Category: Religion

By Ibrahim Muhammed National Coordinator Independent Hajj Reporters +2348037024356.

The controversy over the inability of some 2024 hajj VIP private Tour Operators pilgrims to access ‘Tent A’ may not be over soon unless the undiluted details are brought open for an objective review of what went wrong.

However, I understand that NAHCON and the relevant bodies in Saudi Arabia have instituted an internal inquiry to find out what went wrong.

There have been accusations and counter-accusations as to who is responsible for not executing what in Mina.

Before hajj days, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj laid down procedures for securing Tent A for all hajj participating countries and set a deadline for payment.

AHUON, an umbrella body of private hajj Operators in Nigeria who are responsible for transporting and facilitating services for about 20,000 Pilgrims, has been calling for Investigation of NAHCON over 2024 hajj, especially on the challenges encountered on Tent A.

To be fair to them, Hajj Operators are primarily businessmen whose target is to make a profit by way of satisfying its customers.

They have every right to raise issues whenever they think things are not working properly.

However, some members of AHUON (not all) seem to be pressing for political solutions over an operational issue in which they participated fully.

Conducting a wholistic investigation into the 2024 hajj requires unearthing the roles played by NAHCON and each Private Tour operator under the banner of AHUON and laying bare who failed to do what at the right time.

If you are an outsider to Nigeria’s hajj ecosystem, you will be tempted to believe that NAHCON is the political party in power and that AHUON is the opposition political party – not knowing that one is the regulator while the other is a group of operators.

That will be a subject for another day. I will give more insight into the hajj politics that is currently souring the image of the Hajj and Umrah Industry in Nigeria.

We owed it a responsibility to protect the coherence of hajj establishments (not any administration) – a task I have been doing since the establishment of NAHCON.

Back to the subject matter, I was informed that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj stopped accepting payments for upgrades from Tent D to Tent A – a system previously adopted by Hajj and Umrah Tour Operators worldwide to book VIP tents for their respective pilgrims.

My interaction with a Saudi-based official working under the Tent A arrangement revealed that many hajj operators encountered a hitch this year because of the new policy of not allowing upgrades from Tent D to Tent A.

Most of the Tour Operators were said to have secured their Visa via the Tent D category with the hope of upgrading it to Tent A.

The puzzle: Do the affected Operators eventually upgrade their Tent D visa category to Tent A before the arrival of their pilgrims? If not, do the affected tour operators inform their clients that ‘sorry, we couldn’t upgrade your payment to Tent A because of late payment? Was there any internal sabotage within the tour operators as being alleged The source informed that there is a private tour operator (name withheld) who claimed to have booked 46 Spaces in Tent A while the Saudi Hajj portal revealed that he booked for 6 spaces.

We must also inquire whether there is a service failure or a failure on the part of the service provider to secure the tent as agreed.

The official informed me that most of the affected tour operators failed to provide the identity of pilgrims that were for Tent ‘A’ separately from those that were for Tent D as when due therefore creating a mix-up on the said day.

However, I wrote an analysis during the 2023 hajj titled “Hajj 2023 And The Constraints Of Managing Space At Mina” when the same challenges of Tents prompted Mina to highlight the reality of space management in Mina and how the marketing strategy of luxurious, conducive and promised comfortability in Mina is putting pressure on the hajj industry.

An extract from the analysis still suffices: “The name Mina is derived from the word with the root letters ma-na-ya, hence Mina means ‘to find’ or ‘to undergo test’ or ‘to be put to the test.’ Mina is connected to the words ‘tamannd’ and ‘manna’, which means ‘to hope for’ or ‘awaken a desire’.

The spiritually applicable meaning of Mina in itself indicates that it is not a place for “desirable comfort”, but rather an area where our faith will be put to test in the quest of attaining Hajj mabrur.

Research was conducted in 2016 using the Mina Tent Distribution Algorithm (MTDA to better utilize the available capacity of Mina’s area in the best possible way with efficient use of the available resources.

MTDA employs seven functions during the search process to find the best-fit accommodation for pilgrims in the available tents of Mina.

Experimental results revealed that MTDA achieves better performance compared with eight algorithm schemes in all experimental cases.

