Ahead of the commencement of the 2023 Hajj airlift operation, a team of 31 officials of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), including medical personnel departed for Saudi Arabia yesterday from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja as members of advance team to this year’s pilgrimage exercise.
The team, made up of members of the national reception team, national medical team, accommodation and feeding committees will be in Saudi Arabia for the final preparation to receive the first set of Nigerian pilgrims from Nasarawa State who would be arriving in the Kingdom on Thursday, May 25 for the 2023 Holy Pilgrimage.
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The team which will among other things organise and coordinate the reception, accommodation, feeding and transportation, health and general welfare of the pilgrims in the Holy land throughout the period of the spiritual exercise in the Holy Land is led by the deputy director of training, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris.
At a brief farewell ceremony held at the Hajj House before their departure to the Holy Land, the chairman/CEO of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria(NAHCON), Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan described Hajj as a global issue and whose aim is to establish unity among the Ummah and therefore enjoined the officials to take their job seriously by identifying the best goals and methods to achieve success in their assignments which is for the pilgrims to enjoy value for money and obtain Hajj Mabrur. “You must be diligent, committed, vigilant and particularly, you must have patience and act in the right manner at all times, so that at the end, you can achieve the benefit of here and the hereafter,” he said.
The chairman in a statement by the deputy director of information and publications, NAHCON, Alhaji Mousa Ubandanwaki, said in spite of the challenge posed by the Sudan military crises, the commission was able to fulfill its promise and is on course to ensure that the inaugural flight set for Thursday 25th May remained sacrosanct.
Hassan prayed to the Almighty Allah to assist the commission in making this year’s Hajj, the best experience for the commission and the Muslim Ummah.
Also at the event, the commissioner in charge of Policy, Personnel, Management and Finance (PPMF), Alhaji Nura Hassan Yakasai described the event as epoch, stressing that it marked the beginning of 2023 Hajj operation.
He described the advance team as the foundation on which the success of this year’s Hajj will be built. “If it is very strong, then the rest of the structure will be solid. Therefore, I want to enjoin you to discharge your duties with utmost sense of responsibility and I want to assure you of the commission support for your team to achieve the desired objectives,” he said.
In the same vein, the commissioner in charge of Planning, Research, Statistics and Library Services (PRSILS), Sheikh Suleiman Momoh enjoined the team members to pray for the success of the Hajj exercise when they get to the Holy Land. “I just have one request for you and that is, when you get to Madina, please go and pray for the success of this year’s Hajj,” he said.
Responding on behalf of the team, Alhaji Tajudeen Akande and Dr Galadima expressed appreciation to the management for the trust and confidence reposed in them and assured of their determination and readiness to make this year’s Hajj more successful that previous years. “On behalf of the team, I want to thank the management for the support extended to us, we will put in our best to ensure we achieve success,” Akande said.