By GARBA MUHAMMAD

Chairman/CEO of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Malam Jalal Arabi, has reeled out some of the commission's achievements in this year’s Hajj operations.

Among the achievements listed by the chairman is the successful completion of airlift of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia 72 hours before announcement of the deadline set by Saudi authorities for the season.

In the same vein, the Commission also achieved 100% movement of pilgrims to Madinah pre-Arafat.

This was revealed during a press briefing on Sunday June 9th, 2024, in Abuja, marking the end of the 2024 Hajj operations conducted. As contained in a statement by Fatima Sanda Usara, Assistant Director/Public Affairs, on behalf of the Chairman.

The chairman said the final flight for the 2024 Hajj outbound operations is scheduled to take off in the early hours of June 10th 2024 from Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory to Madinah.

Meanwhile, the return journey for the 2024 Hajj is slated to commence on the 22nd of June 2024 based on first-in-first-out basis.

It was also revealed that slots for the return journey have been secured by all airlines.

According to the chairman, the airlift of the last flight combines about 211 remaining pilgrims from Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Bauchi, FCT and Niger states.

“Similarly included in the FlyNas flight are the last batch of officials for the 2024 Hajj.

“This flight marks the end of the year’s Hajj outbound airlift to Makkah for state quota pilgrims.

“However, Aero Contractors will end its airlift of Private Tour Operators pilgrims by 2:pm afternoon of Monday 10th June 2024.

“All other Private Tour Operators are expected to conclude conveyance of their pilgrims before closure of Jeddah and Madinah airports for all inbound Hajj airlift operations”, the chairman added.

He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for the critical support they offered to ensure a successful Hajj operation and promised that the Commission will reciprocate by doing its bid in ensuring a smooth Hajj exercise.

While noting the positive contribution provided by the media, the Chairman commended them for their dogged reportage of the exercise.

The Chairman appreciated the pilgrims for their resilience and determination despite the odds.

He restated NAHCON’s commitment to ensuring the welfare of Nigeria’s pilgrims in the best humanly way.

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