The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has urged the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, to rigorously assessment its trade price to come up with extra acceptable fare for future Hajj workouts.
Mr Shettima made the decision when he acquired briefing from the administration of NAHCON led by its Chairman, Zikrullah Hassan, on the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria reviews that Shettima spoke in opposition to the backdrop of the issue of the volatility of the trade price on the fee’s funds which was attributable to the unification of the totally different foreign exchange home windows.
He additionally suggested the administration of NAHCON to make enough preparations to maintain the pilgrims.
Mr Shettima stated that although hajj was a religious train, the fee should not neglect the well-being of the pilgrims all through their keep within the holy land.
He added: “The welfare of the pilgrims is at the core of the pilgrimage and as such the commission must give it the priority it deserves.
“The management must be proactive as it prepares for the future. You have to rigorously review your exchange rate and come up with a much more acceptable figure.
“It is absolutely essential that we review this mechanism and make it practical and effective to give us maximum success in managing the hajj operations from year to year.”
Similarly, Mr Shettima emphasised the necessity for NAHCON to develop a sturdy mechanism to curtail the challenges confronted by the individuals.
He additional suggested them on the necessity to educate the pilgrims on their rights within the holy land by making use of the social media platforms and different conventional media to improve its visibility.
Mr Shettima counseled the fee on the assorted initiatives to additional improve its actions particularly the launching of the Hajj Savings’ Scheme.
The vice chairman stated: “And the Hajj Institute of Nigeria and Public Private Partnership Arrangements for Kano, Lagos, Maiduguri and Ilorin Projects.”
Mr Shettima additionally lauded NAHCON for a profitable 2023 hajj operations regardless of many challenges it confronted.
He added: “We have to offer praises to Allah for the successful conduct of 2023 hajj, in spite of harsh conditions faced by people in Saudi Arabia occasioned by the climate change and other factors.
“The temperature rose to unimaginable level, though Nigeria was not the only country affected by the effect of the climate change.”
Mr Shettima commiserated with the households of the 29 pilgrims who died in the course of the 2023 hajj train.
He urged the fee “to learn lessons from the last hajj operations and gird our loins and make efforts to address all the shortcomings in the upcoming hajj operations.”
Earlier, Mr Hassan disclosed that the not too long ago concluded 2023 Hajj was profitable largely due to the immediate transportation of the pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
He additionally stated that the availability of lodging to the pilgrims, feeding and environment friendly medical companies in any respect the phases of hajj was profitable.
Mr Shettima stated: ” We are right here to temporary His Excellency, the Vice President about National Hajj fee, our mandates, our scorecard and our challenges.
“As you are aware, the Vice President is in charge of supervising our activities so we have a duty from time to time to report to him about our challenges, and about our plans as well.
“The National Hajj commission is actually well prepared for the take off of Hajj 2024.
“As you know, there are a number of issues that have to be settled particularly this issue of the exchange rate.
“And as you are aware, over 90 percent of Hajj fare is in US dollars in the sense of the flight, the cost of the flight, the hotels, all the services being provided in the kingdom.”
According to Hassan, all these are nonetheless being labored out.
He revealed that, already, the fee had gotten the approval of Shettima to begin in earnest in preparation for 2024 Hajj in a matter of weeks.
Mr Hassan stated: ”We will inform Nigerians, precisely how we intend to key into the roadmap of Saudi Arabia. So that our planning will probably be in time .
“So that when you plan early enough it will also lead to smooth success of the operation.”
NAN remembers that President Bola Tinubu had not too long ago returned the supervision of NAHCON below the workplace of the vice chairman.
NAN
