Speaker of the House of Representatives and Amirul Hajj to this year's Holy Pilgrimage to Mecca, Dimeji Bankole has summoned airline operators accredited to airlift 95,000 Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia to a meeting today.

Bankole summoned the operators yesterday during a stakeholders meeting with the National Hajj Commission when he realised that major operators of airlines were not in attendance.

The Speaker said that it was only those at the highest level of authority in the airlines that could make final statements and binding commitments that would ensure stress free pilgrimage.

Bankole expressed disappointment that the main airlines were not properly represented at the meeting while those shortlisted as backup were properly represented.

"This is not a good start, the two companies that are well represented here by their chief executives are the back up companies, the ones that have been awarded the contract to airlift people are not represented here and if they are, they were represented in a very shabby manner.

"This is not good and if they are not ready to meet with us to start off properly, why should we trust that they will lift our people properly. There will be a meeting tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock (today) Tuesday, November 4, 2008 right here", he said.