The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) said it has successfully reserved luxury hotel accommodations in Markaziyya District of Madinah, Saudi Arabia for Nigerian pilgrims.
The hotel accommodations were used by Nigerian pilgrims during the 2018 Hajj exercise in Madinah.
A statement by NAHCON’s head of public affairs division, Fatima Sanda Usara, said the reservation was possible due to the early expression of interest by the Commission.
She said accommodations in the district are limited and in high demand. They are reserved “on the basis of first to come, first to be served.”
In his remarks, Vice Chairman of the Adillah Establishment, the regulatory body of a conglomerate of service providers in Madinah, Uztaz Usam Diyadi, expressed hope that the two parties would continue to enjoy cordial working relationship.
The Adillah Establishment, however, complained that some Licensed Tour Operators did not give early notification for release of pilgrims’ passports to enable the operators to transport their pilgrims to the next destination.
He reflected that all Hajj/Umrah transactions are turning electronic and a minimum of 24 hours is the regulated time for release of passport.
He frowned at the manner in which some pilgrims would be assembled, loitering outside their hotels while waiting for arrival of their passports. Such act, he said, was unacceptable to the Kingdom.
He said the Establishment takes directives from Ministry of Hajj and Umrah which in turn takes its orders from King Salman Ibn AbdulAzeez, the Custodian of the two holy mosques.
On his part, NAHCON Chief Executive Officer, Barrister Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad, commended the performance of Adillah.
He harped on security challenges faced by some pilgrims as well as the need to regulate companies involved in fixing golden teeth.
The regulation, he said, would guide those willing to patronize their services in making choices.
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