The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) revealed yesterday that 900 Nigerians disappeared after the 2017 hajj.
The NAHCON’s Commissioner in charge of Policy, Personnel Management and Finance, Mr. Yusuf Adebayo, told stakeholders at a meeting in Lagos that such absconding pilgrims were only wasting their time as they would be found out sooner or later by the Saudi authorities.
“We have also observed that some Nigerians do not return with their state contingents after the pilgrimage; some do not even perform the hajj rites before absconding,” Adebayo said, and asked intending pilgrims for the 2018 Hajj to make early preparation to avoid unnecessary challenges.
He added: “Most of the challenges we usually face are due to late preparation and the Saudi authorities have taken stringent steps to ensure that they do not recur in 2018.
“This informs why a deadline of March 31 has been fixed for all hajj payments, because all payments are expected to get to Saudi Arabia by April.”
Adebayo urged pilgrims to always adhere strictly to the regulations guarding hajj exercise so as to enjoy full spiritual benefits of the exercise.