The 2022 Hajj exercise has come and gone, leaving behind mixed memories that would linger on for a long time. The Hajj exercise is a sacred lifetime journey embarked on by all Muslims in fulfilment of one of the pillars of Islam which comes with so many benefits including forgiveness and blessings of Allah.
For two years, the annual Hajj pilgrimage was put on hold as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic which came with devastating consequences. In modern history, the annual pilgrimage has never been put off but due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the Saudi Arabian Authority imposed a ban in 2020 which was, however, lifted in 2022.
The commencement of the exercise after a long break would therefore come with challenges both unforeseen and otherwise. First, the annual pilgrimage which always accommodates over 2 million pilgrims was reduced by half and so participating countries have to struggle to deal with the overpopulated applications from 2020 to 2022.
Indonesia, which had over 200,000 pilgrims who performed the 2019 Hajj, was allocated half that number and that applied to all other countries. Nigeria had over 60,000 pilgrims at the 2019 exercise but was allocated a little over 43,000 slots with over 80,000 applications to deal with. Countries like India, Malaysia, Turkey, Iran, and others with annual large numbers all had to adjust their mode of operations to accommodate the shortfall.
In Nigeria, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), saddled with organising and regulating Hajj exercise, had to place priority on those who paid their fares in 2019 but could not perform the pilgrimage as a result of the ban owing to the coronavirus. Again, apart from the first to come first to be considered method, there was the issue of the age factor in which the Saudi Arabian Authority placed embargo on those above the age of 65. Therefore, even if an intending pilgrim has paid in 2019 and is above 65 years, the commission had no choice than to reject his application.
Furthermore, the Saudi Arabian Authority made it mandatory for all intending pilgrims to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus pandemic and also placed a compulsory PCR test. All intending pilgrims must present a negative PCR test taken 72 hours before departure. In all, about 850,000 foreign pilgrims were given the nod to take part in this year’s exercise, constituting about 85 percent of the entire number.
The big question now is, how did the NAHCON fare in the just concluded exercise despite all the unforeseen and avoidable challenges?
Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa is the committee chairman in charge of Foreign Affairs in the Senate who was part of the federal government’s delegation to this year’s Hajj. According to him, despite all the challenges, NAHCON deserves a big commendation. Senator Bulkachuwa opined that the commission found itself in a tight situation and yet was on top of the situation. “We all strive for perfection and aspire for the best but man proposes while God disposes of the affairs of man”.
He further said only Allah is perfect and commended the Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan- led commission, which, he said, did an excellent job. He went further to state that “I recall when the board took over, they were full of hope, even the chairman promised to bring down the cost of Hajj fare. He never expected the dollar to have risen as this just as he never anticipated the increase in VAT by Saudi Arabia. But all the same they did a good job”.
Also commenting, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Abubakar Nalaraba, said there is no success without challenges. He scored NAHCON high despite the lapses here and there which, however, did not prevent the overall success of the 2022 Hajj exercise.
All in all, the Zikrullah Kunle Hassan-led commission has recorded a tremendous success as the conduct of Nigerian pilgrims compared to other countries was commendable. Although, there were a few cases of indiscipline but these were not enough to overshadow the good conduct exhibited by Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.
Now that the exercise has been successfully conducted and completed, it is hoped that the incidence which led to the inability to airlift over 700 intending pilgrims in Kano, 71 in Plateau, and some in Bauchi would be looked into to avoid future occurrence. Despite the assurances the commission gave that it had enough aircraft to uplift all intending pilgrims, over 1,500 were left stranded. It is hoped that those who paid but could not participate in the 2022 Hajj would be given priority in 2023 exercise.
If this negligible number is taken away from the large one, the NAHCON can beat its chest and say we came, we saw, and we conquered.
- Mohammed writes from Mabera, Sokoto state.