NAHCON to commence screening of airlines for 2023 Hajj from March

The Chairman National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) Zikirullah Kunle Hassan has assured Nigerian pilgrims that this year ‘s Hajj and Umrah will be successful.

NAHCON will screen airlines for the exercise early, in order to avoid cancellation of flights and other flight related challenges.

This will commence within the first week of March 2023 .

Mr.Hassan said the commission learned a lot from challenges recorded during the 2022 Hajj operations.

NAHCON chairman described the 2023 Hajj as a full Hajj without restrictions and noted that early preparation for this year’s Hajj will help address possible challenges.

Every year Muslims across the world go on the Hajj and Umrah Pilgrimages in order to fulfill one of the pillars of Islam .

In Nigeria, the Hajj and Umrah preparations had in the past been fraught with many challenges .

Last year, issues such as cancellations of flights, resulted in many pilgrims being stranded in Abuja, Kano, Lagos and other locations.

The Hajj Commission is hoping to forestall these shortcomings this year.

It will lead a delegation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for an exhibition on the 2023 Hajj and will build digital ecosystem that will help pilgrims have a better experience.

At a conference, the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission, Zikriullah Kunle Hassan, stated that doing so early will allow the Commission to plan and diligently screen the airlines, leaving no room for excuses.

He said: “Last year’s Hajj was an emergency. Many of those things that happened, we didn’t wish them to happen because it was an emergency Hajj operation. This year, the coast is very clear.

“We also look at what we need to do to forestall the challenges we faced last year.

“Some of the ways to solve these challenges is by starting early. Because we have started early, we will be able to address any challenge as soon as possible.

“For this year, there is no restrictions, no age limit. It is full Hajj. On flight cancellation and flight delay, we will not blame anybody and we will not give excuses.

“We have reviewed our last year operation and by Allah’s will this year operation will be hitch- free. I must inform you that for every NAHCON stakeholders, we are on the same page to ensure that this Hajj is very successful.

“You are aware that 95,000 Hajj slots have been given to Nigerian Muslims, we have also gone to Saudi Arabia for first pre Hajj visits in order to familiarise and screen service providers.

“We have already allocated slots to each state. We are in the process of doing so many other things. For instance, we intend to start screening the airline for this year Hajj by the first week of March.”

The Saudi Arabian Authorities recently approved Nigeria’s usual allocation of ninety five thousand pilgrims this year.

The Commission is optimistic that this year’s Hajj and Umrah will be the best operations so far because of adequate preparation to ensure its success.