The House of Representativeness on Thursday resolved to conduct a comprehensive probe into the several anomalies that were recorded during the just concluded 2023 Hajj operations.

This followed the adoption of a motion titled “Need to Investigate the Untold Hardship Faced by Nigerian Pilgrims at the Recently Concluded 2023 Hajj sponsored by Hon. Ahmed Idris at the Plenary.

The House mandated its Committee on Pilgrims Affairs (when constituted) to conduct a detailed investigation into the operations and to report back to the House within four weeks for further legislative action while the Committee on Legislative Compliance (when constituted) was mandated to ensure implementation.

The House notes that the recently concluded Hajj exercise in the Holy Land of Saudi Arabia by over 95,000 Nigerian pilgrims.

“The House also Notes that Chapter 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended)
particularly Section 14(2) (b) provides thus: “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”

Hon. Ahmed Idris informed that a total of about 95, 000 slots were allocated to Nigeria which was coordinated by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and pursuant to Section 4 it is charged with the mandate of providing effective and efficient Hajj and Umrah services to Nigerian pilgrims.

The House also informed that this year’s Hajj recorded one of the largest turnouts in its history with Al Jazeera and other International media putting the figure at about 2.5 million pilgrims.

The House said it was aware that Nigerian pilgrims were subjected to untold hardships during the Hajj exercise from the inability of some airlines (such as Arik) to lift pilgrims due to lack of aircraft; lack of adequate tent accommodation at Mina and Arafat; substandard tents with unhealthy living conditions and environment; lack of proper medical attention to pilgrims in cases of emergency; lack of proper transportation logistics for Nigerian pilgrims; Nigerians being made to miss their flights due to stringent bottlenecks regarding withholding of their International Passports; and inability to secure airport slots for Nigerian airline operators for lifting of Nigerian pilgrims from Saudi Arabia back to the country and many others.

The House said it was also aware that over 25,000 Nigerian pilgrims (including those who paid for Tent A VIP Class) were stranded at Mina due to inadequate tents and oversubscription leaving Nigerian pilgrims sleeping on the roads, under bridges and nearby mosques.

It noted that there were cases of several public officials (such as present and former Governors, Senators) who had no tent and were made to sleep in unhealthy places and conditions.

The House further noted that VIP Pilgrims were made to pay about $5,000 for VIP tents and despite this exorbitant amount, pilgrims were stranded while others got tents of lesser value than what they paid for.

Again, it noted that some tour operators perpetrated the worst form of unprofessionalism by failing to
provide services promised to pilgrims in terms of accommodation, tent, feeding or transportation.

The House was disturbed that there was the absence of emergency medical services for sick patients in distress at Mina camp as many distressed patients could not be attended to due to restrictions of Ambulance access to the camp.

It was also disturbing that most Nigerian pilgrims were made to miss their flights and had to procure new tickets without justifiable cause due to disturbing bottlenecks placed by Hajj Service Centers (especially Service Centre No. 16) who withheld passports of pilgrims until a lengthy list of bottlenecks are fulfilled.

The House worried that many Nigerian pilgrims did not get commensurate value for the high amount they paid and are justly clamouring for a full refund for tent and feeding.

It also worried that the Agency mandated to cater for Pilgrim Affairs (NAHCON) has not been proactive
in ameliorating the plight of Nigerians during the 2023 Hajj.

When the motion was put into voice vote by the Speaker Hon Tajudeen Abbas, It was unanimously supported by members.

Meanwhile, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Thursday declared that the suspension of Max Air domestic operations by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) would not affect the ongoing homeward airlift of Nigerian pilgrims from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia back home.

The NCAA had on Thursday, through a letter, NCAA/DG/AIR/11/16/363, directed the suspension of Parts A3 and D43 with regards to the operation of Max Air’s Boeing 737 aircraft type with immediate effect.

The airline is one of the four Nigerian carriers approved to airlift Nigerian pilgrims from the 36 state pilgrims’ welfare boards, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the recently-concluded 2023 hajj exercise. The others are Air Peace; Azman Air and Aero Contractor.

Arik Air was approved to airlift the 20,000 pilgrims assigned to members of the Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON).

Reacting to the development, NAHCON, through a release signed by its Deputy Director, Information and Publications, Alhaji Mousa Ubandawaki, stated that the suspension did not and won’t affect the ongoing Hajj airlift operation in Saudi Arabia.

According to Ubandawaki, it was imperative to assuage and calm the pilgrims and their relatives back home that the suspension order was limited to Max Air’s domestic air services and not its charter and international operations.

“Consequent upon the indefinite suspension of Max Air domestic operations by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), it is imperative to clarify that the suspension does not and won’t affect the ongoing Hajj airlift operation in Saudi Arabia.

“The clarification became necessary to assuage and calm the pilgrims and relatives back at home that the suspension order is limited to their domestic air services which does not affect their charter and international operations.

“This is because the clampdown was on the Airline’s Boeing 737 aircraft which has been the crux of the NCAA audit query for some time. The aircraft being used for airlift of Nigerian Pilgrims is not the same as the one on their domestic route,” he stated.

The Hajj body then assured Nigerians and the pilgrims in particular that the ongoing airlift back home would continue unhindered, adding Max Air would utilise the slots allocated to it by the Saudi General Authority in Civil Aviation (GACA) unhindered.

According to the release, “the Commission wishes to assure all Nigerians and the pilgrims in particular, that the ongoing airlift of Nigerian pilgrims will continue undisturbed and that the airline will continue to utilise the slots allocated to it by the Saudi General Authority in Civil Aviation (GACA) unhindered.

“We want to thank all Nigerians and pilgrims for their patience and perseverance and to assure of the Commission’s commitment to airlift all Nigerian pilgrims to Nigeria in record time.”

In another development, a total of 17,653 Nigerian pilgrims have so far departed Saudi Arabia for Nigeria as of 2:32 pm, Nigerian time (4:32 pm, Saudi time) on Thursday.

A total of 481 pilgrims, made up of 193 from Bauchi State, 291 from Plateau State and seven from Kano State, with 48 officials departed Jeddah for Bauchi aboard a Max Air flight on Thursday.

The pilgrims so far airlifted back home were brought back in a total of 45 flights since the inbound airlift operation began on Tuesday, July 4.