545 Nasarawa pilgrims depart, arrive Madinah, as Saudi launches guides for visiting faithful

*Following inaugural flight in Kebbi, first batch of FCT pilgrims

*As Nigeria airlifted 1,266 pilgrims on first day

*Tinubu subsidised 2024 with N90b, says VP Shettima

By KEMI KASUMU

Some 545 pilgrims making the first batch from Nasarawa State, who flew out via Max Air from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport following inaugural flight that took off from Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa InternationalAirport (SABIA), Birnin Kebbi, on Wednesday May 15, 2024, have arrived at Madinah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ahead of this year’s Hajj.

The DEFENDER reports that the Nasarawa pilgrims flew on board Max Air at 8.04pm after Air Peace simultaneously followed with 299 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) pilgrims and five officials at 5.44pm.

The first inaugural flight conveying pilgrims for 2024 Hajj from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia departed via FlyNas airline with 422 Kebbi pilgrims and seven officials, who took off from SABIA at 4:54pm (all Nigerian time).

With the the departed flights on Wednesday, a total number of pilgrims now airlifted to Madina, Saudi Arabia was put at 1,266 as at the time of filing this report.

Launching the inaugural airlift exercise by 1:02pm in SABIA, Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday May 15 at an occasion graced by Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, among several other dignitaries, Vice President Kashim Shettima told the pilgrims the challenges that almost crippled 2024 Hajj exercise.

Shettima said, “You may recall that this year, we had a major challenge in announcing the final hajj fare for the 2024 Muslim pilgrimage due to fluctuation in foreign exchange rates.

“President Bola Tinubu also worked round the clock to control the downwards spiral of our local currency to bring relief to our pilgrims and other Nigerians, a move that eventually succeeded in lowering the fare. The President approved the release of N90 billion to subsidize the cost of pilgrimage for this year’s hajj.”

He said that the government of Renewed Hope, led by Tinubu, “attaches immense importance to religious pilgrimage due to the role it plays in transforming behavioral and social vices of the believers beyond performing the pilgrimage.

“Due to this high regard, the government took time to carefully select men of integrity with administrative acumen and records of selfless dedication to manage the affairs of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria in the interest of Nigerian pilgrims.”

“Government at the highest level monitors all arrangements meant for the wellbeing of our pilgrims both in Saudi Arabia and within the country before embarking on the journey.

“We are aware of the provision put in place for the safety, security and comfort of the Nigerian contingent to the 2024 hajj…,” the VP said.

Shettima urged the pilgrims to pray for the success of the Tinubu administration, peace and progress of the country, saying Nigeria is one place “we are proud to call our motherland.”

”Indeed, it is through our collective prayers and individual contributions that our country will prosper,” Shettima said.

It will be recalled that at the inaugural event in Kebbi State capital of Birnin Kebbi Wednesday, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, had tasked Nigerian pilgrims on discipline and urged them to positively project the country’s image in the Holy Land.

According to the Sultan, “As you heard that NAHCON Chairman said when all hopes were lost, light showed at one end and today we are having the inaugural flight for the 2024 Hajj.

“We never lost hope that we will go for hajj. We are in an era of Renewed Hope. So, tell Asiwaju that his real hope is still being expected to shine everywhere.

“We are looking for more; we want more of good leadership. We want to thank the President for his leadership.

“We thank the Vice President and all governors for our states who have been standing by to help the common man to survive.”

Chairman National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Malam Jalal Ahmad Arabi, described the occasion as memorable in the short life of the Fifth Board because the management was about to put to test the many strategies conceived for the safe delivery of a well-organized Hajj season.

“We stand to be assessed for the promises we have made to spearhead an outing that would be recorded as one of the best in recent times,” he said.

He highlighted some of the achievements of the commission to include “securing accommodation for pilgrims in Mina closer to the Jamarat. Another achievement was the successful conclusion of visa issuance to every eligible pilgrim before commencement of the year’s airlift, and the Commission recorded a reduction in Hajj fare when calculated in Dollars.”

On measures taken by the Hajj body to cushion the effect of high Dollar rate, Arabi said these included “reduced days in Madina from eight days to four days, in addition to discounted amount in the total cost of accommodation. Another measure was reducing BTA (Basic Traveling Allowance) from 800 to 500 Dollars.”

The chairman advised those who needed more BTA to source the relevant currency individually.

Like the other speakers, the NAHCON boss advised the pilgrims “to be obedient, patient, pray for Nigeria and her leaders and pray for guidance of our youth as future leaders of our country.”

Arabi was earlier on ground to inspect the aircraft in the company of his three permanent Commissioners and Commissioner representing North-west for the commencement of the inaugural flight.

During his inspection of the aircraft, Arabi advised the airport management to provide additional boarding stairs for the aircraft’s back door to facilitate quicker boarding.

The NAHCON boss also inspected Abuja’s Bassa Jiwa Hajj Transit Camp and the Birnin Kebbi Hajj camp ahead of the inaugural flight.

Saudi’s guides for pilgrims

In a related development, the Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has launched 15 comprehensive guides aimed at assisting pilgrims from around the world, providing easy-to-follow information covering all stages of the Hajj rituals.

This initiative is part of the ministry’s ongoing communication and awareness efforts for the Hajj season of 1445 AH/2024 AD.

This, the ministry said, is available on its website: https://guide.haj.gov.sa/

The guides address common questions from pilgrims in over 16 widely spoken languages, including Arabic, English, French, Urdu, Bengali, Indonesian, Hausa, Amharic, Persian, Spanish, Turkish, Russian, Sinhalese, Uzbek, and Malaysian.

These guides provide essential legal, health, procedural, and regulatory information using simple language, detailed images, diagrams, and educational video clips. Additionally, there is an option for audio versions of the guides.