The best result of MTDA was obtained by allocating 80% of the total number of pilgrims to over 76.2% of the total available accommodation space in the Mina area.

So, the best experimental result still did not project housing all the pilgrims in the tents. Yes, pilgrims paid to be housed inside the tents, but this is when reality overshadows expectations.

To provide more space for pilgrims, a new multi-story building has been erected in Mina within street 502. The new multi-story building can host 11,000 pilgrims. It was designed so that a room can accommodate approximately 25 to 30 pilgrims.

There are a total of five floors in each building. Each building has 4 elevators, of which 3 elevators are for pilgrims and 1 is for services.

The agitation to change service providers may not be the ultimate solution to the challenges in Mina as being made to believe. Indonesia, India, and Malaysia have a different service provider from Nigeria.

In this year’s hajj, the Indonesia House of Representatives (DPR’s) Hajj Monitoring Team said the findings of the Indonesian Hajj pilgrims’ tents in Mina resembled those of “refugee camps.”

In a preliminary report published by antaranews, the team said that “high numbers of male and female pilgrims had to stay in similar tightly packed tents without gender segregation.

Adiputra pointed out that several pilgrims, notably the elderly, opted to stay outside to avoid the packed tents with a capacity of 80 pilgrims forced to accommodate around 1,200 pilgrims.

Likewise, a report published by the Indian Free Press Journal and republished by the Hajj Reporters on the 20th of June shows that Indian pilgrims who were part of the annual five-day Haj pilgrimage complained of lack of cleanliness in the camps, inadequate food, and overcrowding.

Indian Hajis took to social media to complain about the woeful conditions in the camps. One pilgrim from Telangana said in a video released on social media. “We were treated worse than beggars Shams Chowdhury of Mumbai-based Haj Pilgrims Social Justice Group said “You can’t blame the Haj Committee and the government for this, because there were more pilgrims this time.

It was not just the Indians who suffered, but pilgrims from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Turkey faced similar difficulties,” Given the above, we can agree that other countries had similar experiences this year.

During the 2023 Hajj, the challenges of space that affected virtually all Hajj participating countries were mostly within the Tent ‘D’ category. Countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nigeria have to complain and draw the attention of their respective hajj service providers to the inadequacy of tents.

It was as a result of the 2023 experience that the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah came up with a policy of allocating tent space based on first come first serve.

Despite the relative lateness in our pre-hajj preparations, the provision of tent space within the D category this year was far better than the previous year.

The Nigerian Hajj service provider, Ithraa Alkhair, was said to have made provision for almost 12,000 extra space for Nigerian Pilgrims. A commendable feat, I must admit.

The challenge in VIP tents should not be a tool to measure the performance of entire hajj operations, especially in Mashair areas

Now that Saudi Arabia has rolled out the 2025 hajj calendar, I hope that we will review all the major lapses and take proactive measures to avoid a repeat of 2025 hajj operations.

By Muhammad Ibrahim, Sokoto

State Commissioner For Health Hajiya Asabe Balarabe Announced That After The Completion Of The Airlift Of Pilgrims Back Home.

She Said All The Returned Pilgrims Undergone The Taste And None Was Found Positive

The Commissioner However Said Some Of The Pilgrims Were Having Cataract And Feverish Condition And Were Given Drugs.

Hajiya Asabe Balarabe Commended The Pilgrims For Their Cooperation During The Screening Exercise.

She Said The Provision Of Medicaments And Logistics By The State Government Has Greatly Assisted Toward The Success Of The Exercise.

Public Relations Officer Nura Bello Maikwanci Said The Commissioner Thanked The Chairman Hajji Reception Committee Alhaji Ya’u Muhammad Danda And His Members, Permanent Secretary Of The Ministry Alhaji Abubakar Ahmed Walin Gagi, Chairman House Committee On Health Soha Hon. Kabiru Dauda Tsitse And All The Staff Participated In The Exercise For Their Commitment And Dedication Which Led To The Succeses Recorded.

* Commends NAHCON,
States, Airlines For Seamless Airlift.

By Jabiru Hassan, Kano.

Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR) have commended the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) officials from the 36 states and the Airlines involved in the airlift of this year’s pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for a seamless exercise so far.

“About 95% of intending pilgrims have so far been airlifted to Saudi Arabia by the selected airlines with little or no incident, this is most commendable,” IHR said in a statement Friday by its national coordinator Ibrahim Mohammed.

The CSO also said, “Commendation must particularly go to the states for always mobilising their pilgrims to camp ahead of their trip which is a departure from the past. We urge all concern to continue in that regard”.

IHR said the decision by Saudi Authorities to force countries to process Visas for their pilgrims and sign service contracts way ahead of time also helped the cause of this year’s Hajj airlift.

The CSO however, called on the officials to double their efforts and tackle recurring challenges, especially with the quality and quantity of food being served to pilgrims.

There were numerous complaints of “insufficient ration of food and poor quality by pilgrims. NAHCON and States need an all-inclusive proactive approach to solve the problem.

It also calls for a faster process of allocating bed spaces to pilgrims in both Makkah and Madinah.
“After spending some time at Hajj transit camps and flying for about 5-6 hours, it is not good for pilgrims to be made to wait for a long time to be allocated bed spaces, the whole idea of sending an advanced team of officials is to ensure issues such as these do not occur.

All involved should therefore up the ante and do the needful” IHR said.

By Jabiru Hassan, Kano.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have been advised to shelve the idea of issuing pilgrims Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) through payment cards.

The advice was given Tuesday by Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR) in a statement by its national coordinator Ibrahim Mohammed.

IHR said with less than 24 hours to the commencement of airlift of pilgrims to the holy land, the CBN was said to have directed some commercial Banks to pay pilgrims only $200 in cash out of the $500 each pilgrim is expected to receive while the remaining $300 will be given on a payment card.

“This year’s intending pilgrims have already gone through a lot of uncertainties ranging from forex policy induced rise in Hajj fare to reduction in BTA. This decision by the apex bank will only add to their woes “

“It is common knowledge that most of our pilgrims come from the rural areas and are not familiar with virtual financial transactions, most do not even know how to use an ATM card, while most ATM machines in Saudi Arabia are configured in Arabic which poses more challenges to even those who are well acquainted with E-transaction.

“Also, most tavellers are often charged very high for using ATM machines in foreign countries, and with a depleted BAT already in place, the use of the cards for withdrawals in Saudi Arabia will only add to pilgrims misery,”IHR said.

The CSO also stated that there were very few ATM machines available around the Misfalah/Kudai and Shahrah Mansur areas where most Nigerian pilgrims stay, this lack of access will also be a serious problem.

According to IHR, About 75 percent of Nigerian pilgrims are first timers who mostly finds it difficult to locate their accommodations in Makkah due to heavy traffic and unique nature of the buildings – how will they locate an ATM Machine in such situation?

The statement added that most of the pilgrims will also find it difficult to pay for services using the card.

“purchase of drinking water and other basic necessities will be a problem for the pilgrims this year, if the CBN insist on giving them payment cards. Not forgetting that, it is easier for an average person to guard their cash than a card,therefore, the tendency of pilgrims losing the cards are very high. Government policies should be tailored towards making life easier for the citizen not complicating it.

“ We therefore, urge the CBN to immediately rescind the decision and pay the pilgrims in cash, that is what will help them and relieve them of the stress associated with years hajj and allow them to concentrates on performing their hajj rites with relative peace of minds.IHR added.

By Jabiru Hassan, Kano.

As the airlift of Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia begins on Wednesday this week, Independent Hajj Reporters, IHR, a faith-based Civil Society Organization, CSO, that monitors and reports Hajj and Umrah activities has called on the Federal and state governments to make adequate security arrangements for pilgrims at embarkation points across the country.

IHR stated this in na statement Monday signed by its national coordinator Ibrahim Mohammed that over 65, 000 intending pilgrims from Nigeria will be leaving their homes to various Hajj camps for screening and onward transportation to about 15 airports within the next 30 days.
Such mass movement of people from one point to another creates serious security challenges that need a comprehensive and coordinated strategy by the various security agencies in the country.

