The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has said it had adopted a strategy to reduce the number of days Nigerian pilgrims spend in Saudi Arabia for Hajj rites.
The commission’s Executive Chairman, Malam Jalal Arabi, announced this while addressing reporters on arriving at the Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.
Arabi said the commission had succeeded in conveying 100 per cent of Nigeria pilgrims directly to Madinah.
“And you know the secret? Allah helping us, if we are able to achieve this target, we hope to succeed again for the first time in reducing the number of days that Nigerians spend each time they come to perform the holy pilgrimage.
“In the past, you saw Nigerians in disarray, loitering about while their counterparts from other countries would have been evacuated back home.
“It is a very good starting and, by God’s grace, we will get good results,” he said.
Arabi praised the Presidency and the National Assembly for their support towards the success of the ongoing hajj operations.
The NAHCON chairman also hailed air carriers for living up to expectations, saying: “This is because there is trust and we didn’t lie to them. We made them to believe and they believe and they performed.
“We lack adequate words to give praises to our Creator… We can’t thank Him enough for what He has done for us.
“I think this day will go down in history as I don’t want to say the first time in history, but the first time in a very long time since the commencement of Hajj preparations, to say that 72 hours be the closure of Saudi Arabia’s air space, 100 per cent of our pilgrims are here.