LAST Thursday, I attended the hearing of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs on the proposed amendment of the NAHCON Establishment Act 2006. The state Muslim pilgrims welfare boards’ executive secretaries sought the amendment of Section 4 of the NAHCON Act.
The proposed amendment seeks the following: That Section 4 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting after subsection 3, a new sub-clause to get the commission to involve states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the selection of airline agencies for hajj operations to promote efficiency and public accountability; to allow states to manage the feeding of pilgrims in Madinah and Muna, in accordance with the guidelines formulated by the commission; and to facilitate timely refund of such amounts out of hajj fare paid by pilgrims for any transportation, accommodation or feeding services not rendered.
First, I commended Senator Sani Bello, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, for his focus, sincerity, maturity and purposeful leadership. He did not allow sentiment or emotion to sway the proceedings.
I am trying to understand what the objectives of the proposed amendment are in the context of “promoting efficiency in hajj operation” as highlighted by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs. Out of curiosity, I began a research into ‘how the involvement of state Muslim pilgrims welfare boards in the selection of airlines can result in safety, security and timely airlift of Nigeria pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and back. Exploring ways such amendment can reduce the skyrocketing hajj fare for Nigeria pilgrims–a more urgent desirability in Nigeria’s hajj Industry. I am yet to have a clue.
I could have featured the narration of the proceedings but I don’t want to preempt the outcome of the hearing or sway a public opinion on the matter.
The complexity of feeding in Madinah as a transit point has been explained at the hearing but none of the contributors from either NAHCON or the states that oppose the status quo highlighted how the proposed amendments will improve the quality of the menu and timeline of feeding pilgrims in Madinah.
The whole arguments revolve around “allowing states to handle or control the feeding while NAHCON is insisting on being in charge in Madinah. The objectives ought to be how to improve the services to the guests of Allah.
The issue of hajj refunds could have been an administrative issue between NAHCON and state Muslim pilgrims welfare boards. Amending the NAHCON Act will not add any value to the timely refunds unless there is sincerity, honesty and transparency in the management of hajj finances by all parties concerned. No matter the level of amendment, there will be no significant changes in the operations once the operators are not transparent and accountable.
In the process of seeking justice, it is said that both the person who accuses someone and the person being accused know the truth of the matter, it is the judge who is presiding over the case that is actually on trial. Yes, the executive secretaries of state Muslim pilgrims welfare boards and the NAHCON understand the bone of contention, it is the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and, by extension the National Assembly, that is on trial.
The selection of the airlines, feeding in Makkah and Madinah and timely refunds are the subject matter but the entire session was dominated by the issue of the airline, thereby relegating the other equally important issues to the background. Specifically, the issue of allowing Saudi-designated air carrier to be taking part in the airlift of Nigerian pilgrims based on the bilateral air service agreement took the centre stage at the discussion.
First, no patriotic Nigerian will prefer a foreign airline to our local airline in the airlift of hajj pilgrims. Part of the problem bedevilling Nigeria’s economy is the issue of capital flight and there is the need to take a serious look at any agreement that will deprive our local airline of reaping the economic benefit of the hajj airlift.
The back-and-forth argument about an agreement with Saudi Arabia on the airlift of Nigerian pilgrims should be settled at once to allow stability in the operational planning.
However, I came across reports stating that Saudi Arabia’s designated airline transported over 100,000 hajj pilgrims from 13 different countries during the 2023 hajj.
The reports, which were published in a Bangladesh newspaper, stated that Flynas, the Saudi-designated air carrier, transported more than 100,000 pilgrims from more than 13 countries during the hajj season of 1444 AH (2023), bringing the total number of hajj pilgrims and umrah performers flown by the carrier to more than two million since its establishment in 2007.
The nations whose pilgrims Flynas transported in 1444 AH are spread across Asia and Africa. They include India, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Ghana, Niger and Comoros.
According to another report in a Bangladesh newspaper, Daily Star, since 2012, Biman and Saudia, a Saudi airline, were the only two airlines transporting hajj pilgrims from Bangladesh as per a hajj agreement signed between the two countries that year.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), in a letter on 3 May, 2022, gave the go-ahead to another Saudi airline, Flynas, to ferry Bangladesh pilgrims, thereby breaking the duopoly of the hajj passenger transport business of Biman and Saudia.
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While we are arguing about who takes charge of what, Saudi Arabia has floated Riyadh Air with a futuristic plan dedicating Saudia and Flynas for the transportation of hajj and umrah pilgrims.
In reality, intending Nigerian pilgrims do not care who provides what services during hajj operations. All they are interested in is the provision of quality and commensurate services as and when due to enable them to perform hajj rites with ease and comfort.
What is needed at the moment is an amendment in the mindset and attitude of administrators of the hajj industry–NAHCON, state Muslim pilgrims welfare boards and private hajj operators. Our penchant for exhibiting half-baked sincerity to paint the other agency black is destroying the entire hajj industry. It is not just another worldly affair but a religious-based affair.
Muhammed if the national coordinator of the Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), a group that monitors abd reports hajj and umrah activities.
