The tortuous occupational patience in farming can be related to Hajj operations in many ways. First, Hajj is performed once a year and an average farming output undergoes a year cycle before it can be harvested.
After cutting bushes and felling trees, the farmers will need to Cut large yam tubers into appropriate sizes, treat each set with a fungicide and allow them to air dry under shade before planting. Then you will need to Plant the yam sets 10 cm deep in the soil to avoid exposure to the sun. After then you continue watering the heap until you harvest.
In same vein, Hajj is performed once in a year but preparing for hajj exercise takes a whole year with series of activities outlined in the annual hajj events calendar. For hajj administrators and services providers to succeed, they must understand one important deciding factor Hajj is Arafat and Arafat is Hajj and the date of Arafat DAY is unchangeable. You can postpone world cup, delay a schedule conference, adjust the date of an election and decidedly cancels a scheduled events you can apply same to hajj.
Therefore, processes that leads to the commencement of airlifts of pilgrims must be executed with sense of precision Pilgrims Registrations and documentation, contracting of services providers and inspecting their facilities, processing of pilgrims Basic Travelling allowance and timely distribution of the BTA to pilgrims.
As for 2023 hajj preparations, NAHCON has placed an advertisement in Saudi based Newspaper inviting Saudi-based hajj service providers like accommodation provider and caterers to apply to serve Nigeria hajj pilgrims in 2023.
A similar advertorial has been published in both online and national dailies in Nigeria urging Private Tour Operators, Airliners, and Excess luggage carriers to apply for 2023 hajj services. It was reported that NAHCON also held preparatory meetings with state Muslim pilgrims board executives and the leadership of the association of hajj and umrah operators AHUON.
With the few vital steps above, one can say the seeds are being planted early and I hope that we will be pragmatic in fertilizing and weeding out unnecessary weeds that can prevent us from having a bumper harvest during the 2023 hajj.
On Wednesday, the Director General in charge of Hajj Missions at the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Bahauddeen bin Yusuf Alwani during a preparatory meeting for Hajj Season 1444AH via a video conference with the Chairman/CEO of NAHCON, Alhaji Zukrullah Kunle Hassan gave a vital hint that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will restore Nigeria pre covid 19 slots impliedly means that Nigeria will have its usual 95,000 hajj slots
