Leadership (Abuja)
Emmanuel Iffer
17 November 2008
Abuja — No fewer than 21,000 Muslims have been airlifted to Saudi Arabia in the on-going airlift of pilgrims which began early in the month.
This was disclosed yesterday by the chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Mallam Mohammed Musa Bello, in Abuja.
The chairman who spoke with newsmen about the hajj operations so far, said 21,231 pilgrims had been successfully airlifted to the Holy Land to perform their religious duties.
Mallam Bello noted that the airlift was going on in all the zones designated for the hajj operation.
He acknowledged that as with hajj operations, the first week of airlift was no different but that the commission was already getting over it.
"We are overcoming the initial problem usually associated with the first week of airlift of pilgrims," he maintained.
The chairman who described the airlift as the most challenging aspect of the hajj operations, added that the commission had, apart from the commissioned air carrier, arranged with three other airlines to standby, and that the standby airlines have since been deployed to help forestall lapses.
He added that the commissions in close collaboration with the National Amirul Hajj, Oladimeji Bankole, were working hard so as to ensure that all registered pilgrims were airlifted to Saudi Arabia.
Furthermore, the chairman said that all other aspects of the hajj were going on without hitch.
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