The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has been advised to discountenance suggestions that cheaper accommodation be sourced for Nigerian pilgrims in Madinah as against the Markaziyyah area which is closer to the Prophet’s Mosque.
NAHCON was advised by callers in a Freedom Radio Kaduna live Hausa programme, Barka Da Warhaka, monitored by HAJJ REPORTERS in Kaduna on Tuesday.
The callers said housing pilgrims at Markaziyyah should be fait accompli that should not be reversed in an effort to beat down this year’s Hajj fares.
A caller and a Kaduna based Islamic scholar, Ustaz Yusuf Abubakar Tsoho said it was unwise and ill-advised to contemplate taking up accommodations that are far from the holy Mosque in Madinah in view of the associated hazards involved.
These hazards the pilgrims would be exposed to, he said, include missing pilgrims, accidents, extortions and other atrocities, in addition to fundamentally missing congregational prayers and other acts of worship at the holy Mosque.
Ustaz Tsoho advised that other options should be explored to reduce the fares, but moving out of Markaziyyah is never a viable option.
He hoped that NAHCON and state pilgrims’ welfare boards, agencies and commissions should work towards bringing pilgrims closer to Haram in Makkah as against the present situation where pilgrims are housed in faraway places.
Ustaz Tsoho agreed that the fares would rise, but it would be worth it if pilgrims perform their five daily prayers and other acts of worship in the holy Mosque of Kaaba instead of what is witnessed now.
Another caller from Zaria, Malam Dayyabu Kusfa, said he was not in support of moving pilgrims out of Markaziyyah, but called on Hajj handlers to give a comprehensive breakdown of the whole Hajj package for each pilgrim as to explain why the rise in cost.
Other callers appealed to the federal government to intervene by way of waivers, subsidy and others to bring down the cost of this year’s Hajj.
