The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Hajj

  • Deaths in the holy land

    Before anything else, Hardball must enter this caveat.  Muslims and their beliefs are inviolate.  This year’s tragedy does nothing to negate the Islamic holy injunctions for the Hajj, for who can afford it, at least once in a life time.  It is one of the five pillars of Islam; and the faith is not about abandoning one of its fundamental pillars because of human negligence.

    The kingdom and people of Saudi Arabia no doubt feel blessed to yearly be home to millions of Muslim faithful worldwide.  It is a grave spiritual privilege that must be matched with no less secular responsibility, in pilgrim safety and security.

    Mecca, Medina, Mina and allied sacred cities are only among the privileged few, among the globe’s holiest religious destinations, to which pilgrims flock every year.  Even if the whole of the pilgrim population were to perish, that calamity would still not dull these cities’ appeal.  Faith, after all, is a thing of the mind.

    Besides, by Islamic belief, dying in Mecca during pilgrimage is religious bliss; for to the deceased would come additional blessings the living cannot boast, as (s)he enters Al-Jannah a privileged soul indeed.  But it was never conceived as being crushed by cranes or being squashed in stampedes.

    Which is why the Saudi authorities must take the blame for these twin-tragedies; and must wake up to their responsibilities.

    By Allah, Nigeria has paid dearly for these man-made errors, in lost lives and crushed limbs.  From the stampede, no fewer than 56 Nigerians — and still counting — out of a casualty figure of 769 so far have perished, many of them the cream of their generation.

    The morbid list: Justice Abdulkadir Jega, presiding judge, Court of Appeal, Abuja, and brother to Prof. Attahiru Jega, former INEC chairman, Justice Musa Hassan Alkali, another Court of Appeal judge, Alhaji Abbas Ibrahim, the Panti Zing (traditional ruler of Zing, in Adamawa State) and Amirul Hajj (leader) of the Adamawa delegation, with two of his four wives, Prof. Tijani Abubakar El-Miskin, the famed Islamic scholar, Hajiya Bilikisu Yusuf, former editor of defunct Citizen magazine.  And to think of the fate of Alhaji Bello Gidan-Hamma, former caretaker chairman of Illela Local Government of Sokoto State, with himself, mother, stepmother and two wives perishing in the stampede!

    Pray, how can a nation lose such calibre of people, on a pilgrimage, just because the host country is remiss in its safety responsibility?

    To worsen matters, a Saudi prince’s convoy is claimed to have caused the stampede; with another Saudi prince reportedly making a racist statement, blaming the dead for their own death!  That is reprehensible and should not be tolerated.

    Which is why Nigeria must lodge the sternest of protests to the Saudi government.  Nigeria cannot stop its Muslims from Hajj.  But it certainly can expect the Saudi government to appreciate the enormous responsibilities in pilgrims’ safety.

    We can’t just sit back and mop in agony, while our compatriots die avoidable deaths because they are on pilgrimage — and let no one mouth any pious fatalism about Allah wanting it that way!

    Allah’s will is one thing.  Human negligence is another.  This is why the Saudis must sit up.  Enough of these harvests of needless deaths!

  • Hajj: Sultan asks Saudi authorities to improve safety

    Hajj: Sultan asks Saudi authorities to improve safety

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, on yesterday in Sokoto, urged Saudi authorities to henceforth provide improved safety measures during the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

    The Sultan spoke on the sidelines of the presentation of the report of a technical committee set up by him to look into the state of the education sector in the state.

    He regretted that the stampede at Muna on Wednesday led to the death of no fewer than 1,000 pilgrims and injured over 800 others, while many more were still missing.

    ‘’The tragedy had affected several countries of the world, Nigeria in general and Sokoto state in particular.

    ‘’Some local governments in Sokoto State like Illela, Binji, Gwadabawa and others were affected by the tragedy, although the actual casualty figures are still being ascertained by Saudi Arabian and Nigerian authorities, ‘’ he said.

    Abubakar, who is the life National Amirul Hajj, described the deaths and injuries caused by the stampede as “collective loss’’.

    He said that his committee was assessing the situation and would appropriately advise the federal government on the incident.

    ‘’We will appropriately advise the Federal Government of Nigeria to partner the Saudi Government on how to improve safety of pilgrims during the annual pilgrimage.

    ‘’The tragedy was an act of God but we will render useful advice to the federal government on how to improve the safety of the pilgrims.

