Dr. Muhammad Umaru Ndagi
1 December 2007
opinion
The airlift of Nigerian pilgrims for this year's hajj began last week with the take-off of the first batch at the Katsina international airport. Over 90,000 pilgrims from Nigeria are expected to perform this year's hajj.
This annual religious event, which in Nigeria, is as old as Islam has never been hitch-free. Rather, the same denomination and magnitude of the problems that confronted the exercise from the onset are still being allowed (more by design) to threaten its ride to perfection. I want to share in the public view, which suggests that most of these problems, apart from being artificial, are deliberately allowed to persist by the coordinated intrigues and in the economic interest of those involved (directly or indirectly) in organizing the annual hajj at most if not all levels.
The fact that pilgrimage has never been an impromptu affair, which comes up spontaneously gives many Nigerians the valor to suspect sharp practices in the consistent failure in hajj operations. Moreover, hajj is not just once in 12 months but also comes up in a specified period of the year. And like I mentioned earlier, the exercise conduct in its present form in Nigeria has been on for decades. How then comes about a set of problems, which are not just unnatural but human being made to appear as if they have defied all solutions. The same set of problems are encountered each year Nigerian pilgrims move out to fulfill the fifth obligation of their religion. The consequent public insinuation that interested parties prearrange the problems is thus a plausible one.
The stem of nearly all problems associated with failures in previous hajj operations is rooted deeply in institutionalised corruption among government functionaries in Nigeria. Although we do not want to be seen as pessimists, it requires more than just the establishment of a National Hajj Commission (NAHACOM) for Nigerian pilgrims to perform hajj without tears. Our dream for a tension-less hajj shall continue to remain a mirage for as long as those involved in the organisation continue to make corruption their trademark.
As Nigerian pilgrims depart for the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah to perform the rites of hajj, the greater part of their mind is engulfed in fears created either by a previous personal experience or by stories from others over the not-very-decent accommodations they would be lodged in while in Saudi Arabia. Similarly, the uncertainty that looms over the exact date of their return to Nigeria on completion of hajj rites is another matter of concern, which makes the heart of very many pilgrims heavier than they had wished. This thus deflates their enthusiasm for the great historic and spiritual journey to the birthplace of Islam and of Muhammad (SAW). In fact, the high expectations of an intending pilgrim especially one undertaking the journey for the first time in his life is turned sour even before he boards a plane from Nigeria as a result of inconsistencies he experiences in the date and time of checking-in and departure. Is Nigeria divinely cursed to remain a country where nothing ever works?
Indecent accommodations for pilgrims while in Saudi Arabia is the result of corruption that stems from greed on the part of those charged with the responsibility of renting accommodations for pilgrims. The rate charged for a decent accommodation depends largely on its proximity or remoteness from the holy mosque (Haram) of Ka'abah or of the Prophet (SAW) as the case may be. The farther a house is from Haram, the cheaper the rate. Hajj officials whose materialistic tendencies drive them to put selfish interests above the welfare of pilgrims go for houses far from Haram where toilet or laundry facilities are not good enough because such would relatively be cheaper. For many Pilgrims Welfare Boards or Agencies, pilgrims' welfare especially while in the holy land is not a priority. I would rather suggest that the phrase "welfare" should be deleted and simply called 'Pilgrims Board or Agency'.
The airlift of pilgrims back to Nigeria at the end of hajj rites has always been a problem. In the past, some state governments have had to make separate arrangements with chartered aircrafts to bring back stranded pilgrims from Saudi Arabia. The usual but regrettable practice has been that majority of Nigerian pilgrims would arrive from Saudi Arabia after pilgrims from other countries would have reached their homes and might have even forgotten when they arrived from the holy land. The freight of pilgrims' luggage has suffered the worst abandonment in previous hajj operations. The bags and baggage of pilgrims from Niger State were brought back just last September, eight months after the completion of the last hajj . In fact, most pilgrims from that state had earlier lost hope in getting their cargo. But for their persistent prayers, Allah (SWT), the Just, commandeered the state government to ship those loads under a separate arrangement and expenditure.
I think Nigeria is too old to be experiencing these sorts of nasty situations where pilgrims or their goods would not be returned or freighted to Nigeria on schedule. These problems are bound to stick with us as long as we fail to put self-seeking motives and other unpatriotic practices behind us. Our engaging the services of airlines whose fleet of aircraft is 100% full of leased aircrafts, which in some instances are older than their pilots, will never bring us out of the disorders in hajj operations. The deliberate attempt by some government officials to carry out dishonest planning procedures at some certain level of the exercise is equal in effect to sabotage and Allah (SWT) would reward every action according to the motive(s) behind it.
If we cannot have indigenous airlines that will be honest and committed enough to implement all the terms in the contract agreement for the airlift of pilgrims and their goods on schedule, it will not be out of place to engage reputable airlines such as the Saudi Arabian national air carrier. What also stops us from putting all arrangements for next year's pilgrimage in place (including payment of fares by intending pilgrims) as we conduct the current hajj. This is what Asian countries like Indonesia and Malaysia do and have succeeded in perfecting their annual arrangements for pilgrimage. These are countries with the highest number of pilgrims performing hajj for more than two decades but yet have very insignificant digit of problems to contend with.
As our pilgrims depart, we pray for their safe trip to and fro the holy land. We wish them a very successful conduct of all the hajj rites. We pray to Allah (SWT) to accept all their forms of ibadah in the course of fulfilling the rituals of the fifth pillar of Islam. For those who are yet to be privileged to observe this fundamental ad practical principle of Islam, we pray to Allah (SWT) to provide for them the means to embark on it from legitimate sources. May He (SWT) make this year's hajj exercise hitch-free, amin.
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