The 2025 Hajj exercise has come and gone, leaving behind memories. Some sweet, some sour, and while some bitter, depending on which side of the divides one stands.
However, this is not new, nor unexpected to whomever knows and appreciates the import of Chapter 2:197 of the Glorious Qur’an, which connotes that Hajj exercise is always going to be a mix grill, requiring sacrifice, commitment, dedication, determination, patience and perseverance.
The preparation stage – dodged with uncalled for rancour and bickering – apart, from the airlift to the holy land and throughout the duration, from the Madinah, Makkah and Mashã’ir days to the conclusion of the religious rites, one would not be said to have exaggerated if one said it was the best and smoothest outing, in recent years, for Nigerian contingent. The airlift, feeding, accommodation and transportation are all superb, excellent and fantastic.
However, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, needs to review certain issues in Madinah and infact in the entire exercise. The medical aspect this year candidly speaking, leaves much to be desired. Either there was late start in engaging the Saudi health authorities in approving and certification of clinics in Madinah and Makkah, which NAHCON needs to guard against in subsequent operations, or the Saudi authorities rigidity, which NAHCON, also needs to engage them on how they should soften abit. Agreed there are multiple Saudi clinics and hospitals, but the imperatives of operating Nigerian clinics cannot be over emphasised. We have some illnesses that are peculiar to our Saharan region, which only our health officials know how to quickly and instantly handle having grown in them and treated.
Again, I don’t know the rationale behind the new system of engaging health officials in which it is rubbed on their face that going on this all important assignment is a favour. Yes, it could be, but their skills, education and sacrifices are a right that should be respected and honoured, but certainly not to be belittled as to designate their assignment as voluntary. The only voluntary services are services rendered by one who pays from his pocket and decides to voluntarily serve pilgrims, but anyone sponsored by NAHCON their assignment is mandatory and should be seen as such, as well as be dignified. There is need to review this approach. Instead of reducing the entire exercise as being at the mercy of favours from whomever the favours are, the engagement should show respect and appreciation.
In Madinah, this year, either there was a dereliction of responsibility, inexperience, or exhaustion as a result of the herculean task of attending to various passports handling demands, the way things went at the passport office of Mu’assasah leaves a sour test that NAHCON needs to sweeten in subsequent operations. It was chaotic and risky to allow pilgrims to go sorting their passports themselves. It was the practice some over twenty years back, but in the last decade or so this practice was stopped for a more orderly and more secured measure that guaranteed ease and security of official documents. Therefore, there is an absolute need for NAHCON to investigate and review the system to save the pilgrims from agony and to ease the work of the staff of both NAHCON and Mu’assasah.
There is equally the need for NAHCON to remind the Ulama that wherever they go, they are the mirror whom the society looked into. Therefore, their differences should be maturedly handled amongst them without unnecessarily resorting to public display as this could be detrimental to their standing and dignity among followers.
However, by and large this year’s Hajj operation would certainly go down history as one of the best in recent years. Surprisingly, even the Saudi authorities adjudged the exercise as the best in recent times, as it went seamlessly and hitch free.