    ‘’This is necessary to ensure the conduct of hitch-free Hajj exercise annually,” he said.

    The Sultan condoled with the families and Government of Nigeria as well as other countries affected by the tragedy.

  • Hajj: Buhari condoles with victims, seeks correction of flaws

    President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed sadness over the colossal calamity which occurred on Thursday in the Saudi Arabia, claiming the lives of hundreds of pilgrims, including Nigerians.

    According to President Buhari, the stampede at Mina in which a notable Nigerian Journalist, Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf, Prof. Tijjani El-Miskin and others lost their lives is a monumental tragedy, not only for citizens of the countries involved, but for the global Islamic community.

    In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President also extended condolences to the families of the over 700 pilgrims who lost their lives in the disaster in the Holy Places which occurred less than two weeks after a crane collapse in Mecca that claimed more than a hundred lives.

    He commiserated with the Nigerian Guild of Editors and the Nigerian Union of Journalists on the sad loss of Hajiya Bilkisu, an exemplary, dedicated, knowledgeable, very credible, highly-respected, outstanding editor and columnist who, even in death, will remain a glittering role model for journalists, within and outside Nigeria.

    The statement reads: “The President has taken note of the assurance by the Government of Saudi Arabia that Thursday’s catastrophe will be investigated and urges King Salman to ensure a comprehensive and thorough exercise that will identify any flaws in Hajj organisation with a view to avoiding a recurrence of such tragedies during the annual pilgrimage.

    “In the knowledge that it is not within our powers to question the will of God, President Buhari prays that Almighty Allah will comfort the families who lost their beloved ones in the stampede and receive the souls of all those who died in the Holy Land while fulfilling the religious obligation of the Hajj,” It stated

  • A fateful Hajj

    A fateful Hajj

    Indeed, only Allah knows the Hour (of silence); He sends down the rain and knows what is contained in the wombs (of prospective mothers). No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow; no soul knows in what land it will die or be buried. Indeed, Allah alone is all-Knower and all-Acquainted”.

    1. 31:34.

     

    It was like an earthquake penultimate Friday, September 11, 2015, when the global electronic media throbbed with the news of a crane accident that occurred (for the first time) within the premises of the sacred sanctuary (Haram) in Makkah. And its immediate effect forced the global tree of the pen profession to tremble down to its tap root.

    It was another 9/11 day albeit with smaller scale. According to the toll figure, 134 mainly pilgrims, including six Nigerians, fatally fell victim of the accident. Three hundred and ninety four (394) others were seriously or partially hospitalised, following various degrees of injuries they sustained in that fortuitous accident.

     

    The breakdown of the victims as at the time of writing this article in Saudi Arabia is as follows:

     

    DEAD                   HOSPITALISED

     

    Iranians        25                             15

    Bangladeshis  25

    Egyptians       23

    Pakistanis       15                          51

    Indonesians    11                          42

    Indians             11                         15

    Turkish            8                          21

    Malaysians      6                         10

    Nigerians        6

    United Kingdom  2                   3

    Algerians                                    1

    Afghans                                       1

     

    The tragedy occurred three days after yours sincerely arrived in Madinah for Hajj 1436 AH.

     

    Saudi Government’s Reaction

    The incident was the deadliest crane accident in human history. After visiting the site on Sunday, September 13, 2015, King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia ordered an investigation into the tragedy and vowed to sanction the culprits.

    He, immediately, suspended work on the site and announced the revocation of the contract handled by the popular Bin Ladin Construction Company and, a couple of days later, he ordered the payment of 1 million Saudi Riyals (N65 million) as compensation to each of the dead victims and SR 500000 (N30 million) to each of the injured and hospitalised victims.

     

    Lamentations

    The fortuitous accident simply mirrored the fang of destiny and precipitated untold agony across the globe. This was followed by lamentations and wailings which only presented the semblance of medicine applied to the corpse of a lifeless body. The rest is a story not meant for today. Inna Lillah wa inna ilayhi raji‘un!

     

    Irony of Life

    If life is said to be ironic this disturbing accident is a confirmation of that assertion. Or how can one explain the situation of a journey that took millions of Muslims to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage from various countries of the world. What is more ironic about it is that the area of the Haram where the accident occurred is almost exclusive as only a few pilgrims have business there. To what else then could such an accident be attributed other than destiny? Such accident did not occur at densely populated areas, such as King Abdul Aziz entrance. It did not occur at Babus-Salam through which most pilgrims prefer to enter the Haram. It did not occur at the Ka‘bah where hundreds of thousands of people were circumambulating.

