The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Wednesday concluded the return airlift of Nigerian pilgrims who performed this year’s Hajj exercise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The commission began the return airlift of Nigerian pilgrims from the states and the Armed Forces on Friday, June 13, four days after the completion of the spiritual exercise.
This year’s Hajj formally came to an end on Monday, June 9, when pilgrims completed the symbolic stoning of the devil at the Jamrat, though some had a day earlier and returned to Makkah.
The five-day spiritual exercise began on Wednesday, June 4, when all pilgrims departed Makkah for Mina, also known as Tent City.
A total of 1,673,230 pilgrims, including not less than 54,743 Nigerians, participated in this year’s Hajj from 171 countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Nigerian contingent was made up of 41,526 pilgrims from the states and the Armed Forces and 13,217 from the private tour operators.
Of the over 1.6 million pilgrims who participated in this year’s Hajj, an obligatory spiritual exercise on adult Muslims who have the resources to do so without and hindrance, 1,506,576 pilgrims came to Saudi Arabia from across the world, including 314,337 who arrived through the Makkah Initiative Routes, while 166,654 Saudi indigenes and residents performed the exercise.
NAHCON Assistant Director, Information and Publication, Fatima Sanda Usara, informed that the final flight, an Umza Aviation flight, conveying approximately 88 pilgrims from Kaduna State, one pilgrim from Katsina and eight officials, departed Jeddah today at 10:30am local time (8:30am, Nigerian time) for Kaduna.
In his farewell address to the pilgrims, NAHCON Chairman/CEO, Professor Abdullah Saleh Usman, expressed profound gratitude to Allah for granting Nigeria a smooth and successful Hajj exercise.
According to Usara, the chairman attributed the success to the spirit of unity and cooperation demonstrated by state pilgrims’ welfare boards officials, airline operators and other service providers, as well as obedience of the pilgrims to laid down guidelines.
Usman urged the returning pilgrims to continue praying for Nigeria to overcome its challenges and to remember the nation’s leaders in their prayers.
He also reminded them that Hajj serves as an opportunity to build meaningful relationships which foster peace and harmony, and enjoined them to sustain the ties of friendships they established during the just-ended pilgrimage.
She informed that the chairman, who was in company with NAHCON’s Commissioner, Operations, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, Secretary of the Commission, Dr Mustapha Alli, Special Assistant to the President, Ameen Amshi and other staff of the commission, then prayed for their safe journey back to Nigeria.
He reassured that NAHCON would continue to improve on its mandate for Nigerian pilgrims in line with global best practices.
