The Makkah Operations Coordinator of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Dr Aliyu Tanko has assured that all Nigerian pilgrims for this year’s hajj will arrive Saudi Arabia before the closure of the points of entry for pilgrims by the Saudi authorities.
He gave the assurance at the NAHCON office in Makkah Thursday, during an interactive session with members of the National Media Team (NMT) who arrived from Madina Wednesday.
He said, “The issues of requesting for extension of time or re-opening the airports for us are over.”
Some previous hajj exercises recorded late arrival of Nigerian pilgrims due to aviation challenges.
Dr Tanko said, “In Sha Allah, the plan is that all our pilgrims will get to Makkah and rest for at least one week before the hajj proper will start. This is what we are hoping and working towards.”
Dr Tanko also said NAHCON currently operates two functional clinics in Makkah, located in two hotels occupied by pilgrims, while there are also mobile clinics spread across areas inhabited by Nigerian pilgrims.
Dr Tanko urged the media team to always abide by the ethics of their profession.
The visiting members of the NMT, led by Malam Ahmad Muhammed Musa, NAHCON head of Media Operations in Makkah, thanked Dr Tanko and two principal officials of the commission in attendance-Malam Abdulkadir Oloyin, Head of Makkah Accommodation and Ustaz Abubakar Lamin, Saudi Liaison Officer of NAHCON.
Dr Tanko said there are already 8,000 Nigerian pilgrims in Makkah while the rest are in Madina.
A total of 65,000 Nigerian pilgrims are expected to perform this year’s Hajj.
