The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has transported over 22,948 pilgrims within a week of the Post-Hajj movement to Nigeria.
In the Commission’s website, the homeward journey which commenced on Sept. 17, had the three airlines transported pilgrims in 51 flight operations.
The air shuttles were by Flynas air, Medview and Max Airline. They have so far transported some pilgrims from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kaduna, Kano, Benue, Plateau, Yobe, Adamawa,Taraba, Kebbi, Zamfara and Lagos.
It is expected that three separate flights of Max Air, FlyNas and Medview would convey other pilgrims who had already complied with their 32kg baggage stipulations on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, NAHCON Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Mukhtar, has reiterated the determination of the commission to conclude the in-bound operation before the October 17 deadline set by the Saudi authority.
According to him, the available human and machine resources at the disposal of the commission is adequate enough to achieve the commission’s objective of meeting up with the deadline.
Commenting on the development, Alhaji Abdurrahman Balogun, President, Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MMPN) described the feat by NAHCON within a week as unprecedented in the history of Hajj in Nigeria.
Balogun said that with the pace at which pilgrims were being transported back to Nigeria, the commission would finalise the hajj operation before the set deadline by Saudi Arabia authorities.
In a related development, the Nigeria Charge d’Affairs to Saudi Arabia, Alhaji Muhammad Sani Umar has called on the state officials and pilgrims to adhere strictly to the official luggage policy stipulated by NAHCON.
Speaking during an inspection visits to Borno, Nasarawa and Katsina pilgrims in Makkah, the envoy said that any contravention of the standard rules set by International Association of Travel Agency (IATA) could attract sanctions .
He, therefore, urged the state officials to enforce the 32 kg Main luggage and 8kg rules for the carry on to fast track the airlift operation.
In another development, the Commission under the leadership of Alhaji Abdullahi Mukhtar organized a prayer session for the reposed of the souls of Nigeria pilgrims that died during the 2015 Hajj Jamrah stampede.
Both Alhaji Mukhtar and Dr Ibrahim Kana, Chairman, National Medical team paid glowing tributes to the martyred pilgrims during the one year remembrance of the dead pilgrims.
It will be recalled that over 317 Nigerian pilgrims died in the stampede on Sept. 24, 2015 on their way to Jamrah to stone the devil in 2015 Hajj exercise.
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