Also speaking with Muslim News in Makkah was the Managing Director/CEO of Qibla International Services Limited, Alhaji Abdulfattah Adeniyi AbdulMajeed, who like other stakeholders, described the 2022 Hajj as a “special” and an “emergency” operation due to the limited time for planning.
Alhaji AbdulMajeed said the National Hajj Commission, state agencies, tour operators and other Hajj stakeholders worked under intense pressure to ensure the success of the exercise.
The Qibla International boss noted that he had never experienced a situation where Hajj operation was planned in less than a month, thereby saying that the recent Hajj cannot be compared to the preceding ones.
According to him, “Never in my own history of Hajj operations have we planned and executed Hajj in less than a month. The execution of Hajj usually takes close to a year. There is always a programme of activities, when the airline should get their slots, when the tour operators should get their slots, when they should have finished booking the flight, when payment should be made, when the last flight should come in and so on. All these are scheduled by the Saudi authorities and NAHCON.
“But we did all those in less than a month. Never in my own Hajj operations experience have we had that. So, I cannot compare the normal Hajj which we had up to 2019 and a special Hajj for all intents and purposes.”
The former President of Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON) said it’s therefore unfair for anyone to start talking of what NAHCON team should have addressed or not in a situation where they were choked.
“What you should do in a year, you are doing it in less than a month. The states are requesting airlift but they must meet the requirements of the NCAA. NCAA on the other hand must also meet the international standard. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will transfer money because we cannot bring money to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but there are standards set before you can get your BTA and even transfer of funds on behalf of the tour operators.
“So, NAHCON worked under tension. CBN worked under tension. NCAA worked under tension. Every stakeholder worked under tension. A lot of things were actually beyond their control,” he added.
Alhaji AbdulMajeed also said that the poor feeding of Nigerian pilgrims handled by the Mu’assasa was a general issue which also affected his pilgrims – fifty in number.
According to him, the Mu’assasa, which took charge of feeding at Mina appointed restaurants that did not meet meet standard.
“It was a general issue that affected all states and tour operators. I think the NAHCON Chairman held a meeting with the Mu’assasa, and they acknowledged the fact that the restaurants they appointed failed and did not fulfill their obligations.”
NAHCON does not collect money from pilgrims
The MD/CEO also cleared NAHCON from allegations of collecting money from pilgrims, noting that it is a misinformation.
He said NAHCON only takes money from state agencies and tour operators which are paid directly to the CBN.
He also dismissed claims of the commission cancelling pilgrims’ visas, saying it doesn’t have control over visa issuance.
Alhaji AbdulMajeed therefore charged NAHCON, state agencies, tour operators, among others to ramp up efforts at educating and enlightening the public, as many pilgrims blamed NAHCON for what it has no control over.
“We should tell ourselves the home truth that when you work under tension, there is bound to be mistakes, whether from tour operators, the states or NAHCON or Mu’assasa.
“In terms of information, there was limited time for passing information. Last year, we prepared, it was at the last minute that the Hajj was cancelled. This year, there were doubts of the Hajj holding. The question was, to be or not to be. The time to pass information to the pilgrims was just not there.
“However, going forward, NAHCON should ensure that information is made available. The states should also not be economical with the truth. Let them know what’s handled by the states. For instance, a pilgrim said she paid directly to NAHCON; NAHCON doesn’t take money from individuals. They only take money from either the states which is paid to the CBN or from tour operators which is also paid to the CBN. The money is domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“Another person said NAHCON cancelled his visa. NAHCON doesn’t control your visa. You must fulfil all the conditions given to you. I will use myself as an operators for example. The moment the money has reached my IBAN, and on my IBAN, I have fulfilled the conditions of accomodation, logistics, tent, everything will just show green. I will just print my visa out. I cannot even cancel my visa just as I cannot withdraw money from my IBAN.
“Therefore, there is need for us to do more in the area of educating the public. The tour operators should do more on information to their pilgrims and not misinform them. Things that people place at the doorstep of NAHCON that do not belong to them. NAHCON doesn’t issue visa. NAHCON doesn’t collect money from pilgrims. It is the tour operators that collect money and pay through the RTGS into the CBN, and that’s all. All of us should now brace up. At least we have a year to plan for Hajj 2023. May Allah spare our lives to witness many more so that the lapses observed during this one would be properly addressed.”
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