The Chairman /Chief Executive Officer of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) Alhaji Zikrullah Hassan said the challenges of airlifting some Nigerians to Saudi Arabia for hajj was due to cancellation of 25 flights.
Alhaji Hassan said the challenges wouldn’t have occurred if those flights were not cancelled.
He spoke at the NAHCON House in Makkah on Wednesday.
According to him, some states weren’t ready to airlift their pilgrims because the pilgrims do not posses the compulsory Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test while the Basic Travelling Allowance (BTA) of pilgrims in some states were not ready as at the time they were scheduled for boarding.
Some states, he added, delayed flights for over 24 hours before airlifting.
The commission, he said, has gotten more aircrafts to airlift pilgrims including those registered with tour operators.
Nigerian Consul to Saudi Arabia Ambassador Monsur AbdulKareem expressed optimism that the challenges facing pilgrims are not insurmountable.
He urged the journalists to write the good side of Nigerian pilgrims for the world to read.