Vice President Kashim Shettima on Friday, May 9 flagged off the inaugural flight for Hajj 2025 in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
Muslim News reports that the Owerri inaugural airlift ceremony with a total of 315 intending pilgrims is the first of its kind in the entire Southeast Nigeria in the history of Hajj in the country.
The Vice President charged the intending pilgrims from Nigeria to be of good conduct always, noting they represent the whole of the country in Saudi Arabia.
Shettima, in his remarks, also called on officials of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and contracted service providers to discharge their responsibilities with diligence and accountability.
He warned that there will be no room for negligence where lives, hope, and sacred obligations converge.
On hand to receive the Vice President at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri was Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma.
The Governor was joined by members of the state executive council, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and other stakeholders in the state.
The event was equally graced by the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Abubakar Sani Bello, Chairman, House Committee on Hajj Affairs, Hon. Jafaru Muhammad Ali, both of whom accompanied the Vice President to the flag-off ceremony.
Vice President Shettima said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made available all necessary resources to ensure the success of the 2025 Hajj.
1,622 intending pilgrims leave for Madinah in single day
After the successful inaugural flight of 315, an additional 1,307 pilgrims were airlifted to Madinah on the same day.
According to a statement by Shafi Mohammed, Principal Information Officer, NAHCON, three designated Nigerian Hajj air carriers recorded a total of four flights in Bauchi, Kebbi, Imo and Lagos States.
Sani also added that the inaugural flight in Owerri took 240 pilgrims and four officials down to Madinah.
We embrace diversity, religious tolerance – Gov Uzodinma
In his own address at the event, Governor Uzodinma said the inaugural flight for Hajj in Owerri highlighted his administration’s policy of embracing diversity.
“Imo has long stood as a place of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Next month, Christian pilgrims will also depart for the Holy Land from this same airport, underlining, yet again, our shared values of faith and unity,” the Governor said.
Uzodinma said his administration’s investments in the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport were deliberate so as to reposition the airport for full international operations.
He thanked NAHCON for choosing Imo as the host of the 2025 Hajj inaugural flight.
He also joined the Vice President to urge the pilgrims to uphold discipline, reverence, and national honour on the spiritual journey.
”You carry not just your personal intentions, but the image of your state and country,” Governor Uzodinma noted.
NAHCON commends FG intervention on BTA
Also speaking, NAHCON Chairman, Prof. Abdullah Saleh Usman, described the Owerri inaugural flight as a remarkable milestone in the history of Hajj operations in Nigeria.
Prof. Usman commended the federal government’s intervention that resolved issues relating to the Basic Travel Allowance (BTA).
He also expressed gratitude for Vice President Shettima’s leadership and support.
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