2015 Hajj exercise

The 2015 hajj operations ended successfully with the safe arrival of the last batch of Nigerian pilgrims from Saudi Arabia earlier this month. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria’s (NAHCON) spokesman Malam Uba Mana said the last batch of 412 pilgrims from Kwara State and 88 officials returned to Nigeria aboard a Kabo Air flight […]

The 2015 hajj operations ended successfully with the safe arrival of the last batch of Nigerian pilgrims from Saudi Arabia earlier this month. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria’s (NAHCON) spokesman Malam Uba Mana said the last batch of 412 pilgrims from Kwara State and 88 officials returned to Nigeria aboard a Kabo Air flight on Monday November 2, 2015. The airlift of pilgrims back to Nigeria which began on Thursday, October 8 was to last 27 days but was completed in 26 days in 138 flights. NAHCON’s statement added that 76,000 Nigerian pilgrims participated in the 2015 hajj exercise. They were airlifted to Saudi Arabia in 145 flights through airports spread across Nigeria from September 6.
 In spite of the sufficient level of successes achieved, this year’s hajj exercise was not without its attendant challenges. There were reported cases of delayed flights in both out-bound and in-bound flights. Some pilgrims reportedly spent 48 hours at the King AbdulAzeez International Airport in Jeddah before boarding aircraft for their in-bound flight. There is need for NAHCON to re-strategize and put in place measures that could check needless delays during out-bound and in-bound flights. There should be sanctions for airlines that fail in their flight schedules. Inexcusable delays in flight schedules have in previous hajj exercises led to protests by pilgrims, which is a dent to the country’s image. 
Although NAHCON is yet to officially submit the report of the 2015 hajj exercise to the federal government, the decision by President Muhammadu Buhari to stop the annual practice of sponsoring official delegations to pilgrimage did not seem to have adversely affected the just concluded exercise. While we support the federal government’s policy, we urge state governments to also discontinue the practice of dolling out ‘complimentary’ hajj seats and appointing large government delegations to the hajj led by an Amirul Hajj.
Nonetheless, NAHCON has made steady improvements in the management of hajj operations in recent years. The federal government, for instance, has for years not been in the embarrassing position of having to seek extension of deadline for the airlift of Nigerian pilgrims to or from Saudi Arabia. Health related issues attributed either to poor sanitary conditions or lack of access to clean water which in the past resulted in the death of some Nigerian pilgrims have not been experienced since it last occurred in the 2011 hajj exercise. Adherence to immigration laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by NAHCON has forestalled any recurrence of the Mahram controversy which affected the smooth operations during the 2012 hajj exercise.
While the Commission is encouraged to sustain the gains so far achieved, it is important for it to build upon them in future operations. Enlightenment of intending pilgrims is one area that the Commission needs to do more. The orientation program usually organized for intending pilgrims should go beyond teaching them the rituals of hajj. The training program should include instructions on the use of unfamiliar installations such as escalators in high rise buildings and towers, proper use of pedestrian crossing on the roads, and the importance of using an umbrella under the sometimes very scorching sun.
Two major tragedies, beyond the control of Nigeria’s hajj authorities, marred this year’s hajj. The first one occurred at the Grand Holy Mosque in Mecca when a construction crane tipped over and fell on the mosque while the second one occurred on the road to Jamrah. The two tragedies left indelible scars on the minds of surviving pilgrims and non-pilgrims alike.
Nigeria has a lot to learn from countries such as Indonesia where preparations for hajj exercises are completed almost a year before the season. Daily Trust urges NAHCON to submit its report on the 2015 hajj exercise with minimum delay to allow for enough time to remedy administrative, logistic and other challenges experienced in the last exercise. The report should contain a full account of the Jamrah tragedy; giving detailed statistics of victims. We also advise NAHCON to collaborate with relevant religious bodies and organize a national seminar on the symbolic stoning of the devil at the Jamrah site near Mecca where the unfortunate stampede occurred. This is with a view to issuing a legal opinion (fatwah) on the matter for Nigerian pilgrims.