Sat 09 July 2022:
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria issued an apology to 1,551 intending pilgrims on Friday who were missed performing the Hajj due to airline delays to Saudi Arabia, Anadolu Agency reports.
Nigerians missed the Hajj for the first time ever.
According to a statement made available to Anadolu Agency by the Hajj Commission’s acting director of public affairs, Fatima Sanda Usara, the affected intending pilgrims include nine from the Bauchi state, 91 from the Plateau state, 700 from the Kano state, and an estimated 750 from the private tour operator sector.
The Nigerian Hajj governing body apologized for the event and promised to compensate intended pilgrims for their travel expenses.
“As we speak to you, over 700 international intending Pilgrims that suppose to travel to the Holy land for this year’s pilgrimage are stranded at the airports in Kano, Abuja and Lagos, because they were unable to secure aircraft that will airlift them to the Holy land,” said the President of the Association for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria, Alhaji Nasidi Yahaya Sulaiman.
He appealed to the federal government to set up a panel to review the Hajj activity from scratch because “what happened is really pathetic in the history of Hajj operation in Nigeria” and he wants to restore sanity for future operations.
All capable Muslims are obligated to perform the Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in their lifetimes. It takes place at the end of the Islamic year.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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