Niger State Governor, Muhammed Umaru Bago has faulted National Hajj Commission of Nigeria NAHCON for the ill-treatment of Nigeria Pilgrims during the 2024 Hajj exercise in Saudia Arabia.
Governor Umaru Bago who appreciated the Saudia Arabia government for their Hospitality and Nigeria President Bola Tinubu for his efforts lamented that the NAHCO who is saddled with the responsibility of making sure all pilgrims performed Hajj ritual comfortably failed to live up to it expected functions.
“If I assess the 2024 Hajj exercise, I will tell you that Nigeria has failed and continued to fail the pilgrims in terms of operations”
He said the feeding of Pilgrims in Medina, their accommodation in Medina, the tent in Muna and Arafat, the transportation both land and Air and medical workers handled by NAHCON hindred smooth operations of Hajj Ritual exercise, stressing that there is no country do that in the whole world.
He called for the decentralisation of NAHCON activities, appealing to the Federal government to allow the state to make arrangements for some of the Hajj functions and make NAHCON to serve as Regulator and operator body.
The Governor said over 100 pilgrims from Nigeria that died during the Hajj exercise is also as results of NAHCON’s inability to carry out it’s functions proactively.
“In my own state we lost two pilgrims in Medina and four in Muna do to heat waves, making 6 pilgrims but in Nigeria in total we lost over 100 pilgrims and that the reason I said the state should be able to screen it’s pilgrims and understand their health status and know how special to treat to with underline health challenges” the governor said.
Governor Bago applead to National Assembly to probe the subsidy fund give to NAHCON by Federal Government.
“there is a need for the National Assembly to probe the N90 billion fund given to NAHCON by the Federal Government and as a state governor, I am calling on the committee of Northern Governor Forum(NGF) to scrape NAHCON because they are not living up to the expectations of the Nigerians.”
He said the Federal Government is too large and busy to disturb itself with the Hajj issues, adding that it’s supposed to be the local government responsibility.
Governor Bago further said “state government supposed to organise the pilgrims get agents who will do the activities in a best way like other countries are doing”.
“The people may say because Governor, Speakers and other dignitaries in Nigeria inability to get accommodation in Muna and Mecca that is why we are calling for the change in the long narratives, “yes” imagining governors and speaker stranded and have no where to sleep after paying such huge amounts of money to NAHCON, even with the N90b subsidy fund given to the body by the government”.
Niger State Governor further said that there is no reason why Hajj operations should last for one month when it can be run in two week and make people who paid N8m to feed on 400 Dollar in one month, saying the act is ridiculous and inhuman.
He agitated for private control of Hajj exercise and synergy between the state and local government in the preparation of Hajj exercise and NAHCON being a control body, if its existence is necessary.
