Bauchi State Governor Bala A. Mohammed has frowned at what he described as a disappointment to Nigerian pilgrims currently on pilgrimage exercise in Saudi Arabia by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
The governor stressed the need to decentralise most of the Hajj services, allowing state governments to take full control of Hajj affairs and ensure the adequate welfare of pilgrims who paid for Hajj fares through the State Pilgrims Welfare Boards.
The governor, according to a statement signed by the chairman of the state hajj Pilgrimage Publicity Committee, Alhaji Yayanuwa Zainabari, expressed his displeasure while interacting with Bauchi state pilgrims at Mina, the city of tents in Mecca.
He observed that pilgrims are subjected to untold hardship in this year’s Hajj exercise due to the unfavourable policies introduced by NAHCON and relevant stakeholders, especially the provision of fewer than five hundred dollars as Basic Travelling Allowance (BTA) to each pilgrim despite the exorbitant charges of over eight million naira for a Hajj seat.
Senator Bala Mohammed, therefore, assured that the state Governors would work collectively to break NAHCON’s monopoly on Hajj Affairs if measures are not appropriately taken to address the challenges identified during this year’s Hajj exercise.
The Governor pitied the Bauchi state pilgrims to announce a donation of three hundred Saudi Riyal to each of the two thousand six hundred and eighty-five (2685) Bauchi pilgrims to Saudi Arabia this year as Sallah Gift.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Alhaji Jalal Ahmad Arabi , while addressing the Bauchi state contingents at Mina in Saudi Arabia, explained that most of the challenges faced by the pilgrims are beyond the commission’s control.
Alh. Arabi , however, commended the Nigerian pilgrims for their patience and understanding in achieving the success of the Hajj exercise.
