Faced with criticism, Saudi Arabian authority has blamed the invasion of illegal pilgrims at the religious site of Mina for the painful experience of shortage of tents and bed space suffered by the Nigerian pilgrims during the rigorous spiritual pilgrimage of the just concluded 2023 Hajj exercise.
The vice president of the Saudi’s company of Mutawwifs for African Non-Arab pilgrims, Badr Bafqih, disclosed this yesterday when the chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Alhaji Zilkrullah Kunle Hassan led his management team, officials of the state pilgrims welfare board, agencies, commissions and representatives of the private tour operators to the head of office of the company in Makkah to demand for explanation for the horrible and painful experience Nigerian pilgrims were subjected to at the religious sites.
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Bafqih said not less than 30 to 40 percent of unregistered pilgrims invaded Nigeria’s tents, causing discomfort for the 95,000 registered Nigerian pilgrims.
“In our tent this year for Nigeria was a huge number of hajjis and we tried to provide tents and spaces for all because they all came to perform hajj. But we discovered that there was an invasion of illegal hajjis and the tent became very crowded. About 30 to 40 percent illegal hajjis invaded the tent in Mina and you know that the tents were customised for the numbers that we agreed on,” Bafqih said.
On the issue of poorly cooked or shortage of food at the Nigerian tents, Bafqih said he will respond when he receives the report of the feeding committee and contractors.
Earlier, chairman of NAHCON, Zilkrullah Kunle Hassan, expressed dissatisfaction over the inadequate tents and poor feeding of Nigerian pilgrims at Muna by the Saudi Arabian company and demanded for refund of their money for the poor service rendered by the company.
He said the Nigerian Hajj mission has been partnering the company for decades but henceforth they will not be interested in their service in providing food for the pilgrims at the Masha’er, saying it is only Nigerians that can prepare Nigerian dishes.
“If you use $100 to prepare food that I’m used to eat, it means you wasted your money. So, return the feeding at Masha’er to us, then you can regulate it. We have done it before, though, I’m not saying it was perfect but not as worse as what we suffered just few days ago in Mina. We have grown enough to know how best to manage ourselves.
“We are going to write you and the relevant authorities in the kingdom on the feeding based on the complaints from our pilgrims and demand on their behalf for refund for the shortchange and poor food served them in Mina and Arafat,” Hassan said.