Operators excited as S/Arabia reopens hajj to foreign pilgrims

Hajj and umrah operators have expressed relief over the announcement by Saudi Arabia lifting the suspension on Nigeria and 17 other countries. 

The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, in a statement Monday, assured foreign pilgrims of participation in the 2022 hajj after a two-year suspension occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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It said COVID-19 vaccination was the only basic requirement for pilgrims and that further information would be released in due course.

Some hajj and umrah operators, who spoke to Daily Trust, said the announcement signaled the commencement of their business.

Vice President, Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria, Alhaji Qasim Alabi, said: “We’ve long been waiting for the good news and it came at a time we thought the travel ban will remain in force in view of the fact Ramadan is drawing nearer.   

 “The removal of the travel ban is therefore a welcome development and great relief for the hajj and Umrah travel industry in Nigeria.”

The Managing Director of B&C International Travel Agency Limited based in Maiduguri, Bachullu Goni Modu, said it was a great relief for the operators, but feared that passengers’ turnout might be low because of the difficult economic terrain. 

 “The passengers will be very low because of the difficulty in the country today. People don’t have enough cash in their hands and that’s the only challenge we’ll have,” he said.

Abubakar Adeshola of Bridgestone Travel and Tours, said: “As usual, the expectation is actually high, but with the situation of the country, one is not actually optimistic.”

 An intending umrah pilgrim, Alhaji Abdulrasaq, said he had hoped to perform lesser hajj last month when Saudi banned direct flights from Nigeria, expressing delight over the reopening of the Kingdom to foreign pilgrims.   

Meanwhile, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria yesterday said guidelines for the 2022 hajj would be release after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.

NAHCON, in a statement yesterday by its spokesperson, Fatima Sanda Usara, said with the heightened hope that international hajj would be open in the 2022, it received the pleasant news of the uplifting of direct travel ban into Saudi Arabia effective from March 5.

 “The only requirement for entry into the Kingdom is full vaccination with the accompanying registration on Tawakkalna and Eatmarna apps as gateway.” 

The commission urged intending pilgrims to desist from travelling with prohibited items such as “illicit drugs and kola nuts.

“They should recall that penalty for drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia is death. Besides, NAHCON is in full collaboration with NDLEA and other interrelated agencies in ensuring that such persons are apprehended before embarking on the trip.”