Nigeria has kept the 95,000 allocations it received during the previous pilgrimage for the 2024 Hajj.
The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced the allocation yesterday during a Zoom meeting with the leadership of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, (NAHCON).
The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Hajj, Hon Jafar Mohammed, representatives of the chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Abubakar Sani Bello, and the Nigerian Consul-General in Saudi Arabia, Ambassador Bello Abdul?adir, attended the meeting, which officially marked the start of the 2024 Hajj.
In a press statement issued after the meeting, NAHCONs deputy Director of Information and Publications, Mousa Ubandawaki, stated that Nigeria expects to finalise all arrangements and negotiations with service providers, including catering, accommodation, and transportation, within the next 120 days.
Ubandawaki added that NAHCON will, among other things, submit lists of medical and other officials to Saudi authorities as soon as possible because the Kingdom intends to work closely with the two bodies. According to him, the Commission was also urged to ensure that only air carriers with at least two aircraft and a backup plan are appointed or permitted to participate in the 2024 Hajj operation.
Earlier in his speech, NAHCON chairman, Zikrullah Kunle Hassan, urged the Saudi authorities to expedite action on the refund of the feeding and tent services that were not provided during the Mashair.
He also emphasised the importance of the Kingdom withdrawing from feeding services in the Mashair and allowing the country to take over Muna and Arafat, in order to allow pilgrims to enjoy the delicacies they were accustomed to at home.
Hassan also sought the Saudi Ministry of Hajjs support and assistance in obtaining the refund paid to the General Authority on Saudi Aviation (GACA) on behalf of Nigerian Carriers in 2019, and urged the ministry to reconsider its decision by allowing Nigerian pilgrims to depart through the King Abdul-Aziz International Airport Jeddah rather than Madinah, which would create bottlenecks and logistical problems for the pilgrims.
