For The Interest Of Pilgrims (1)

I widen my acknowledgment to the Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR) for its gracious invitation and for deeming maine worthy to service arsenic impermanent talker connected this occasion, among truthful galore qualified voices wrong the Hajj and Umrah industry. The IHR’s enactment speaks to a quiescent discernment—the prime of idiosyncratic who moves not successful world abstraction but successful the lived existent of the pilgrim’s journey.

The Realms of Practice

The Hajj cognition is not an world workout wherever scholars suggest flawless scripts for the services rendered to pilgrims oregon the choreography of question from Arafah to Muzdalifah. It belongs to the realm of profession, wherever those who interact with pilgrims done the pilgrimage itself indispensable carnivore witnesser to the regular challenges astatine each juncture. I accidental this not to diminish the esteem owed to world minds who person graced your ceremonies successful the past; I clasp them successful precocious regard. They are golden successful their respective domains, and determination is overmuch we tin larn from their precision and curiosity. I americium inactive a student, and I aspire to beryllium an world 1 day. Yet, the bosom of Hajj operations lies with those who practise successful the field, who cognize the terrain of issues and the surest routes to resolution.

Acknowledging Monitor and Stakeholders

Thank you, IHR, for lasting arsenic a potent show successful the people of Hajj operations successful Nigeria. Thank you for watching implicit the operators, regulators and managers wrong the Hajj industry. Your societal media handles are the repositories of Hajj-related activity, not lone successful Nigeria but successful the wider satellite of Hajj. You are reliable partners and captious stakeholders successful Hajj operations. Your reportage and appraisal of the occurrence oregon different of Hajj operations transportation a value that lone those embedded successful the process tin bear. You are portion and parcel of the Hajj journey, tracking each movement, each aspect, from Nigeria to the Holy Territories, until each pilgrim’s departure from Jeddah. To transportation you along—alongside Hajj operators and administrators—is a necessity for guidance and genuine feedback connected the ways to refine the services received by Nigerian pilgrims.

Personal Affiliation and Core Belief

I americium a circuit relation and a bona fide subordinate of the Association for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHOUN). My submission today, however, reflects champion operational practices successful Hajj generally, portion bearing successful caput that lone 1 idiosyncratic remains the pilgrim—the patient, the cardinal fig whom the operators serve. There is nary quality betwixt pilgrims who question done the authorities pilgrim boards oregon those who spell done backstage Hajj operators. I did not notation the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) due to the fact that it has nary pilgrims; not a azygous one. NAHCON’s relation is supervisory, guiding, and coordinating the operators who service the pilgrims. And the pilgrims are 1 and the aforesaid entity, careless of the statement they subscribe to—state pilgrim boards, agencies, commissions, oregon backstage circuit operators.

The Pilgrim astatine the Centre of All Decisions

In this framing, the pilgrim stands astatine the bosom of each operational decision. All procedures, whether orchestrated by authorities bodies oregon backstage operators, indispensable prioritise the needs, safety, and dignity of the pilgrim. Operational excellence is universal, applicable crossed the board, careless of the transmission done which the pilgrimage is arranged. The enslaved betwixt pilgrim and relation transcends organisational form: the pilgrim is the sole client, the superior stakeholder, and the eventual beneficiary of each work delivered. NAHCON’s remit is supervisory and coordinating; its mandate is to usher and align operators arsenic they hole and travel pilgrims, alternatively than to curate a abstracted pilgrim experience. The pilgrims’ payment remains the shared work of each stakeholders.

Addressing the Perceived Divide Between Sectors

That is the mistake immoderate radical are making—attempting to demarcate betwixt authorities pilgrimage boards and backstage circuit operators. We service 1 person, and that is the Nigerian pilgrim. In Hajj 2024, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCON, provided a pilgrimage subsidy to Nigerian pilgrims, including some Christians and Muslims. Unfortunately, Muslim pilgrims nether circuit operators were axed out; they did not bask that Presidential largess. Indeed, that was not the intent of Mr President. The pilgrimage subsidy was for the payment of each Nigerian pilgrims. Mr President has fixed a 50 per cent subsidy to the Christians for the 2026 pilgrimage to Jerusalem. We are definite that Mr President volition bash the aforesaid to the Muslims, arsenic is his custom. When the Mr President does that, arsenic helium is definite to do, the 50 per cent subsidy connected the outgo of Hajj 2026 should screen Muslim pilgrims successful genera...