A cross section of pilgrims to this year’s hajj from Nigeria has commended the Saudi Arabian authorities and hajj and umrah company, Hajj Mabrur Ventures Limited, for making the spiritual journey a remarkable one for them.
In separate interviews with Muslim News, an Islamic newspaper, pilgrims from different parts of the country and professions, including those in the Diaspora, who performed the hajj on the platform on the firm, praised the company for what they called a wonderful hajj experience.
This year, over 1.8 million Muslims from across the world converged on the plain of Arafat to perform the hajj rites, with 65,000 pilgrims making up the Nigerian contingent.
A member of the 400-strong contingent of the company to the holy land, a traditional ruler, the Iba of Kishi, Oba Mashood Aweda Oyekola Lawal, told Muslim News that he performed his hajj rites dutifully with professional support from Hajj Mabrur.
“My hajj experience this year is distinct and unique from the previous ones. It is as if I had never done hajj before. This is due to Hajj Mabrur’s conscious supervision that ensured we carried out all the hajj rites dutifully and religiously. They enlightened and counselled us at every point in time. On our part, we, the hujjaj, adhered to instructions, cooperated and worked in making the exercise seamless,” he said.
Also, Mr Adisa Adams, a farmer based in Osun State, said he had been a regular client of the company, noting the consistency in the quality of its services.
Mr Adams also praised the Saudi government, saying the authorities improved their services to the guests of Allah during the just concluded hajj.
“Saudi Arabia has improved their services to the guests of Allah. We had good accommodation in Mina and Arafat with good beds and conducive environment. We were served with good food. They did well but it can always get better, particularly in serving us African foods,” he said.
He implored the Saudi government to try and maintain build on the performance in coming years.
Masturoh Ibraheem, a registered nurse, who performed hajj for the first time this year, expressed pleasure that she was able to perform hajj rites in accordance with the sunnah on the watch of Hajj Mabrur.
The Operations Manager of Hajj Mabrur, Mr AbdulHamid Oyinlola, said there were “substantial improvements” in the services rendered by the Saudi Arabian authorities for this year’s hajj.
“There have been substantial improvements in the services by the Saudi government to pilgrims in Mina. Our pilgrims enjoyed their stay and they were very cooperative.
“We came with some respected Muslim scholars in Nigeria to handle the spiritual diets for our pilgrims, with two lectures on a daily basis (morning and evening). Generally speaking, the standard of the 2024 hajj was upgraded by the authorities. We can only pray that they will sustain the standard in subsequent years,” he said.
The Managing Director of Hajj Mabrur, Alhaji AbdulHameed Solate, said despite the economic downturn, especially the fluctuations in the exchange rate, the company was able to fill its slots and maintain its standard in service delivery.
Solate also said the Saudi government improved services at Mina, Arafat and many other places for this year’s hajj.
He said: “The naira-dollar issue had great impact on hajj. It brought up the fare; people paid N8 million, N10 million and more, depending on the package. Initially, we thought the increments would affect the number of participants for this year’s hajj but a lot of people made it with us, going by the value of services we had rendered in the past. We were still able to maintain the standard.
“When you come for hajj rites, starting from the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah, which begins with the movement to Mina, a lot of things are in the hands of Saudi Authorities. One thing we observed for this year’s hajj was that there was a clear improvement compared to what obtained last year.
“In Mina, things got better this year. Rugs were replaced. Even on Arafat, there was improvement. Although we had challenges with the air conditioners due to high temperature, there was improvement that made it much more easier for people to cope and able to do their acts of Ibadah.”
Alhaji Solate commended the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for the improvement in their services at the 2024 Hajj, noting, however, that there was still the need to look into the aspect of feeding.
“I would like to commend NAHCON for the improvement in their services this year. Some of the issues we raised last year were addressed even though there were still skirmishes.
“For the Saudi Arabian authorities, we know it is not easy managing about two million pilgrims, but they still need to do a lot for things to get better. They should work more on the feedback they get from the pilgrims through the hajj commission, among others. They still need to do a lot on the feeding but we thank Allah nonetheless.”
