A former Commissioner for Home Affairs in Lagos and Amiru Hajj (Head of Delegation) for the 2019 Hajj, Dr. AbdulHakeem Abdullateef has said the number of days pilgrims spend in the Holy land should be reduced to less than 30 days.
This, he said, is achievable, charging all stakeholders, especially the Airline operators to be diligent and efficient in their own services “because that is the greatest challenge of Hajj currently.”
Abdullateef, in a statement, on Monday, specifically commended the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for the various changes which, he noted, had improved the annual Muslim pilgrimage.
He said the “forthrightness of NAHCON and the proactiveness of its management in respect of Hajj operations” is commendable, saying the NAHCON Chairman, Barr. Muktar Muhammed “is no doubt a celebrated change champion.”
“We all need to believe that a big bang change is not achievable but changes on an incremental basis which is why year in year out Pilgrims have a lot of reasons to smile on account of one policy or the other of NAHCON.”
He added that: “There is no perfect system anywhere in the world. We need to work towards reducing the number of days spent in Saudi Arabia to less than a month. That should be our target.”
He also expressed delight that Lagos state won the award as the most disciplined state contingent.
“This is arguably the most difficult award because it is a direct assessment of the behaviour and disposition of our Pilgrims during 2018 hajj. I commend all other states and private tour operators and would like us to see this assignment as a unique privilege to make Aljannah,” Abdullateef added.
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