Over the years, the Hajj exercise as an important religious obligation with global attention came with logistical challenges. Nigeria has not been left out in this even though the country has gradually overcome most of these challenges.
And so, as expected, two years of global suspension of hajj exercise due to the Covid-19 pandemic was bound to cause a major setback in hajj preparations not just in Nigeria but across the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted every social, business, and religious activity globally and so when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia lifted the Hajj ban in 2022, it came with a resounding welcome.
Alhamdulillah, the 2022 hajj exercise, like previous exercises has come and gone, leaving behind memories, but glory be to almighty Allah for a successful exercise.
The commitment and doggedness of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) in ensuring a hitch-free hajj exercise were almost dashed by the challenges encountered, but God’s intervention led to the successes recorded.
It could be remembered that during the pandemic period, a special prayer was organized by Muslims seeking Allah’s intervention for the Hajj 2022 to become a reality, and Alhamdulillah, the prayers were answered.
It’s also important to note that not until March 10, this year when it became clear that the 2022 Hajj will hold, there was no information from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on whether international pilgrims will participate in the exercise.
Despite the short notice, the commission still went ahead with preparations to ensure that the exercise was held, even though it was not clear if the slots to be allocated to Nigeria will accommodate the country’s high number of intending pilgrims who have been on standby since 2019.
NAHCON however remained hopeful that a first come first serve basis would apply to selection based on intending pilgrims that deposited their money within the period using Hajj Saving Scheme (HSS) launched on October 4, 2020.
This is because the commission was convinced that the only way of ensuring all those who paid from 2019 get the opportunity to travel was through the HSS since the entries are computerized in line with a first come first served basis.
The new policies, cost of services in Saudi Arabia, and a myriad of other factors further placed some hurdles in the way of the commission during the exercise but the commission succeeded in conducting the operations.
But despite all these, some Nigerians have placed the entire blame for logistics challenges that characterized this year’s hajj on the commission. But out of humility, the commission took responsibility by apologizing to all those who might have felt bad.
The Chairman himself mentioned during a ceremony to mark the opening of 2023 Hajj operations in Mecca that he acknowledged there were challenges during the outbound trip from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia.
Those challenges resulted from time constraints as well as other unforeseen hiccups such as the International Bank Account Number ( IBAN) issue that affected some Tour Operators, saying this has spurred the Commission into taking lessons.
He stressed that the Commission would commence early planning for the 2023 Hajj and would embark on prequalification of airlines sooner than later to allow the carriers to cross any unforeseen hurdles in good time.
All those following the hajj activities know right from the start that not all who paid for this year’s exercise will be selected.
This is because the over 43,000 seats allocated to Nigeria were inadequate looking at the over 50,000 intending pilgrims waiting since 2019. This is not to mention the new intending pilgrims that were also waiting to pay for new seats.
It was clear that there will be aggrieved people due to the shortfall in the allocation and this had been said several times to prepare everyone involved for any eventuality.
But still in the spirit of fairness, the commission insisted it will abide by the first come first serve through the HSS and was able to airlift all the intending pilgrims but about 700 pilgrims, unfortunately, were left behind.
Those who followed the hajj exercise right from the onset would agree that the commission deserves kudos looking at the challenges it overcame to have airlifted almost 95 percent of the intending pilgrims and also completed its airlift back home to Nigeria, six days before the deadline.
In life, no matter how good you are, there are still people who may not see the goodness in you, all they see about you are faults, forgetting the fact that, the 2022 hajj exercise is the first, under the new chairman, Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan.
Therefore, it’s our prayers that as we look forward to the 2023 Hajj exercise, the commission should continue to improve in serving the guests of Allah better.
Alhaji writes from Sabon Gari, Kaduna, Nigeria. He can be reached via phone: +234 (708) 845-1359
