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Hajj: 5 Days To Deadline, Less Than Half Of Nigerian Pilgrims Airlifted

Published

3 years ago

June 29, 2022

Few days to the commencement of this year’s hajj, there are fears that thousands of Nigerian pilgrims may miss the exercise, Daily Trust can report.

As of the time of filing this report, less than half of the 43,000 pilgrims from Nigeria had been airlifted.

According to the figure from NAHCON, 19,764 pilgrims have been airlifted from 23 states and the Armed Forces. Kano and Kaduna State which have the highest number of pilgrims still have many of them awaiting airlift.

As of yesterday, 1,593 out of 2,491 Kaduna pilgrims had been airlifted; while in Kano, only 399 pilgrims of the 2,229 slots given to the state had been airlifted.

The Saudi authorities had said all pilgrims must arrive by July 3 at 23:59 pm.

About 3,000 pilgrims of licensed tour operators, who made deposits to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) Treasury Single Account domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria, but whose accounts in Saudi Arabia were yet to be credited to enable them process their accommodation in Makkah and Madinah and pay for other services, may miss this year’s hajj.

Amidst this, NAHCON said the offer for additional slots promised Nigeria by the Saudi Arabia could no longer be actualised.

Some hajj operators told Daily Trust that after paying about N1.3m for onward transfer to Saudi Arabia service providers, they were yet to receive payment in their virtual accounts in Saudi Arabia.

Of the 43,008 slots given to Nigeria by Saudi Arabia, 9,032 were allocated to licensed tour operators under the aegis of Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria.

From the figure, 50 seats were given to 176 prequalified operators who were required to pay N1.3m on each pilgrim for onward transfer to service providers (Muasassah) in Saudi Arabia.

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The fund covers some components of the hajj fare, including hotel accommodation, feeding in Muna, Arafa and local transportation.

One of the affected tour operators said each of the tour operators remitted about N55m amounting to over N10bn.

He said when NAHCON eventually credited their account, 61 tour operators did not get alert, noting that without the money, visa processing and other arrangements cannot be carried out.

“As I’m talking to you, they’re still meeting, a lot of us have not been credited and the airports in Madinah and Makkah will be closed this week.

“Two of our members collapsed as a result of this; while others were hospitalized as a result of high blood pressure and fear of running into debt because most operators are already missing their flights because we booked scheduled flights and when we want to change the flight we pay as much as N200,000 on one person,” he said.

A meeting was ongoing as of press time yesterday; while an official of NAHCON said the issue of the remittance was being resolved.

Intending pilgrims protest in Kano

Many intending pilgrims yesterday protested in Kano over the non-allocation of seats to them despite having completed their payments.

They were at the head office of Jaiz Bank which processed their payment through the Hajj Savings Scheme and the office of the Kano State Pilgrims Board.

The protesters, numbering 284, said they were shocked to find out that after completing their payment, no seat was reserved for them, noting that some of them started the saving scheme in 2019.

The leader of the protesters, Hassan Zakari, alleged that the state pilgrims’ board had not been forthcoming with them.

Sources told Daily Trust that names of aggrieved intending pilgrims had been sent to the state pilgrims’ board and had been documented without any allocation to them this year because of the limited slots allocated to them.

Fatima Abdullahi of Tamburawa area of Dawakin Kudu Local Government, said she was told to return her bag and uniform Monday evening.

Reacting, the Executive Secretary of Kano Pilgrim’s Board, Mohammad Abba Dambatta, said the board was doing all it could to resolve the problem, noting that there was no allocation this year for those on savings’ scheme, especially those from Jaiz Bank.

“We received a total of 2,229 allocation and we have about 2,500 intending pilgrims under the hajj savings scheme which is more than the total allocation given to us,” he said.

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‘NAHCON’s request for additional slots turned down’

NAHCON has confirmed that its request for additional slots from Saudi Arabia had been turned down.

Its spokesperson, Fatima Sanda Usara, in a statement, said NAHCON’s Commissioner of Operations, Abdullahi Magaji Hardawa led a delegation to actualize the offer, but it was eventually turned down by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.

She said the request to have some of the officials above 65 years to travel because of their experience in hajj operation was also not granted.

According to her, Nigeria’s hajj industry is left with its initial allocation of 43,008.