    It did not occur between Safa and Marwah where male and female pilgrims struggle for space in their trot in service to Allah. It rather waited for those Mutawwifin to complete their Tawaf and step out of the Haram. If that accident had occurred at any other place in Saudi Arabia outside Makkah and Madinah some people would have put the blame on impatience or carelessness on the part of the victims. But here we are. Upon what else apart from destiny do we put the blame? Why those victims and not some other people?

     

    Natural Demarcation

    The demarcation between life and death is like the diaphragm between the   thoracic and abdominal cavities. It takes only the grace of Allah for that diaphragm to sustain the natural but mysterious demarcation that keeps man intact until the otherwise happens.

    Death, like birth, is a divinely scheduled programme in the life of man. It is a phenomenon specially shrouded in mystery. The circumstances that precede death are beyond the predictions or permutations of man. They cannot be foretold except by sheer deception. Every soothsayer will die with his soothsaying and no atom of the world will feel his exit. Kings die as much as slaves. Masters die as much as servants. And all together will lie helplessly beneath the earth without distinction.

    Because of its invisibility death is known only to the living as no dead person ever knows what has happened to him even as he cruises ahead in his dream-like sojourn to an unknown destination. The painful lamentations that follow the death of a person by his relatives and associates can never remedy that natural occurrence. Times and places may be different, but we shall all join the train of death one day.

     

    Parable of Coffin

    From the very first day of conception in the mother’s womb, a parable has occurred in the life man. That parable is of a coffin. When a child is perfectly pearled in the womb of a mother, it hardly occurs to anybody that what we generally call pregnancy is a coffin in which the child lives all alone to enjoy the naturally provided facilities. While there, he knows neither the source of those facilities nor his next destination. But when he is eventually delivered into the world he feels ejected from the home of pleasure and cries out profusely in protest. Yet, it is that cry that gives assurances and comfort to those who usher him into the world.

     

    The ever expanding earth

    Yes, the world, in the eyes of sheer mortal beings, is quite large but it remains a coffin for everybody as its large size is only to enable it to accommodate as many humans as possible which a woman’s womb cannot contain. Even as small as the womb of a mother is it sometimes accommodates two or three or four or even more children to confirm the concept of coffin in which man lives.

    Just as twins or triplets or quintets are born on the same day, from the same womb and into the same hands so do people randomly die in singles or doubles or multiples sometimes at the same hour and at the same place even if they never knew one another. We only ignorantly move about in our individual coffins of life and behave as if the pendulum of death has nothing to do with us. And when the unexpected occurs the remembrance of whence we emanated or wither we are bound is completely lost on us.

    The terrestrial planet called the earth is nothing but one big graveyard in which billions, even trillions of people, had been buried through the millennia. There is no single piece of land (even one foot) on earth that has not served as a grave in which remains of human beings have been buried. Yet the same earth keeps beckoning to us in drones, indicating that she still has space in abundance for those whose time is up for transiting from life to death. And as we had no say in the choice of the mothers who piloted us into this world so we have no say in the choice of that portion of the earth that will pilot us into the hereafter. Our world is a transit along the unknown journey that transforms us from the living to dead. The choice of place and time of where death will occur are determined only by the Supreme Being who created us and will ask us for the account of our existence on this earth.

     

    Experience

    Were an unborn baby to have a choice on whether or not to exit from its mother’s womb it would have preferred to stay put. But if the baby did not exit from its mother’s womb, how would it enjoy the pleasurable bounties of this world? This is the scenario which Nigeria’s first President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, gave a deep thought in the introduction to his autobiography (My Odyssey) when he wrote thus: “Man comes into the world and while he lives, he embarks upon a series of activities absorbing experience which enables him to formulate a philosophy of life and to chart his causes of action; but then, he dies; nevertheless, his biography remains a guide for those of the living who may need guidance either as a warning on the vanity of human wishes or as an example or both….”. Incidentally, Dr. Azikiwe was a journalist.

