By Tunde Akanbi, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has assured Nigerian intending pilgrims to 2018 hajj that all efforts would be made by the commission to ensure that African food of Nigerian local content are made available for them throughout their stay in Saudi Arabia.
The commission said this is to guide against the practice whereby Nigerian Pilgrims would be consuming food that they are not used to through their thirty five days or more in the holy land.
The Commissioner in charge of Policy, Personnel, Management and Finance in the commission, Alhaji Yusuf Ibrahim Adebayo disclosed this recently in his office in Makkah during an exclusive interview with VON correspondent.
According to him, the Saudi Authorities have banned pilgrims from cooking at the various kitchens at their rented hotels during pilgrimages to avert cases of fire incidents that have occurred in the past.
Similarly, the NAHCON commissioner said a committee has been set up towards a successful 2018 pilgrimage that would source for accommodation in Medinah which is close to the Prophets Mosque to ease the movement of pilgrims.
Alhaji Adebayo revealed that any pilgrim willing to perform hajj for the second time would be surcharged additional two thousand Saudi Riyals so as not to deeper first timers the opportunity to perform the pilgrimage and also reduce the number of pilgrims that would be at Haram at a particular time to avoid congestion.
According to him, the commission would dialogue with official carriers of the pilgrims so as to ensure that they have strict flight schedule warning that any airline or tour operators that violates the contractual agreement would be sanctioned and made to refund funds paid to them.
He, however, appealed to intending pilgrims and state Muslim pilgrims welfare boards to pay their hajj fare on time so as to allow the commission and the Saudi Authorities to have enough time to plan ahead for future hajj exercises.
In the area of health, Alhaji Adebayo disclosed that the commission and the various state pilgrims boards would jointly collaborate and centralize health facilities as well as ambulances to ensure adequate health care services for the pilgrims.
