Operational challenges marred 2024 Hajj, says Lagos Commissioner

IBRAHIM QUADRI

Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ibrahim Layode has called on the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, to convene a meeting with all states of the federation to discuss the challenges faced during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage and find a lasting solution.

Layode made the call during a press conference held at the Alsaad Flower Hotel 2, Misfalah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

NAHCON is a federal government agency responsible for the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Recall that Niger State Governor, Mr Umar Bago had declared his intention to lead the effort to abolish NAHCON.

Mr Bago made this declaration during an interview with journalists in Mecca, Saudi Arabia and described the 2024 exercise a failure.

In a video posted on social media, the governor stated that he would lead a campaign to dissolve the agency, arguing that the federal body should act as a regulator rather than managing the entire Hajj.

“As a state governor, I want to lead a committee of the governors and the NGF to scrap NAHCON. NAHCON is not helping matters.

“The federal government is too big to be worried about Hajj problems. This is a local government issue, not a state one. State governments should be able to organise pilgrimages and engage agents from the private sector who can manage this more effectively, as other countries do. The government has no business in doing this,” he said.

Similarly, the Lagos Commissioner explained that most of the challenges encountered during this year’s Hajj were from the inadequacies of the Hajj Commission, stressing that the South West region is not pleased with the food served in Mina as well as accommodation provided in Makkah.

He said, “We had a lot of challenges and most of them are from NAHCON. The caterer selected to provide meals for the State’s pilgrims was using his own discretion to select menu that was not favourable to the people of the South West.

The pilgrims almost protested at Mina and many of them rejected the meals served and chose to go and buy food from vendors. Even the accommodation provided for Lagos pilgrims in Makkah was not up to standard.”

He, however said despite these challenges, he disagreed with the call for the scrapping of NAHCON, saying, “you can’t throw away the baby with the bath water.”

The Amirul Hajj maintained that NAHCON has agreed that there were challenges this year, as he called on stakeholders to address them ahead of the 2025 Hajj.

He expressed his appreciation to Lagos State pilgrims for their patience and endurances, as he also appreciated the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat for their unflinching support, especially in the area of providing the shortfall of the Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) to the pilgrims and also offsetting the cost of rams, amongst other kind gestures.

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