noble Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Sheikh Tajuddeen emphasised the determination of the resource persons in providing proper guidance for the Intending Pilgrims throughout the hajj exercise.