She said NAHCON solicited the understanding of those aggrieved.

“Indeed, Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan, the NAHCON Chairman and other NAHCON management members, did their best to make sure that slots were distributed equitably. It was however clear right from the start that not everyone who is qualified would make it to this year’s Hajj due to the relatively low number of allocated slots.”

She said the “commission is aware of the agitation from all its publics, to wit, the states pilgrims welfare boards, subscribers through the Hajj Savings Scheme, Private Tour Operators, including its own staff as well. NAHCON management is consoled because it did not ostracize any group in the distribution of available hajj seats, but of course, not all would be successful, because the commission was working within the boundaries of what was available,” the statement added.

With the development, many tour operators, who were initially granted about 80 to 100 slots, would be left with a shortfall despite making arrangements with some airlines and service providers in Saudi Arabia.

A hajj stakeholder, who spoke with our correspondent, said: “Many of the operators who have booked with airlines are going to run into huge losses because the slots allocated to the tour operators have been significantly reduced while they have made payment for some services.”

Managing Director, Al-Qibla International Services, Abdulfatah Abdulmojeed, said the development came with a great cost to the operators in terms of accommodation and flights booked which would not be refunded.

He said: “It has happened and NAHCON also tried its best. What one would have expected is that rather than give allocation in anticipation, they’d have given the actual number.”

CSO seeks probe of hajj seat racketeering

Meanwhile, Independent Hajj Reporters, a civil society organisation that monitors hajj and umrah activities, has urged NAHCON and anti-corruption agencies to probe the widespread allegations of hajj 2002 BTA fraud and seats racketeering across the country.

In a statement, it said it received numerous complaints from intending pilgrims that some officials across the states’ boards colluded with others outside the hajj industry to sell seats to “desperate intending pilgrims who are ready to purchase such seats at any price.”

Related Topics:deadline Featured Hajj Nigerian Pilgrims

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NIS expands contactless passport renewal to United States, others

Published

6 hours ago

April 14, 2025

Trends Admin

NIS expands contactless passport renewal to United States, others

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced the expansion of its Contactless Biometric Passport Application System to several countries in the Americas.

In a recent statement by ACI AS Akinlabi, Service Public Relations Officer at NIS Headquarters in Abuja, confirmed that the service under Comptroller General Kemi Nandap is rolling out the next stage of implementation across Brazil, the United States, Mexico, and Jamaica this month.

The contactless system, which enables Nigerians living abroad to renew their travel document without physically visiting passport offices for biometric enrollment, went live in the United States on April 11. Mexico, Brazil and Jamaica are scheduled to gain access on April 14.

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“This expansion represents our commitment to innovative and efficient service delivery to Nigerians anywhere in the world,” said ACI AS Akinlabi, Service Public Relations Officer at NIS Headquarters in Abuja.

The application system is currently available on the Google Play Store as “NIS Mobile” and allows passport renewal without in-person biometric enrollment. An iOS version for Apple devices is under development and will be released soon, alongside an enhanced version of the Android app to improve user experience and accessibility.

The NIS further confirmed that the Contactless Passport App is now operational in Canada, the USA, Mexico, Jamaica, Brazil, Europe, and Asia. Australia and Nigeria itself remain pending, with implementation dates to be announced in the future.

NIS expands contactless passport renewal to United States, others

News

Tariff: NACCIMA warns against economic instability, job losses

Published

7 hours ago

April 14, 2025

Trends Admin

President of NACCIMA, Dele Oye

Tariff: NACCIMA warns against economic instability, job losses

The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has expressed fear that unless the Federal Government takes deliberate steps to increase Nigeria’s non-export earnings, the current global tariff war may lead to job losses, low foreign exchange inflow, and economic instability.

This was the position of the President of NACCIMA, Dele Oye, as the chairman at the Vanguard Economic Discourse 2025 with the theme, “Nigeria’s Economic Outlook 2025: Hardship and Pathways to Sustainable Recovery”, held last week in Lagos.

Among other things, Oye who is also the Chairman of the Organised Private Sector of Nigeria (OPSN), emphasized the need for a viable and affordable homegrown democracy.

His words: “In this pivotal moment, we must recognize and confront the significant challenges before us—challenges that have been magnified by the advent of America’s “America First” policy.

