Press Release
The Head of delegation or Amir Hajj, Engr Suleiman Umar, has described this year’s pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia as one of the best in recent years for Kaduna State pilgrims.
Engr Umar who is the Emir of Lere, pointed out that the success story can be attributed to the patience of pilgrims, the diligence of the Board of Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency and the management, as well as staff of the agency.
The Amir Hajj who was said this while visiting pilgrims’ accommodations in Makkah, listed the early airlift of pilgrims from Nigeria to the Holy Land as one of the successes recorded this year.
According to him, pilgrims were transported from Jedda airport directly to Muna in recent past, adding that ‘’this year, our pilgrims visited the Holy places at Madina before coming to Makkah. The last batch even spent about five days before the trip to Muna.’’
The Head of Delegation also praised the diligence of the Hadaya Committee of the Agency, which ensured that pilgrims got a good discount on the rams that each pilgrim sacrificed.
‘’Ás a result of the good bargain and supervision of the Committee members, 700 pilgrims that paid the equivalent of $150 each, to the Agency’s account in Nigeria, each got a refund of $50,’’ he added.
The Amirul Hajj implored the pilgrims to exhibit the same patience during the journey back home, adding that pilgrims that first arrived Saudi Arabia, will be the first to be airlifted back to Nigeria.
While underscoring the significancy of patience, he further said that the entire Hajj is built on patience, pointing out that each year brings its own peculiar challenges.
Engr Umar who acknowledged complaints about the shortfall of Basic Travelling Allowances(BTAs), where most pilgrims received $400 as against a few who collected $500, promised to get to the root of the matter even after the pilgrimage.
Speaking during the interactive session, the Executive Chairman of the Agency, Malam Salihu S Abubakar advised pilgrims to stick to the prescribed weights of luggage, adding that hand luggage should weigh 8 kilograms while the required weight of the carrier bag is 32 kilograms.
The Amirul Hajj, members of the Board and management of Kaduna State Pilgrim Agency visited both male and female accomodations, where they also fielded questions from pilgrims.
*Signed*
*Yunusa Muhammad Abdullahi, Public Relations Officerr*