     

    Inseparable Web

    Death is the inseparable web of life from which no man can escape. The time, the place and the mode are the factors that make it a mysterious phenomenon. Whenever we are inside or outside our residences we must be conscious that we are in a coffin. Whenever we are in a vehicle, in an aircraft, in a ship or a train, we must not forget that we are in a coffin. If that coffin has not been closed on us it is only because the time is not yet ripe for death to lay its icy hand on us. There is no armour against death. That is why the Almighty Allah says in the Qur’an thus: “Say, verily, the death from which you are fleeing is bound to overtake you and then you will be brought back unto Him who knows all that is beyond the reach of human perception as well as all that cannot be witnessed by a creatures’ senses or mind, whereupon He will make you truly understand all that you were brought to do in life”.  Q. 62: 8

     

    Destiny

    Let no true believer ascribe the death of a person to another person or carelessness. Death is only ascribable to destiny. The time to come into the world and exit from it is destined only by the Almighty Allah the Creator and Sustainer of all things. In Islam, the Angel of death is called ‘Asrail’. That Angel does not work by whim. Its operation is in tandem with divinely appointed times. And if we were not consulted before coming into the world how can we expect to be consulted before exiting from it? The Angel of death has no respect for age, wealth or position. The activities or plans of man are not his concern. What matters to him is the duty which he is divinely assigned to carry out and when it is time to do that, he goes ahead to do it without looking back. In Islam, there is no untimely death and there is nothing like reincarnation. The difference between reincarnation and resurrection is that while the earlier is satanic the latter is divine.

    As mortal beings we always find reasons for occurrences in our lives. And that shows the limit of our faith. Those of us who are still alive are neither wiser nor closer to God than those who died. The fact is just that our own coffins have not yet been closed up. When it is time for that, nobody can stop it. Once again, Nigeria has been afflicted by a calamity which no one can reverse or remedy. Inna Lillah wa inna ilayhi rajiu’n. We are surely from God and to Him we shall all return.

    Among the countries and prominent religious groups that commiserated with the victims’ families and associates are the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Nigerian government, Nigerian Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) the Jama‘atu Nasril Islam, Muslim Ummah of the Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN) and a host of others from all parts of the world. Their messages signed by Professor Ishaq Olanrewaju Oloyede and Professor D. O. S. Noibi are as follows respectively.

    The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) under the leadership of its President General and Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Dr. Muhammad Sa‘ad Abubakar, received with deep grief and sorrow, the news of the crane accident in Makkah  which claimed the lives of 118 pilgrims of different nationalities. About 394 others were seriously injured and hospitalised.

    Coming to add to the grief inflicted on the world by terrorism and insurgency, such a disturbing incident could only amount more agony for the entire world. The irony of life in this case is that destiny cannot be evaded by any human being despite any level of carefulness.

    While commiserating with the families of all the deceased and the peoples of their nations we can only pray the Almighty Allah to repose the souls of the victims in eternal bliss and grant their relatives the fortitude with which to bear the grief.

    We also invoke the mercy of the Almighty God to ensure a speedy recovery for those who were wounded in the accident and protect the lives of the teeming other Nigerian pilgrims still in Saudi Arabia for Hajj rites. ng them.

     

    MUSWEN condoles

    Sad news is like a whirlwind which has neither a scheduled time nor place. Its overwhelming effect on man can hardly be measured in terms of agony or sorrow. Or how else can we describe the crane accident of last Friday at the Holy Land?

    We also pray for speedy recovery of those who were injured in the accident and need intensive health care just as we praise the prompt actions groups and individuals who quickly rallied round the injured ones to ensure their survival.  But we also implore all and sundry to intensify such efforts in order to avert further deaths through this calamitous incident.                                                                                                                       Finally, we pray for continuous safety of all other journalists in the country as well as professionals in other fields who often face hazards in the performance of their service.

  • ‘How pilgrims died in Saudi Arabia’

