The Chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, (NAHCON), Alh. Zikrullah Hassan, has reiterated the Commissions commitment to making annual Hajj pilgrimage exercise affordable to prospective pilgrims.
Hassan stated this yesterday, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, during a special prayer, organised in his honour by the Muslim Ummah of South-West Nigeria, (MUSWEN), over his appointment as NAHCON chairman.
He said that the introduction of ‘Hajj Savings Scheme’, Hajj Training Institute and the digitalisation of Hajj operations were all aimed at making the Hajj operations affordable and shortening the time spent on Hajj tours.
Hassan expressed concern over what he called a frequent increase in Hajj fares, saying that this could make it more difficult for people to go on pilgrimage over time.
According to him, it may result in the Commission not being able to exhaust the quota allocated to Nigeria by the Saudi Arabian government.
The NAHCON chairman, however, said that the introduction of Hajj Savings scheme would help to mitigate the challenges, thus increasing the number of people performing the exercise.
The chairman said it was time to consider the governments financial intervention in Hajj operations as no longer necessary.
In his address, the MUSWEN President, Alh. Rasaki Oladejo, called on Muslims in the zone and across the country to support the chairman, saying the chairmanship position, now being occupied by the zone, should be considered as Allahs will and mercy, which must not be turned into personal or individual benefits.
The special prayer was led by the Chief Imam of the University of Ibadan, (UI), Prof. Oloyede AbdulRahman.
