Abdulkadir Badsha Mukhtar
2 July 2009
Abuja — Requests for additional hajj seats by states could not be granted because Nigeria has exhausted the total seats allocated to it by the Saudi authorities for this year's hajj, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has said.
The Saudi authorities had allocated a total of 95,000 hajj seats to Nigeria for this year's hajj, but NAHCON has been receiving a floodgate of demands of more seats from the states.
A statement yesterday in Abuja by NAHCON's spokesman Uba Mana said while Saudi gave Nigeria a total 85,000 seats for regular pilgrims, the states are demanding above the allocated seats to Nigeria this year. Ten thousands seats have been allocated to tour operators. "It is pertinent to note that the total number of seats allocated to Nigeria this year for distribution to 36 states and the FCT is the same as that of last year i.e. 85,000. The state pilgrim welfare board/agencies have forwarded requests totalling 101,230 which represent 19.1 per cent over and above the allocated seats to Nigeria this year," he said.
The commission told state pilgrims boards to inform intending pilgrims of the commission's inability to carter for the requests for the additional seats.
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