    Death toll now 736

    The Saudi Arabian authorities have confirmed that at least 453 pilgrims taking part in the ongoing Hajj have died while 405 others sustained injuries Thursday on their way from Muzdalifa to Jamrat, where the symbolic stoning of devil takes place near the city of Makka.
    However, as at the time of filing this report, a Saudi Television Channel, ‘Saudi 2’ said death toll has risen to 736.
    According to various accounts, the incident was caused by a stampede close to Jamrat owing to the high number of pilgrims who have converged in Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage.
    Speaking to The Nation, Alhaji Muhamadu Ilela, a pilgrim from Sokoto state who was at the scene, said that the deaths occurred because the Saudi police blocked one of the gates leading to the Jamrat area.
    ‘’For over one hour, the queue didn’t move and we were in the scorching sun. After some time, people started collapsing because of the heat wave. This was what caused the initial deaths. A stampede followed which caused the deaths of most pilgrims,’’ Ilela stated.
    The eye witness said that the victims were of different nationalities.
    Speaking to our correspondent on phone, the Public Relations Officer of the state National Hajj Commission, Uba Mana said that Emir of Kano and Amir of the Hajj team and all other stakeholders were meeting at the time of filing this report.
    Another respondent alleged that the incident occurred at one of the tents at Muna and not Muzdalifa.
    The Saudi Civil Defence Directorate did not state the cause of the deaths and where the incident precisely occurred. However, it reported on Twitter that 4,000 personnel had been sent to the scene of stampede, along with more than 220 emergency and rescue units.
    It will be recalled that last Sunday, the Head of Nigerian delegation for this year’s Hajj and Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II, urged pilgrims to accept the arrangement which the
    Saudi Authorities have put in place over ‘’the stoning of the devil’’ at Jamrat.
    Amirul Hajj Sanusi revealed that performing the stoning of the devil in batches and spreading the time for the Islamic rite to include the period of Zawal (sun rise) is necessary to protect the lives of pilgrims.
    The Emir noted that ‘’on many occasion, pilgrims have been killed at the stoning site from stampede arising out of thousands of pilgrims converging to do the throwing at the same time, among number of causes.’’
    Emir Sanusi II recalled that 266 pilgrims had died in 1994 while 98 others were injured at the
    stoning site that year. Ten years later, 251 pilgrims died in 2004 and in 2006, 346 had also lost their lives, he added.
    According to him, ‘’all these incidents happened at the Jamarat. The frequency and sheer enormity necessitated the following arrangement of the concerned authority, by performing the ritual in a way that will protect human life.’’
    The Emir argued that if lives will be protected by performing the ritual before sun rise, then one of the fundamental objectives of Sharia will be fulfilled at the level of absolute necessities.

  • 717 pilgrims die in hajj stampede

    717 pilgrims die in hajj stampede

    At least 717 pilgrims died and hundreds of others were injured on Thursday in a major stampede on the outskirts of the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia during the ongoing annual hajj pilgrimage.
    AFP reported that no fewer than 863 pilgrims were injured in the crush according to the Saudi civil defense directorate, which provided update on the death toll.
    Thursday’s crush happened in Mina, a large valley about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Mecca that has been the site of hajj stampedes in years past.
    Mina is where pilgrims carry out a symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing pebbles against three stone columns. It also houses more than 160,000 tents where pilgrims spend the night during the pilgrimage.
    Thursday’s tragedy struck during a morning surge of pilgrims at the intersection of streets 204 and 223 as the faithful were making their way toward a large structure overlooking the columns, according to the Saudi civil defense directorate.
    The multi-story structure, known as Jamarat Bridge, is designed to ease the pressure of the crowds and prevent pilgrims from being trampled.
    Ambulance sirens blared as rescue crews rushed the injured to nearby hospitals.
    More than 220 rescue vehicles and some 4,000 members of the emergency services were deployed soon after the stampede to try to ease the congestion and provide alternative exit routes, according to the directorate.

  • Nigerian military extends medical help to pilgrims in Saudi

    Nigerian military extends medical help to pilgrims in Saudi

    Nigerian Armed Forces members on Holy pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia have extended medical treatment to other Nigerian pilgrims in the Holy Land.

    This was also as other pilgrims from respective Nigerian states benefitted from Hajj lecture organised by the Armed Forces in Madina.

    Explaining why the soldiers were rendering such humanitarian assistance, Director Islamic Affairs, Nigerian Army, Colonel Shehu Garba Mustapha told our Correspondent that, it was part of their training that anywhere they find themselves, they protect Nigerians therein.

    Colonel Mustapha who is also the leader of the Armed Forces delegation to Saudi Arabia said, though they were not in Saudi Arabia to provide such services to pilgrims, but to members of the Armed forces and their families on Holy pilgrimage.

    According to him, 400 Armed Forces officers and personnel, including their families were in Saudi Arabia for the 2015 Hajj exercise.

    “So, just like states, the Nigerian Armed Forces get allocation from the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) every year and we pay for the seats. This year, 400 of us including over 10 generals from the three services are on the Holy pilgrimage, including members of our family.

