The House of Representatives Committee on Muslim Pilgrimage has said the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has transformed the operations of the pilgrimage this year.
The Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Jafar Mohammed, said this in an interview with the journalists on Wednesday in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, after members of the committee inspected the Niger and Katsina states pilgrim’s accommodations and feeding arrangements.
‘’We are here to supervise and see what is really happening on ground; regarding the wellbeing of Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia. To see how secure and protected are they.
‘’And to the glory of God, with what we have seen based on our interactions with the pilgrims, NAHCON is doing very well.”
He, however, said that if the committee observed that “there is something going wrong, it will ensure that the right thing is done through appropriate corrections.
“But in a situation where we have seen progress, we must commend the efforts of the person and organisation that is responsible for this kind of tremendous progress.”
The Chairman said that right from the beginning of the transportation of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, NAHCON had performed very well.
He also lauded NAHCON efforts for beating the Saudi Arabian 72 hours deadline for entering of pilgrims before the closure of its air space.
“This is a total departure from what we used to see and we have to appreciate the NAHCON under the leadership of Malam Jalal Arabi for that success.”
He called on Nigerian pilgrims to use the hajj period to pray for peace, progress and development of the country.
“We need every pilgrim to put our country first in prayers before any other thing so that we can have peaceful coexistence within ourselves and attain economic prosperity.”
Senate commends NAHCON
Earlier, the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs on Tuesday conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the Nigerian pilgrims’ lodging and feeding arrangements in Madinah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The committee led by the Senate Chief Whip, Sen. Ali Ndume (APC-Borno South) visited many pilgrims’ abodes to see how they were being served food.
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Briefing newsmen after the assessment tour, Ndume said the Senate decided to conduct the exercise out of concern over the alleged poor feeding of Nigerian pilgrims in the holy city.
According to him, social media has been awash with fake pictures of poor meals being served to Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi.
“And the Senate as an institution is concerned about the welfare and well-being of citizens decided to come and investigate the matter to ascertain the truth or falsity of the situation.”
Sen. Senator Sharafadeen Alli (APC-Oyo South) advised Nigerian pilgrims to be well-guided, follow instructions, and ensure they worshipped Allah wholeheartedly during the pilgrimage.
Alli also advised the pilgrims not to be distracted by earthly things during the pilgrimage.
“We thought that since we are here, it would be nice to visit the pilgrims.
“Secondly, there were rumours before we left home (Nigeria) about the situation of the pilgrims here.
