By Bashir Mohammed
Kano
Kano state Pilgrims Welfare Board has directed prospective pilgrims to “go for medical test at the designated health centres” across the state.
Executive Secretary of the Board, Malam Abba Yakubu, gave the directive yesterday at the flag-off of the weekly sensitisation workshop for intending pilgrims in Kano.
He said the medical test would enable the pilgrims to know their health status with a view to getting necessary medical advice on how to handle their respective health challenges.
“The medical test will give intending pilgrims the opportunity to know their health status and for those with some health challenges, they will get the necessary advices,” he said.
Yakubu said the directive was also in compliance with the directive of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on all state pilgrims welfare boards to direct their intending pilgrims to go for medical test.
He said the state government had already secured decent accommodation for the intending pilgrims near the Holy Ka’aba to enable them go to the Mosque with ease.
“The essence of getting accommodation for the pilgrims near the Holy Mosque, is to reduce the hardship being experienced by pilgrims in reaching the Mosque and to prevent loss of pilgrims.”
According to him, the state government has upgraded the 31 pilgrim sensitisation centres to Hajj Training Institutes as part of effort to enhance research on entire Hajj rites
He urged the intending pilgrims to take the workshop seriously in order to understand all the Hajj rites.
The Deputy Governor, Prof Hafiz Abubakar, called on the intending pilgrims to desist from act capable of denting the image of the state and the country.
He commended the board for initiating the programme which would go a long way in educating the pilgrims on the Hajj rites.
He urged all intending pilgrims to ensure prompt payment of balance of the Hajj fares when the federal government announced it.
In his remarks, the NAHCON Kano Zonal Coordinator, Alhaji Umar Bala, urged the board to ensure that the Islamic scholars engaged to conduct the workshop, accompany the intending pilgrims to the Holy Land.
