By Ayoni M. Agbabiaka
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has retained the 2014 FCT Amirul Hajj team and Ministerial Monitoring Committee to supervise the Hajj operations this year.
This announcement was made by the Minister of state for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, when receiving reports of the 2014 FCT Hajj operations from FCT Amirul Hajj team, Ministerial Hajj Monitoring Committee and FCT Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board (FCT-MPWB) in her office.
Akinjide described the submission of the three reports as a testimony that the various stakeholders worked as a team during the 2014 Hajj operation, the 2014 Hajj operation had been the most successful and stress-free.
“I can testify that 2014 Hajj operation has been the most successful and stress-free, I kept waiting for complaints, because usually once they start taking off, I will be by my phone thinking somebody is going to text or call me- complaining, but there was nothing of such.
“I want to announce that I would like to retain the FCT Amil Hajj team and the ministerial Hajj monitoring Committee for the 2015 Hajj operations and we expect you to begin your work immediately, and I know by the grace of God you would do even better than what you did in 2014 exercise,” she added.
She therefore directed the stakeholders to immediately begin work for 2015 Hajj operation, so that they would do even better than what they did for the 2014 exercise.
The reports bothered on issues of feeding of pilgrims, inadequate seats allocation, visa processing bottlenecks and poor services by cargo carrier amongst others were presented to the minister in three separate forms including accounts of the onshore and offshore operations during the Hajj 2014 exercise.
Akinjide said some of the challenges in the reports were within the FCTA competence and power to change, while some recommendations that would be made to the authorities of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
“We are on track, and everything is being done extraneously, so that there is no time wasted. Actually, the work for 2014 Hajj had started immediately we finished the last one; we have been working, and we have almost concluded preparations for 2015 exercise.
Earlier in his remarks, Director, FCT-MPWB, Muhammad Bashir, pointed out that the success story of the 2014 Hajj operation, despite the hiccups encountered, is being celebrated as a result of the support and structures put on ground by the FCT Administration and the support of all stakeholders involved.
On his part, Chairman, FCT Amirul Hajj 2014, Sarki Jiwa, Alh. Idris Musa, stressed the need for government to, seriously, consider the reports, and take further necessary action on them, as they touched on issues that may affect this year’s 2015 Hajj and future operations in the FCT.
Chairperson of the FCT Hajj ministerial committee, Hajya Amina Abubakar, disclosed that the all the stakeholders in charge of handling the 2014 Hajj worked as a team to ensure the smooth preparation and execution of the religious exercise.
