In a bid to alleviate overcrowding in the current tent site in Muna, Saudi authorities have agreed to relocate approximately 10,000 Nigerian pilgrims to an additional site. This decision was announced by Malam Mousa Ubandawaki, Deputy Director of Information and Publication at the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), in a statement released in Makkah on Monday.
Ubandawaki explained that the move was a response to the complaint lodged by NAHCON regarding the insufficient number of tents allocated to Nigerian pilgrims in Muna, as well as issues with inadequate food supply and delayed food service. Following the complaint, the Muttawwif of African Non Arabs expressed apologies for the treatment experienced by the Nigerian pilgrims and assured that measures would be taken to rectify the situation.
To compensate for the incident, the Muttawwif pledged to relocate the affected pilgrims to the Turkish Arena, a site capable of accommodating around 10,000 pilgrims comfortably. The Chairman of the Company of Muttawifs, Sindhi, emphasized that the Nigerian pilgrims would be given utmost priority in the upcoming days, acknowledging the difficulties they had faced.
The relocation of the Nigerian pilgrims to the Turkish Arena is scheduled to take place from 2pm on Wednesday, aiming to provide better facilities and alleviate the crowd congestion in the Muna area. The leadership of the company expressed their gratitude to Alhaji Zikrullah Hassan, Chairman of NAHCON, for his understanding, and also commended the Nigerian pilgrims for their patience and perseverance throughout the challenging circumstances.
