Hajj Operations And Its Lessons For Nigerian Leaders
It is now history that all the over 91,000 Nigerian pilgrims that performed the 2007/2008 pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia were airlifted back home.
The pilgrimage has been described as one of the most successful in recent times. Unlike in the past, when there were records of intending pilgrims not being airlifted in time, or an outright inabilityto airlift some, the last one was almost completely hitch-free.
It is also on record that apart from the high number of pilgrims recorded during this hajj, the last time the country had such number was during the tenure of former President Shehu Shagari.
Since the inauguration of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, under the chairmanship of Alhaji Muhammed Musa Bello, this was the first time the commission would supervise and conduct hajj exercise, it had always been organised by boards.
The success of the exercise, however, varied from state to state.
The 2006 exercise in Kwara State did not go without some shortcomings as about 1,200 intending pilgrims were not airlifted after they had duly paid their fares to the state’s Pilgrims Welfare Board. This time around, the story is different as all the pilgrims from the state numbering about 3,000 were successfully airlifted. This success story cannot be written without mentioning the relentless efforts of the Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki. If not for the executive fiat of the governor for an international airline, a repeat of the previous hajj exercise would have been recorded. This would have been highly painful and disappointing.
But one question that is yet to get an answer is: why should the federal government, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria or the states’ Pilgrims Welfare Boards or, at times, even agents, allow airline operators to mess up in the airlifting of Nigerian pilgrims to the Holy Land.
The Hajj commission should ensure that only responsible airline operators are allowed to partake in hajj operations and those found wanting be sanctioned without fear or favour.
The suggestion of a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Salihu Belgore, who was a member of the federal government delegation, that states’ pilgrims welfare commissions rather than boards should be established, needs to be considered.
Year in year out, Nigerian leaders partake in the hajj exercise to Saudi Arabia. This time around, the Senate leader, Senator Teslim Folarin, led the federal government delegation as the National Amirul hajj, while the previous exercise was led by his Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar.
One then continues to ask why Nigeria, also an oil producing nation, cannot emulate some of the good things in the Holy Land.
When it comes to worshipping, Nigerians are known for that, but probably, our way(s) of worshipping differ from that of the Saudis who are in the Holy Land.
Tunde Akanbi writes from Ilorin, Kwara state.
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