A thorough investigation by the Nigerian Hajj Media Support Team about the bone of contention between the aforementioned parties, the former being the Nigerian hajj commission and the latter a Saudi-based service provider company concerning a contractual agreement to provide services to Nigerian Pilgrims especially at the Masha’ir revealed that, actually in the first place, NAHCON has shown interest and willingness to engage the services of Mashariq Al- Dhahabiah but later on the Commission discovered that the company has some uncleared critical official issues with the Saudi Ministry for Hajj and Umrah. If it dares forge ahead to contract the the firm in this circumstance, the action might jeopardise the preparations for 2025 Hajj exercise which have reached an advanced stage.
However, the NAHCON leadership under Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, gave Mashariq Al- Dhahabiah the grace of some days to settle its administrative flaws with the Saudi Ministry for Hajj and Umrah, which serves as regulatory body for all service providers. But unfortunately, it took the company in question almost a fortnight before it reported back to NAHCON, that it has resolved all its bottlenecks with the appropriate authorities.
Again, it is a known fact that not only NAHCON but any serious hajj commissions , agencies or ministries as the case may be the world over, will not dare take the risk of any delay in contracting the right and qualified service provider at the right time in order to beat the deadline that has been set, by the Ministry of hajj and Umrah in Saudi ,as such the NAHCON Chairman in his astuteness, wisdom and considerate nature swiftly took proactive steps to forestall unnecessary delay that could lead to an embarrassing failure, which may affect the smoothness of 2025 hajj exercise, hence, the National Hajj Commission’s decision to split the contract in the ratio of 50-50 with another Saudi-based service provider, in order to secure cost-effective and premium services for Nigerian Pilgrims before it was late.
The Nigerian Hajj Media Support Team is at this juncture therefore, advising those journalists who are of the habit of overlooking or rather contravening the cardinal principle of balancing and fairness in journalism to have a rethink and embrace this key ethical consideration in the course of discharging their duties as professionals, particularly when two or more parties are involved in an issue before quickly going to press.
Ibrahim Abubakar Nagarta is the National coordinator Nigerian Hajj Media Support Team, writes from Kaduna
