By DANLAMI S. SHU’AYB ZANGO
Hajj management and operations in Kaduna State has again come under scrutiny with the appointment of a Special Hajj Committee in 2024 and recent increase in the membership by the Governor Uba Sani led administration to oversee the affairs of Hajj in the State. The Committee was given the powers, and mandates that no similar previous Committee/Taskforce have had such opportunities.
First, Hajj Committees/Taskforce set up by the previous governments have many issues and crisis to contend with. Mostly it is being created with terms and mandate that seem to clash with either the managements, the Boards and many times the Amirul Hajj Teams. At the end of it all the desired seem not to be achieved in the real reason for setting it up. We saw this almost happening with the setting up of this Committee in 2024 but, with wider consultations and resolutions, the Committee was mandated to, and took over the management of the Agency with its Chairman given an executive powers and the Secretary allowed to assume his responsibilities as
Administrative Secretary while all the members are acting as Board members; making the Special Committee a policy maker and implementer at the same
time.
Then came the declaration of State of Emergency on the Agency through a motion by the Kaduna State House of Assembly that was adopted and approved by the Governor. This gave the Agency and the Special Committee a new lease and gave it the opportunity of organizing Hajj under a more pragmatic approach with the view to transforming and revolutionizing Hajj in Kaduna State. It also gave it the impetus to reorganize and restructure the
Agency for effective and efficient service delivery to enable Pilgrims enjoy the pay for their money and a hitch free Hajj exercise.
Now, additional two (2) experienced, qualified and competent Hajj specialists were added into the Special Committee; Sheikh Halliru Abdullahi Maraya and Alh Abdullahi Bayero. With the full mandate of this Special Committee, under Imam Salihu Abubakar, and its membership vis a vis the atmosphere given to it to function, we are no doubt optimistic that the tasks before the Committee would be performed with more decorum, sincerity and faith. It would also open an opportunity for Hajj to continue to be Pilgrim centered; thereby making Kaduna Pilgrims enjoy efficient welfare and get valued services in order to perform Hajj with ease.
The Committee now has all the components that it require to function effectively. In the security section, AVM Muhammad R. Dabo, Rtd, with the experience he garnered last year would make a difference. In the Hajj
Accounts C Finances, Malam Kasim Aminu who was a former staff of that department in the Agency would have no reason to allow the Committee to fail. In the manasik of Hajj, the likes of Prof Muhammad M. Gwadabe, Sheikh Halliru Maraya and Imam Buhari M/Jos would make a useful and perfect impact. In the Welfare/Guide and Hajj administration as well as consular services, Sheikh Maraya and Abdullahi Bayero would do the magic. In the Women affairs and welfare, one of the challenging sphere of Hajj control, the experience of Ummul Khulsim Jibril Maigwari and Hajiya Maimuna Waziri
would break the jinx. What a perfect team!
For any successful Hajj, today, the knowledge of the manasik and that of the operations have to be acquired and understood concurrently. This is because of the new innovations and practices brought in by the Hajj host (Saudi Arabia) where every rite is being guided by certain operational procedures which every pilgrim and official MUST know and understand how it works.
What the government, the pilgrims and the people want in Hajj exercise is a hitch free and successful operation that would give participants the
opportunity to have a Hajj Mabrur. In order to achieve this therefore, the Special Hajj Committee would have to look into the challenges of management of Hajj stakeholders, appointment of pilgrims officials, welfare
of pilgrims, information management and disseminations, the 2030 Saudi Hajj Vision and the Kaduna Pilgrims law as well as other issues bordering on consular services; just to mention but a few.
Hajj administrators and managers could vividly distinguish and understand between a successful Hajj based on proper planning and execution and a successful Hajj by special grace of God. Time is always of essence and,
therefore, the Special Committee should ensure proper use of timing in the execution of its programs and actions. We salute the efforts of the Special Committee in the appointment of Hajj officials during the last exercise but efforts should be intensified towards bringing in more experienced, qualified and competent people to assist in the operations; without favors or
partisanships. The welfare and rights of the appointed officials and the synergy between the Hajj volunteers and the Committee as well as the
management should be improved upon.
These Volunteers including the Aid Groups should be seen as partners to support the operation and, not as rivals or anything trying to take over or cause any harm to anything. By these acts,
the expected outcome and the successes recorded previously would be more purposeful and achievable.
Nigerian pilgrims, not just Kaduna Pilgrims, must have treatment and welfare like other pilgrims across the world. They should be seen to be travelling under services, welfare and treatments applicable everywhere; which is what the Saudi 2030 Hajj Vision intends to achieve.
The current Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency law should come under review with the view to either amending or repealing it to be replaced by an act that would address the lacunas associated with it. The Special Committee
should note that the act is in conflict with the NAHCON and NCPC acts and is likely to put the Agency at crossroads with its regulatory bodies. It is time to reverse pilgrims management and administration back to how it uses to be, where every religion (Islam and Christianity) would be allowed to plan, organize, conduct pilgrimage by themselves under an Agency/ Board or even a
department meant for such activity; not what the current act intend but failed to achieve. This would be fully buttressed in another day.
Hajj is supposed to be pilgrims centered but, the stakeholders seem to be putting their interests over and above that of the pilgrims. This is what is disrupting the exercise and, a times, bringing frictions and destroying the synergy that’s suppose to coexist amongst the stakeholders. In this case, the Special Committee should be wary and careful in dealing with these
stakeholders. It should be exclusively in line with their established rules,
norms and guidelines. Some of these stakeholders capitalize on the ignorance of these norms, policies and rules by the administrators to ridicule and compromise their services to the pilgrims. This excesses must be checked
and properly harnessed to the advantage of the pilgrims and the operation. The rules and policies of the likes of IATA, GACA, NCAA/FAAN and most importantly the Saudi policy for Service Providers, on the welfare of pilgrims, are some of the areas that require adequate knowledge and understanding by the Hajj Managers and Administrators; just mention but a few.
One of the major issue facing and causing conflict between pilgrims and their officials is the issue of information management and disseminations. The common character of any pilgrim is curiosity and, this could e managed by ensuring that no gap exist through free flow of information and managing the information using the best information and communication strategy. If this is
properly utilized there would be no need for visitation during Hajj exercise. The case of the 2012 Hajj is a particular case study.
I won’t conclude without commending the efforts of the Governor of Kaduna State, Sen Uba Sani, for removing politics out of Hajj operations and bringing in ideas and ideals that would rejuvenate Hajj management in Kaduna State and making it to regain its leadership role in the comity of Hajj
Boards/Agencies/Commissions across Nigeria. Hajj is a religious rite and shouldn’t be politicized or compromised and or be allowed in the hands of selfish and self centered individuals. I would enjoin the government to
continue to support the Agency and allow it the free hand it uses to, in order to make Hajj an operation worthy and worthwhile.
If these be as it may, the Special Hajj Committee would have no reason not to take Hajj management and operations to a higher level in Kaduna State and would also have no reason to fail except, may be………….
I wish the Special Hajj Committee and the Kaduna Pilgrims Agency a successful conduct of their assignment and a hitch free Hajj operations.
Mr. Shu’ayb writes from Zango Urban, Kaduna State. Email: [email protected]
