The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Madinah

  • 15,694 Nigerian pilgrims now in Saudi Arabia, says NAHCON

    No fewer than 15,694 Nigerians are currently in Madinah and Makkah, Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    The pilgrims, who started arriving in the Holy Land on July 21, were transported by Max Air Limited, FLY NAS and Medview airlines in 38 flights from various destinations including Abuja, Lagos and Kano.

    The figures were provided in a NAHCON flight statistics obtained by NAN on Monday in Madinah.

    The latest flight by FLY NASS on Monday transported 218 prospective pilgrims from Kebbi to Madinah, while 2,707 of the total number of the pilgrims are already in Makkah to begin the formal Hajj rites.

    Transportation of pilgrims from the six designated airports in Nigeria continues.

    Meanwhile, officials of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), headed by its Madinah Coordinator, Alhaji Ahmed Maigari, on Monday returned the Basic Traveling Allowance (BTA) to a Nasarawa State pilgrim, Nuhu Musa, who lost the money.

    Musa had lost 606 dollars and N10,000 cash in his hotel accommodation; but one of the hotel workers, who found it, promptly handed it over to the management which in turn alerted the NAHCON leader.

    Maigari cautioned pilgrims against careless handling of their BTA.

    He advised them to be vigilant and careful in transacting business deals and commended the hotel workers for being honesty.

    Maigari handed over the amount to Alhaji Ahmed Yusuf, an official of Nasarawa State Pilgrims Board, who gave it to Musa.

  • Hajj 2018: Medical team cautions pilgrims against health hazards

    The Nigerian Hajj Medical Team on Monday in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, cautioned pilgrims against environmental hazards arising from harsh weather conditions during the Hajj in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.

    Dr Muhammad Abdulkadir, Head of the Medical Team, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), told our reporter that “the most important health advice to pilgrims now is to maintain personal hygiene and observe environmental sanitation”.

    “They must eat well and avoid junk food from vendors that are not certified and they must take adequate water as they move around.

    “The weather in Madinah is very harsh and the temperatures are high, so pilgrims are at the risk of getting dehydrated. Therefore, they need plenty of water frequently.”

    He said the team had taken adequate measures to attend to medical needs of pilgrims in the Holy land, adding that eight members, including nurses and five doctors, were already on ground ahead of arrival of pilgrims in Madinah.

    Abdulkadir said the team had mobilised its drugs and equipment from Jeddah and finally established its main clinic in Madinah at NAHCON office.

    “We have established two outreach centres near our pilgrims to provide immediate first aid treatment services and those who need other management will be transported in our ambulances to the main clinic.

    “There is arrangement where severe cases that need admission will be referred to Saudi medical and reference centres. We are fully ready to take off our operations because our drugs and equipment are intact.”

    Abdulkadir added that drug and equipment supply to the team would not be done at once, “it is done according to needs and what we have now is adequate to start our operations”.

    The medical doctor explained that there was a standard Procurement Committee responsible for procurement and supply of medical equipment, adding that another set of pharmacists was expected soon to join the operation.

    Asked if the team had attended to patients after the arrival of the first batch of pilgrims from Kogi, he said one of them had a minor medical issue on arrival and had been treated.

    A NAN correspondent who visited the facilities in Madinah, reported that a team of doctors, pharmacists and nurses was seen sorting out drugs while others were found in both male and female wards.

    The facilities have provisions for consultation, treatment of patients, administrative matters and other minor health related issues.

    The medical personnel were among the National Advance Team that arrived in Madinah two weeks ago to perfect arrangements for a successful Hajj operation by Nigeria.

  • Mid-air joy: Baby born on Pakistani flight

    Mid-air joy: Baby born on Pakistani flight

    A Pakistani mother on Tuesday gave birth to a baby girl on-board a flight taking pilgrims from the Muslim holy city of Madinah in Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, airline officials said.

    A spokesman for Pakistan International Airline (PIA), Mashood Tajwar said that both the mother and baby were healthy, though it was a premature birth.

    “The flight was scheduled to land in the eastern city of Multan in the early morning hours but was diverted to the southern metropolis Karachi due to bad weather.

    “The airline staff and hostesses helped the woman give birth after the mother complained of pain while all the passengers onboard and PIA staff welcomed the newborn.

    “The baby was wrapped in flight blankets and the staff distributed sweets among all passengers. The mother got chocolates and a bouquet from the airline,” the official said.

    Tajwar said that PIA does not allow women to travel if they are beyond the 27th week of pregnancy adding that there is no mechanism to implement this rule without cooperation by passengers.

    Another airport official Mohamed Nadeem said that the plane later arrived in Multan in the afternoon.

    The woman and her husband went to Saudi Arabia for the ritual of Umrah, which includes a pilgrimage to the cities of Mecca and Madinah.

  • 2017 Hajj: Kwara Pilgrims Board warns drug traffickers

    2017 Hajj: Kwara Pilgrims Board warns drug traffickers

    The Kwara State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, says it is collaborating with the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to ensure that no suspected drug trafficker is found among the 2017 intending pilgrims.

    Mohammed Tunde-Jimoh, the Executive Secretary of the board disclosed this on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in llorin.

    The secretary, who was reacting to the arrest of three pilgrims from Kwara in Saudi Arabia during 2016 pilgrimage, said the incident was regrettable and would not happen again in the history of the board.

    He said the NDLEA had assured the board of availability of modern scanning machines to detect suspected drug peddlers who might attempt to travel to the Holy Land from the state.

    According to him, any drug baron planning to travel with through the board should have a rethink, as adequate arrangement has been put in place to fish them out.

    Tunde-Jimoh advised intending pilgrims not to travel with Kola nuts or other substances outlawed by Saudi Arabia.

    He said the board had made arrangements to conduct series of enlightenment programmes to acquaint them with Hajj rites.

    According to him, the board has already secured befitting accommodation for the comfort of 2017 pilgrims in Makkah ,Madinah.

    Tunde-Jimoh warned the intending pilgrims from paying the balance of their Hajj fare through agents, saying payment should be made to only the banks designated by the board.

    NAN reports that a total of 2,168 pilgrims and 20 officials are expected to perform the 2017 Hajj from Kwara.