Haruna Abdulrashid
The final batch of 2024 Hajj pilgrims from Nigeria departed from the King Abdul Azeez International Airport in Jeddah on July 16, 2024.
This was contained in a statement written by the Assistant Director Public Affairs, Fatima Sanda Usara, saying that a total of 312 pilgrims from Kwara have arrived in Ilorin via an Air Peace airline flight, marking the 119th return flight from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria.
The statement disclosed that during the first phase of the Hajj operation, NAHCON ran a total of 121 flights, which has now been reduced to 119 flights for the return journey, adding that the reduction in flights was attributed to the maximum utilisation of seats during the return journeys. The return journey ends three days ahead of schedule being earlier planned to end by 19th of July 2024.
“The Commission’s chartered airlines took 27 days to transport all pilgrims into the Kingdom during the first phase of the Hajj journey, with the return phase now lasting 25 days. By the 25th day of the outbound flight from Nigeria, a total of 47,171 pilgrims were transported, while 50,091 were able to return to Nigeria within the same span of 25 days in the second phase.
“In a closing ceremony at the Hajj Terminal in Jeddah airport,The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Malam Jalal Ahmad Arabi expressed gratitude to the Almighty for the successful completion of the return journey. He commended stakeholders for their cooperation and the pilgrims for their prayers for their leaders at federal and state levels. The Chairman urged them to continue praying for the success of their leaders and to maintain their good conduct, describing this year’s Hajj achievements as a promise fulfilled. He promised that the Commission would achieve even greater success next year based on the lessons learned this year,” the statement partly read.
The statement noted that the Chairman also assured that preparations for the 2025 Hajj have already begun.
“Senator Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, the Amirul Hajj for Kwara state, expressed his gratitude to the NAHCON Chairman for his quick responses to issues and stated his conviction to thank him publicly and privately. Senator Oloriegbe who spoke in Yoruba and English appreciated the Commission for its timely processing of visas, the convenient stay in Madinah not more than four days all within the first phase. The Amirul Hajj on behalf of the pilgrims thanked their governor, NAHCON as well as other Hajj officials from the states and stakeholders,” the statement added.
