Barring last minute changes, Nigeria will welcome Kogi State pilgrims as the first batch of returnees from the 2018 Hajj exercise in Saudi Arabia.
This was disclosed by Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad, on an inspection tour of pilgrims’ welfare facilities in Mina, the tent city, on the outskirts of Makkah,
He promised that when Saudi aviation authorities throws its airports open for airlift of pilgrims back to their homelands, the Kogi continent will be the first to be airlifted back home because they were the first group to arrive from Nigeria.
The Pilgrims are billed to return according to the sequence of flights and their arrival in Makkah.
Muhammad expressed his satisfaction with the Kogi State contingent, commending them for cooperating with NAHCON team and being compliant with Hajj rules and regulations.
Leading Nigeria’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Isa Dodo, and a team comprising NAHCON and state officials round the tents housing Ebonyi, Zamfara, Kano, Kogi and Kwara pilgrims, among others, he commended the services of the various operations teams and welfare committees, adding that he was satisfied with the quality of care given to the pilgrims.
In response to pilgrims’ complaints about inadequate toilet facilities, Muhammad said NAHCON will engage relevant Saudi authorities to address the problem, which caused long queues of pilgrims on several occasions.
The NAHCON however, advised pilgrims to abide by the 38-kilogramme aviation luggage size requirement, stressing that, defaulters will incur extra charges for carrying overweight items.
