The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCONA) has called for the inclusion of Nigeria in countries the kingdom of Saudi Arabia source for animals used for sacrifice during the Hajj festival.
In a statement yesterday, the Chairman of NAHCON, Aliyu Jalal, who made the demand during a visit to Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), urged the institution to open a market for Nigeria to export “sacrificial animals”
The chairman also placed a request for engagement of Nigeria’s abundant skilled manpower such as veterinary doctors, manual labourers to offer services during Hajj, especially under Hadaya.
“The chairman also sought for consolidation of the relationship established with the IsDB and expressed gratitude to the Vice President of Operations, Dr Mansur Mukhtar, for the technical assistance that NAHCON received in 2019 that facilitated an understudy and establishment of the Hajj Savings Scheme and the Hajj Institute of Nigeria.”
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The statement added that the commission had continued to scout and assess alternative service providers to involve in serving Nigerian pilgrims where necessary.
“He visited other pilgrims’ Muttawif establishments to understand the services available in their packages. The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah had created windows for countries to select Pilgrims’ Establishment Mutawwif Companies of their choice as a way of encouraging competition favourable to pilgrims. He interacted with the Mashariq Mutawwif Establishment in this regard.”
It added that the chairman had consulted with Saudi’s Deputy Minister of Hajj in charge of Umrah and Ziyara in Madina, Dr Abdulrahman Bejawi, on issues concerning welfare of Nigerian pilgrims and safety of their property too.
“Malam Arabi equally eagerly accepted the Makkah Route project offered by the deputy minister with Nigeria being one among the seven countries offered the services. According to Dr Bejawi, over 30 countries have shown interest in this initiative.”
