Lagos govt urges NAHCON to address operational challenges

Lagos State Government has called on the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to convene a meeting of all states of the federation to discuss the challenges faced during this year’s hajj pilgrimage and find a lasting solution.

The state’s Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ibrahim Layode, gave the advice, yesterday, said during a media briefing held at the Alsaad Flower Hotel 2, Misfalah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Layode said that most of the challenges encountered during this year’s hajj were from the inadequacies of NAHCON, stressing that the South-West region was not pleased with the food served in Mina as well as the accommodation provided in Makkah.

He said: “We had a lot of challenges and most of them are from NAHCON. The caterer selected to provide meals for the state’s pilgrims was using his own discretion to select menu that was not favourable to the people of the South-West.

The pilgrims almost protested at Mina and many of them rejected the meals served and chose to go and buy food from vendors. Even the accommodation provided for Lagos State pilgrims in Makkah was not up to standard.”

He said despite these challenges, he disagrees with the call for the scrapping of NAHCON, saying: “You can’t throw away the baby with the bath water.”

The Amirul Hajj maintained that NAHCON had agreed that there were challenges this year, as he called on stakeholders to address them ahead of the 2025 hajj.

He, however, expressed appreciation to Lagos State pilgrims for their patience and endurances, as he also appreciated Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, for their unflinching support, especially in the area of providing the shortfall of the Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) to the pilgrims and also offsetting the cost of rams, among other kind gestures.

Meanwhile, no fewer than 926 out of the 1,869 pilgrims that participated in the 2024 hajj from the state have so far been airlifted back home.