    “Therefore, it is mandatory for us to provide medical care for our members, that is why we are here with our medical team. But, along the line other pilgrims who stay in the same house with us here in Madina come for medical care and since they are Nigerians, we have to provide them with such care.

    “First, as Muslims, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) taught us that, ‘none of you is a true believer until he loves for his neighbour what he loves for himself’. Secondly, by training, any where you see a soldier, be it, Army, Air Force or Navy, his thinking is to protect the integrity of Nigeria and lives and property of its people. That is why we are giving such support even though we know respective states came with their medical team, we cannot turn back those who approach us for care.

    “Similarly, when we organised lecture on how to perform Hajj and Umrah, other Nigerian pilgrims attended and we happy they benefitted from it. So, the military has human face, it’s not just about war,” Colonel Mustapha said.

  • Between Hajj 2014 and 2015 in Jigawa

    I was gladdened by the report that the Jigawa State government plans to airlift the state pilgrims from Dutse International Airport, and no longer from another place since we have our own, but to be candid, I am astonished and worried by the present administration’s penchant from its inception to attack, discredit and condemn the construction of the first-class facility built by the Sule Lamido administration.

    For the record, the present governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Badaru has used the airport to receive and send off his friends, families, observers, relatives, political and business associates etc within and across the country before, during and after his inauguration. In short, even Lamido did not make use of the airport like the present governor Alhaji Badaru did in these few months. What a pity!

    The day the Dutse International Airport was commissioned would be remembered for a long time to come. It was also the day on which the 2014 airlift of Nigerian pilgrims from the newly-built Dutse International Airport was inaugurated. The day was a festive one in the Jigawa State capital of Dutse. All roads leading to the new airport were jammed with vehicles. Among the eminent personalities who were there to grace the event were the former Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad, the Shehu of Borno,  former Niger State Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu,  former Minister of Transport Senator Idris Umar,  former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Nurudeen Muhammad, the Emirs of Kano, Hadejia, Suleja, Ringim, Dutse, Daura, Kazaure, Gumel, Kaltungo and Maradun  etc as well as Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos, who was the 2014’s National Amirul Hajj.

    Dutse International Airport project began on October 5, 2012 when President Goodluck Jonathan did the ground-breaking ceremony and ended on October 21, 2014 when Jonathan commissioned it, two short years. It has been the best and fastest airport project ever executed by any government in Nigeria.  It stands as a telling testimony to Sule Lamido’s declared intention to build the facilities and institutions that would anchor the state’s development agenda. This brand new airport was planned and built by his administration to help prepare for the state’s rapid industrialisation, to make it an investors’ haven and ease the movement of goods and services in and out of the state. Jigawa State will be able for the first time in its 23 year history to establish its infrastructural independence from facilities in far-away Kano.    Dutse International Airport will  enter the records for having some of the best facilities of any Nigerian airport. It was built on five square kilometers piece of land 10km northwest of Dutse town. Among the edifices in its architecturally beautiful sprawl are the standard terminal building, tarmac and runway, seven-storey control tower, fire service station, apron and car park, access roads as well as fully air-conditioned arrival, departure and protocol sections. This N16 billion edifice also has a 3000 by 60 meters runway. It is one of very high quality as attested to by the German pilot Capt Ripp Christian who led 3-member crew that made the inaugural flight into Dutse Airport on October 5, last year. He said, “I have gone round most of the airports in Nigeria but I have never had as smooth a runway as this one. It is of international standard.”

    Security was also given serious attention in the airport’s design and construction. It has been fully fenced; there are three brand new fire trucks of category 9 standard which are basic requirements for the landing of 747-400 series aircraft, and there is a combined water stock of  37,500 litres, the first of its kind in Nigeria. In addition there are body scan machines, conveyer belts, the high resolution Close Circuit Television cameras (CCTV) which record movements in the whole airport. Also with respect to safety, there are state of the art air navigation equipment, Doppler voice communication and control system (VCCS) and the Conventional Very High Frequency unidirectional Radio Range (CVOR) housed in the 7-storey control tower. It establishes communication from all directions with aircraft at a distance of 180 nautical miles from Dutse International Airport. The CVOR is the latest and best air navigational equipment in the world manufactured by Thales. The airport’s Landing Aid Instruments Localiser which guide the aircraft to the centre of the tarmac, the Glide Slope that provides glide angle, the Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) and Non Directional Beacon were all  carefully installed to give pilots and passengers a pleasant experience while landing at the airport. All these combine to make it a most modern airport in Nigeria equipped with the latest equipment and facilities.

