The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan, yesterday said 41,000 out of 43,008 pilgrims performed this year’s Hajj.
He said the figures represented 95 per cent success with low mortality.
The NAHCON chairman said the commission will soon float Hajj Savings Scheme, as done in some other countries, like Malaysia.
Hassan said the scheme would enable Muslims to perform Hajj without tears.
The chairman noted that despite the economic challenges, the commission was able to peg Hajj fare to its barest minimum.
Hassan, who addressed reporters yesterday in Abuja, said NAHCON did not collect funds from the Federal Government for this year’s Hajj.
Read Also: NAHCON concludes Hajj operations
He said: “Hajj is a once-a-year exercise. Its preparations span a whole year to enable it to succeed. But that routine of full year preparations did not happen for the emergency Hajj of 2022 and that was why it was labeled emergency Hajj.
“It took just about six months to prepare for it, even as Hajj had been cancelled for two previous years to the utmost distaste of intending pilgrims for those years.
“Worse, when the 2022 Hajj was finally announced by the Saudi Arabia authorities to be possible, the number to be allowed had been severely slashed by more than 50 per cent. Nigeria, which used to be allowed to present 95,000 pilgrims, had its own cut down to 43,000.
“Out of 43,008, over 41,000 travelled to Saudi Arabia. This means 95 per cent of the pilgrims travelled, despite some challenges. With less than six months to tidy up, there had also appeared some other unusual intervening variables to contend with. But this year’s Hajj was a huge success.”