2023 Hajj: How NAHCON airlifted all registered intending pilgrims , attributes success to TINUBU’s support

The Chairman/CEO National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, Barr. Zikrullah Kunle Hassan has said that for the first time in history, the commission has airlifted all intending pilgrims that paid for 2023 Hajj.
HAJJ REPORTERS reports that the Saudi Arabian Kingdom had allocated 95,000 Hajj slots to Nigeria.
Speaking at a Pre-Arafat Conference which held in Makkah on Saturday, the NAHCON boss said all the 95,000 Hajj slots, comprising of 70,000 for state pilgrims boards and the remaining for tour operators and armed forces, had been airlifted to the holy land.
The Chairman disclosed that for some unforseen circumstances, the commission reserved five flights in the event of some problems to be encountered by the intending pilgrims, adding that the flights had been cancelled on Friday because there was no such issues.
“We even asked 130 of our staff to stay in Nigeria to face any problem that may arise like visa loss or non-issuance and other problems. I told them that anybody with a problem, even with no visa, should be sent to Saudi Arabia, then the problem will be solved here,” he said.
Barr. Kunle said the commission was able to identify the challenges and problems in last year’s operation and resolved them this year, which led to the unprecedented success recorded.
He said the unprecedented feat was achieved because of the unwavering support and commitment of the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his Vice, Kashim Shettima.
Earlier in a remark, the Nigerian ambassador in Saudi Arabia, Amb. Yahaya Lawal commended NAHCON for the success of the 2023 Hajj operation.
While describing this year’s Hajj operation as one of the outstanding ones, Amb. Lawal urged the commission to sustain the tempo in further operations.
The Ambassador, who is a member of the Central Co-ordinating Committee of NAHCON, expressed delight as the commission was able to identify challenges faced in the previous operations and resolve them.