    The pilgrims of  Jigawa, Borno and Yobe states that took off from the airport for the 2014 concluded Hajj exercise also witnessed a preparation that was among the best in the country. Jigawa State had a team of clerics who preached to them and guided them throughout the hajj exercise. The pilgrims also had a qualified medical team with an adequate provision of drugs that attended to their health throughout the rigorous hajj rites.  There was also the provision of daily meals while the state pilgrims’ board did very well by securing accommodation close to the Masjid ahram.

    A Jigawa State pilgrim was thus able to observe his or her five congregational prayers in the Masjid haram because they were quartered not far away. The remarkable records on the successful airlift of 2014 Jigawa pilgrims from Dutse International airport is a testimony of the determination and political will of Sule Lamido’s administration on welfare of his people. Everyone is elated with successful conduct of Hajj exercise since inception of his administration and the construction of the new airport.

    The 2014 Hajj exercise is best in the history Jigawa state and it is attributed by the support and prompt release of fund by the administration of Sule Lamido and the innovations of provision of feeding, accommodation subsidy and good medical attention to Jigawa pilgrims. It is stressed that, Jigawa state has become a reference point on Hajj exercise. Jigawa is the first state that has introduced meals for pilgrims and the policy of first timer pilgrims giving priority for ensuring equity and justice in which made many states in the country emulate Jigawa.  And so, in the airport and in the 2014 hajj, Jigawa State got the best of both worlds. But the question here is, can the present administration under Alhaji Muhammadu Badaru hold the tempo and maintain the process?

    Alas! That is on the contrary, because I read from the report that the pilgrims had already paid for the two meals. I appeal to Governor Badaru to subsidise the meal, medical and other related issues for the pilgrims.

     

    • Adamu is a former media aide to Alhaji Sule Lamido

     

     

  • Abubakar warns pilgrims against carrying prohibited drugs

    Abubakar warns pilgrims against carrying prohibited drugs

    Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State has warned pilgrims from the state performing 2015 Hajj to desist from carrying prohibited drugs to the Holy Land.

    Abubakar gave the warning on Friday in Bauchi while seeing off the first badge 255 pilgrims at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport, Bauchi.

    He said that Saudi Arabian authorities would not condone such act, which attracted capital punishment for such act.

    He urged the pilgrims to pray for the peaceful co-existence of the people of the state and the nation at large.

    Abubakar urged them not to entertain any fear as the state government had provided facilities and made feeding arrangements to ease anticipated problems.

    He commended officials of the State Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board for making concrete arrangements that facilitated the transportation of first batch of the pilgrims to the Holy Land.

    He assured that pilgrims would be assisted both financially and morally to ensure that they performed the rite as exhibited by Prophet Mohammed (SAW).

  • Oyo suspends sponsorship of pilgrims

    Oyo suspends sponsorship of pilgrims

    Oyo state Governor Senator Abiola Ajimobi has reiterated the determination of his administration to suspend the sponsorship of pilgrims to the holy land until the economy of the state improves.

    Governor Ajimobi stated this while receiving the Executive Secretary and other officials of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission at the Governor’s office, Agodi, Ibadan.

    Governor Ajimobi explained that individuals who are interested in holy pilgrimage should endeavor to sponsor themselves since the purpose is for spiritual rejuvenation and not a compulsion.

    He recalled that the Government maintained the same stand during the 2015 hajj exercise by sending only the medical staff to monitor the health of the pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.

    He said the present state of economy in Oyo state called for a cut down in the financial spending’s of the state.

    Earlier in his remark the executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission Mr. John Kennedy said the purpose of the visit was to sensitize the Government and well to do members of the society on the need to support their brethren and finance their pilgrimage to holy land.

    He said the Christian Pilgrim Commission had also introduced youth Pilgrimage and skills acquisition in Jerusalem which according to him would enable the youths to acquire some vocational trainings in the Holy land of Israel.

    He explained that the Commission is also working in conjunction with the National Lottery Commission to ensure that all intending pilgrims obtained a lottery ticket with a view to sponsoring the lucky winner to the holy land with the proceed of the lottery.