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“This paradigm shift in global trade, driven by protectionism and tariffs, presents a unique and formidable array of obstacles for developing nations such as ours.

“The world we once knew, one characterized by cooperative, rules-based trading systems under the World Trade Organization, has given way to an environment fraught with uncertainty. This transformation not only disrupts global markets and supply chains but poses an acute threat to our competitive standing in international trade.

“The recent implementation of a 14% tariff on Nigerian exports to the United States directly jeopardizes what has historically been a critical market for our key goods, including crude oil, liquefied natural gas, and agricultural products. “The ripple effects of reduced demand could precipitate job losses, economic instability, and a decline in vital foreign exchange inflows, particularly for our non-oil sectors”.

“Indeed, the ramifications of current U.S. policies go beyond tariffs. We are witnessing a significant decrease in funding for initiatives that empower Africa’s burgeoning start-ups. The $51 million cut from the United States Development Fund, which affects countries like Nigeria and Kenya, exemplifies the broader challenges we face. The grants previously allotted to our SMEs are critical for nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship within our local economies”.

In the face of these challenges, Oye said Nigeria must act decisively and strategically to reshape its economic destiny where adversity can give rise to opportunity.

Tariff: NACCIMA warns against economic instability, job losses

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Tinubu: Presidency reacts to US court order, says president not investigated by CIA

Published

8 hours ago

April 14, 2025

Trends Admin

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Tinubu: Presidency reacts to US court order, says president not investigated by CIA

A United States District Court in Columbia has ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, to release records relating to the criminal investigation of President Bola Tinubu over alleged drug trafficking.

Judge Beryl Howell, in a ruling dated April 8, which can be found on the court’s website, directed both agencies to search for and process non-exempt records tied to Freedom of Information Act, FOIA, requests filed by American researcher Aaron Greenspan.

But the Presidency in a swift reaction, said the US court didn’t indict the President, adding that he was not also investigated by the Criminal Investigation Agency, CIA.

Greenspan, founder of legal transparency platform, PlainSite, had submitted 12 FOIA requests between 2022 and 2023, seeking information on a Chicago drug ring that operated in the early 1990s.

His request included records on Tinubu and three others, including Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande and Abiodun Agbele.

The FBI and DEA had previously issued “Glomar responses”—a refusal to confirm or deny the existence of requested records—but the court ruled that such responses were improper in this case.

The FBI and DEA have now been ordered to conduct a search and release non-exempt materials, while the parties are to report back to the court on the case’s status by May 2, 2025.

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The judgment read: “The FBI and DEA have both officially confirmed investigations of Tinubu relating to the drug trafficking ring.

“Any privacy interests implicated by the FOIA requests to the FBI and DEA for records about Tinubu are overcome by the public interest in release of such information.

“Since the FBI and DEA have provided no information to establish that a cognizable privacy interest exists in keeping secret the fact that Tinubu was a subject of criminal investigation.

“They have failed to meet their burden to sustain their Glomar responses and provide an additional reason why these responses must be lifted.”

The court upheld the CIA’s Glomar response after Greenspan conceded that the agency had acknowledged the existence of responsive records.

The judge ruled, “For the reasons discussed above, plaintiff is entitled to summary judgment as to each of the four Glomar responses asserted by defendants FBI and DEA, while defendant CIA is entitled to summary judgment, since its Glomar response was properly asserted.

“Accordingly, the FBI and DEA must search for and process non-exempt records responsive to the FOIA requests directed to these agencies.

“The CIA, meanwhile, is entitled to judgment in its favour in this case. The remaining parties are directed to file jointly, by May 2, 2025, a report on the status of any outstanding issues in this case, as described in the accompanying order.”

US Court didn’t indict Tinubu — Presidency

Reacting to this yesterday, the Presidency said the reports did not indict President Bola Tinubu.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, told Vanguard that there was nothing new that was revealed in the said reports.

He said the reports had been in the public space for more than 30 years, noting that President Tinubu was not investigated by the CIA.

He said: “There is nothing new to be revealed. The report by Agent Moss of the FBI and the DEA report have been in the public space for more than 30 years. The reports did not indict the Nigerian leader. And he was not investigated by the CIA.”