While we appreciate the efforts made by security agencies in previous operations, we call on the federal government to order and activate a high-level security surveillance system to monitor and protect the movement of pilgrims throughout the outbound and inbound airlift operations.

We also urge State Muslim pilgrims’ welfare boards to advise intending pilgrims against coming to hajj camps with large escorts usually made up of family members as such increases the likelihood of security breaches especially when airlift operations demand that pilgrims can be invited to hajj camps at any time of the day or night.

State governments should complement the federal security architecture by mobilizing local vigilantes and other volunteers to form a hajj security team and provide them with internal communication equipment with state hajj officials, airliners and other airlift stakeholders.

“As journalists who worked closely with security agencies during hajj operations, IHR had in the last few years honour security institutions during its annual hajj lectures and awards to appreciate and encourage them to improve on their daunting tasks of maintaining security of lives and properties across the country.”

IHR further appeals to Security forces to take necessary “measures to prevent evil-minded groups from exploiting the Hajj season to carry out acts of sabotage.

“Anticipating and preparing for potential security threats before they materialize will help in identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities and weaknesses ahead of time” The statement said.

By Jabiru Hassan, Kano.

A faith-based Civil Society Organization (CSO), Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR) has called on the various Amirul Hajj Teams being appointed by state governors not to usurp the powers of statutory officials during the forthcoming Hajj operations.

IHR said the call became necessary owing to past experiences in which some state Amirul Hajj Teams, who are supposed to be ad-hoc committees formed to offer support to appointed officials and pilgrims often assume powers and responsibilities beyond their scope which leads to chaos and negatively affect operations during hajj exercise.

IHR says there should be a clear term of reference for the Amirul Hajj Teams and such schedules should not involve operational issues to avoid conflicts.

The CSO in a statement Monday by its national coordinator Ibrahim Mohammed said Amirul Hajj Teams are sometimes led by respected traditional rulers, or members of the Ulama with wide following and high regards and they are expected to simply support Hajj officials carry out their responsibilities diligently while also offering advice and guidance to pilgrims on what is expected of them.

“From experience, we know for a fact that once appointed, some state Amirul Hajj Teams try to Lord it over Hajj officials, especially while in Saudi Arabia, and any resistance to that effect by these officials often leads to unnecessary crisis.

State officials are often forced to satisfy the needs of Amirul Hajj teams because they wield influence that can lead to their removal from office. Valuable time is therefore, dedicated to managing the crisis instead of fixing the onerous task of serving pilgrims.

While we appreciate the role of leadership and guidance of the Amirul teams, there are instances when the Amirul Hajj teams usurped the critical operational responsibilities of state Muslim pilgrims’ welfare board officials, especially in the areas of airlift schedule and the allocation of accommodation to pilgrims.

We have seen cases where some high profile and politically connected Amirul Hajj team members will be requesting for VIP services.

“While we have no problem with Amirul Hajj Teams, we urge that these teams should not go to Saudi Arabia and constitute themselves as an unnecessary obstacle to the smooth running of Hajj operations.

They should see their appointments as a call to serve the pilgrims, who are the guests of Allah (SWT) from their states and the country at large and should, therefore, strive to offer their best to gain maximum reward.

“In the same vein, we call on the various officials from the states not to be antagonistic to the members of the Amirul Hajj Teams but see them as partners in progress for the common good of the pilgrims.

“We know that differences may arise, but we also know that both members of the Amirul Hajj Teams and officials can always settle the differences without recourse to animosity”. “Let everyone act with the hope of getting Allah’s favour and nothing else” IHR said.

By Jabiru Hassan, Kano.

With less than 10 days to the commencement of airlift of Pilgrims to Saudi Arabia by all hajj participating countries, Independent Hajj Reporters, a faith based civil society organization that monitors and reports hajj activities have called on the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to announce the date of the commencement of transporting Nigerian intending pilgrims from Nigeria to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

IHR said almost all major Hajj participating countries have announced the date of their inaugural flights to ferry their pilgrims.

The CSO said it has always been a tradition in the country for the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), to announce the date, venue and which states’ pilgrims will be transported during the county’s inaugural flight to Saudi Arabia.

