How to ensure hitch-free Hajj in Nigeria

Unfortunately, year in year out the National Hajj Commission and State’s pilgrims’ welfare boards are yet to get it right. And this is mostly due to late approach to the exercise and some political reasons especially as regards the choice of airline carrier and contracts for the supply of materials like luggage etc I believe […]

Unfortunately, year in year out the National Hajj Commission and State’s pilgrims’ welfare boards are yet to get it right. And this is mostly due to late approach to the exercise and some political reasons especially as regards the choice of airline carrier and contracts for the supply of materials like luggage etc

I believe time has come to call a spade by its name and face realities in order to avoid the embarrassment that occurs yearly in the presence of other nations which is making us look very unserious as a nation and as administrators on the part of NAHCON, Amirul hajj and the state boards.

I am of the opinion that the first step to ensure successful exercise is by early preparation which would make the authorities take a holistic approach and address avoidable problems before it’s late and forecast the way forward. Early preparation in this context is not all about early collection of intending pilgrims deposit and placing it in accounts that sometimes yield dividends but rather taking the bull by the horn through addressing the problems that happened during the last exercise and improve on the successes made.

Another thing is that the hajj commission and service providers should abide by the agreements reached and that any party that defaults should pay for the consequences.

Airlift has been an annual problem. I think there should be back up so that any airline that defaults, another competent one should be contracted for rescue and that the defaulting airline should not be contracted the following year as against the present trend in which a known airline that has been under performing would always be given preferential treatment.

Also there should be fair level ground for all competitors so that the best would be given the contract and avoid contracting companies based on political inclination.

As it is the practice for air and tower operators to issue bond whereby operators issue bank guarantee to serve as collateral for authorities to hold in case of default, I believe this should be all inclusive in the case of all suppliers for the exercise to ensure sanity, compliance and timeliness in the delivery of goods.

There should be uniformity and standards in the bags and luggage for Nigerian pilgrims to avoid the embarrassment of some pilgrims carrying ‘Ghana Must Go’ bags which is not secured. This could be done through advertised tender, transparent screening and should be done as early as possible so that NAHCON would have enough time to supervise.

A committee is also needed to ensure compliance of standards in size, quality and delivery period among hajj commissions, zonal coordinators and state representatives.

The hajj commission should also ensure that pilgrims get the desired and qualitative hand luggage here in Nigeria and the main 40 kilogram bags should be given in Saudi Arabia. This would address the issue of excess luggage and missing bags.

It is on record that the price of bags and luggage remain the same since 2003 which I think is not in the best interest of the hajj commission, the pilgrims and the supplying companies because it gives room for standards to be compromised. I think there is urgent need for the review of price in line with the present realities in the market and inflation in the country. And when reviewed, the  hajj commission should access the capabilities of companies before award of contract and introduce safety and standards measure to checkmate the suppliers.

Another problem is accommodation in which some states lodge their pilgrims in houses that are below standard, I think the hajj commission as a supervising agency should come in to address this problem.

The present trend whereby pilgrims spend forty or more days should be addressed so that pilgrims would spend maximum of thirty days as is obtainable in some countries.

Finally, I write as a Muslim who is concerned about the annual embarrassment Nigerian pilgrims are subjected to in airports all over the country and at the holy land. This trend is not in the interest of any of us and are avoidable with commitment and adherence to standards by the supervising agency.

Aminu wrote in from Nguru, Yobe State.