“We are sad to note that with just a few days left until the closure of the e track portal for visa issuance, NAHCON is yet to announce when and where the inaugural flight will take place, ” IHR said in a statement Sunday, signed by its national coordinator Ibrahim Mohammed.

The CSO said the top 5 hajj countries have so far announced when they will begin transporting their pilgrims. “Indonesia’s Director General of Hajj and Umrah Organizations, Hilman Latief in a statement recently, said the first batch of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims will depart for the Amir Muhammad bin Abdul Aziz International Airport (AMAA) in Medina on May 12–23, 2024,”

“The second batch will depart for the King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAAIA) in Jeddah from May 24 to June 10. Also, Bangladesh and Pakistan announced 9TH May as date of commencement of airlift while Malaysia will start airlift on May 11, even the Ghana Hajj board has publicly announced 18th of May as the date to kick start airlifting of its pilgrims”.

IHR said it is beginning to get apprehensive over the deliberate withholding of vital information from pilgrims – whose interests the commission and States Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards are to serve all the time.

NAHCON as the apex hajj regulatory body is responsible for selecting and coordinating airlifts of Nigeria pilgrims to Saudi Arabia and back.

“Nigerian registered pilgrims comprise civil servants, farmers, businessmen and women and entrepreneurs. Each pilgrim is expected to spend a minimum of 28 to 30 days in Saudi Arabia and as such they need timely information on their departure dates to make adequate provision for their families and dependants.

“While we acknowledge the ‘shortage of time’ inherited by this board due to the ‘unnecessary wastage of precious time” by the former board of the commission before announcing the commencement of 2024 hajj registration, we believe that announcing the date of the commencement of airlift will allow intending pilgrims to plan properly and not to be caught unawares within few days in a rush hour mode,” IHR said.

Again, Announce BTA Also, Independent Hajj Reporters had earlier urged the commission to maintain its tradition of announcing the Basic Traveling Allowance (BTA) that will be given to each pilgrim in order to allow the intending pilgrims make adequate financial plans and also exhibit accountability on the part of the commission.

As at the time of penning down this statement, NAHCON and States Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards have refused to tell the pilgrims officially how much they will receive as BTA.

By Jabiru Hassan, Kano.

The national president, APC Initiative For Good Governance (APC-IGG) Ambassador Musa Mohammed Tsoken has congratulates Muslims Umma on the occasion of Eid-el Fitr where he urged more prayers for the progress of this great nation.

Ambassador Musa Tsoken who made the remark in his Salah message, assured that Nigeria would overcome its challenges because of continued prayers as the present administration is working selflessly to ensure that all hands remained on deck to restore the country’s greatness.

He emphasized that ” I am sure that from what is going nowadays, our fatherland would become more stable and challenge free nation that would guarantee excellent livelihood at all sectors. I am optimistic that in the bear future, Nigeria would be well under the leadership of our dynamic president, His excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his able deputy Malam Kashim Shettima”.

In conclusion, Ambassador Musa Tsoken on behalf of the national executives of the Initiative, the zonal coordinators, states directors and the wards and local government leaders, I wish Nigeria more progressive.

By Jabiru Hassan, Kano

Imams actor Kano state bar called on the people of the state of all religious faithfuls to intensify more prayers for Nigeria to overcome all it’s relevant challenges that are always becoming to a great threat.

They made the call at the end of the eid prayers in their respective prayer grounds, where they urged the Muslims Umma to always work with the Ramadan lessons they learn in order to makes the livelihood more transparent and better in accordance to the teaching of the holy prophet.

Sheikh Usman Mohammed, who led the prayer at Dungurawa Juma’at mosque prayer ground reminds the Muslims faithfuls across the globe to emulate the habit of forgiveness, helping the needy and being simple at all the time.

Similarly, Ustaz Hamza Abubakar advise the citizens to stop abusing their leaders due to either political differences or personal interest, where he stressed that prayers for leaders is more better and appropriate than to abuse those who lead people of all categories.

Our correspondent reported that this years sallah festivals is ongoing low key due to the present economic situation although children and wards wears new look across Kano state because parents and guardians were able to sew new dress for their young ones.