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Mina: NAHCON decries prevalence of fake pilgrims, demands refunds over poor services

Published

11 months ago

July 3, 2023

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), on Sunday decried the invasion of Mina and Arafat by fake pilgrims which resulted in inadequate tents in Mina.

The Chairman of NAHCON, Alhaji Zikrullah Hassan, stated this during a working visit to Mutawif for Pilgrims from African non-Arab countries, in Makkah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“First, I would like to react to the fact that there was an invasion of this year’s Hajj by illegal pilgrims and it was embarrassing.

“I don’t know the percentage but we saw people who had no business in Mina and a few days later they turned Mina into a market place and a carnival.

“However, we were not in a position to checkmate them. We do not have the security control because there was no way we could handle the issue, an embarrassment to us.

“There was no way we could check them. Only the appropriate authorities can do that.”

Hassan said that the same tent space used for the 2022 Hajj of about 43,000 pilgrims, was the same tent Nigeria used for 95,000 pilgrims for this year’s hajj.

“In view of the inadequate tent space, many pilgrims who looked towards an enjoyable Hajj had to find themselves under the sun for days.

“And they had nowhere to go but remain under the sun. Many didn’t know that the best we can do as a Hajj mission is only to complain. We had no power or control over the issue.

“We were just helpless and this is not a good one for the pilgrims who have looked towards an enjoyable Hajj.”

He said like the issue of tents, the issue of food was poorly served by the company, adding that meals had no Nigerian touch.

According to him, “This year, a lot of food served to pilgrims was not eaten and even when they came, they were very late.

“NAHCON was helpless on the issues of the tent space and feeding. We had no control and management but we take the blame because the pilgrims know us they don’t know you.

“They believed we were responsible, yet we are helpless. We also went through the pain. Some of our places were turned into a refuse dump and at times some of our toilets lacked water.”

The NAHCON boss, therefore, demanded that going forward, the Commission should be allowed to handle feeding of pilgrims at Mina and Arafat to ensure that Nigerian pilgrims get value for their money.

“As far as feeding is concerned, I think it should just return to the commission because if you return feeding to us we will be able to manage our problems among ourselves.

“We will be able to screen the caterers and ensure that they have the Nigerian touch. The food we had this year doesn’t have the Nigerian touch at all.

“And, therefore, we will write a letter of request for refund.”

Speaking on behalf of the Executive Secretaries of the 36 States and the FCT Chairmen of Pilgrims Boards, Alhaji Salihu Abubakar of Adamawa, said the contracted company was taking a risk by insisting on feeding pilgrims in Mina and Arafat.

He said every state board complained about the lack of food, adding that the contracted company will fast lose its image and the confidence of the pilgrims.

“He cited the Adamawa State pilgrims tents, where there was no lunch and dinner on June 26 and there was no breakfast on June 27 and there were very few plates of lunch given on June 27.

“It was when we were on our way to Muzzalifah that food packs that did not contain water and juice were given to us and I, as the Executive Secretary and my entire tent, didn’t have a single bottle of water and there was nowhere we could get water.

“On reaching Muzdalifah, some of us trekked up to Jamrat and we came back to our tents in Mina on 28 June and there was no food, no breakfast and no lunch.”

Responding, Mr Bador Bafakeeh, the Chief Executive of the contracted company, said the company observed the huge number of illegal pilgrims in the Nigerian tents in Mina and Arafat which made most of the tents very crowded.

According to him, the company checked all the number of pilgrims which increased to maybe 30 to 40 per cent than the agreed number.

“The tents were customized with the number of pilgrims agreed on and we tried to maintain it with the food and all utility services we agreed on.

“Most of our video records show that there were many illegal pilgrims in different tents when we were sharing food. A lot of official reports had been written regarding all of these cases from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and some government entities.”

He assured that the company would look into all the issues raised by NAHCON and subsequently convene another meeting with the Commission and all stakeholders to find a common ground.

News

Nigeria’s money supply dropped to N92.3trn in March – CBN

Published

7 hours ago

May 17, 2024

NewsDirect

Nigeria’s money supply dropped marginally to N92.3 trillion in March 2024 from N93.9 trillion in February.

This is according to recent data from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Experts have linked the development to CBN’s hike in interest rates.

Demand deposits increased from N26.8 trillion to N28.8 trillion, suggesting a preference among depositors for more liquid forms of money.

Similarly, currency outside banks surged from N3.4 trillion to N3.6 trillion as more Nigerians moved towards cash following the end of the apex bank’s controversial new naira note policy.

The naira has continued to depreciate against the dollar despite the CBN’s policy intervention. On Thursday, it further dipped to N1533.99 per dollar.

News

Naira appreciates against dollar, ends week on good note

Published

7 hours ago

May 17, 2024

NewsDirect

The Naira appreciated against the dollar at the foreign exchange market barely 24 hours after depreciation.

FMDQ data showed that the N1497.33 appreciated against the dollar on Friday

This represents an N33.66 gain against the dollar compared to N1497.33 traded on Thursday.

Similarly, at the parallel market, the Naira appreciated to N1475 per dollar on Friday from N1555 on Thursday.

This showed that the Naira ended the week well after days of depreciation.

The country’s currency continued to experience instability since mid-April when it recorded months of appreciation.

Meanwhile, the Bureau De Change Operators had blamed forex scarcity for the continued depreciation of Naira.

News

Police dismiss inspector for N29.8m theft, kidnapping

Published

7 hours ago

May 17, 2024

NewsDirect

The Nigeria Police Force has dismissed one of its officers identified as Adabo Mohammed for criminal conspiracy and armed robbery, among others.

Mohammed, who was an Inspector, alongside five others was said to be a member of an armed robbery gang allegedly responsible for the stealing of N29.8 million from a victim in Gwagwalada, Federal Capital Territory.

This was disclosed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement issued at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Friday.

The statement, titled, ‘Police speak tough on indiscipline, misconduct,’ noted that in a move to uphold professional standards within the Force, the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, stressed the Force’s intolerance to any form of indiscipline.

The statement read partly, “In a decisive move to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and integrity within the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has emphasised his administration’s zero-tolerance policy towards any form of indiscipline. He stressed that the mandate of the police is to serve and protect with honour and integrity, and as such all breaches of the core values of the NPF will be met with decisive action to maintain public trust and ensure justice.

“In line with this policy, all cases reported against personnel have been creditably attended to, and justice has been done appropriately. Many of the erring officers have been sanctioned, while some cases are still at the orderly room trial level, and will soon be concluded.

“For instance, a police inspector has been dismissed from service while three others were demoted to their previous ranks following thorough investigations which confirmed their involvement in various acts of indiscipline/crime.”

Adejobi added, “One Inspector Adabo Mohammed was dismissed for the offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery/kidnapping, and corrupt practice. The dismissed officer, along with five others were members of an armed robbery gang responsible for the robbery of the sum of N29.8 million from a victim in Gwagwalada, FCT as well as the kidnap of one Ikechukwu Emmanuel Okafor in Tunga Manje, and the collection of ransom sum of N4.4m. The ex-officer has been charged to court accordingly.

“Similarly, the trio of Inspectors Osagie Efford, Semiu Agbekin, and Francis Ahuen, attached to the Special Tactical Squad (STS), have been demoted to their previous rank of Sergeant for the extortion of some motorists in Abuja. The trio intercepted an unregistered Mercedes Benz at Gwarinpa, Abuja, and forced the occupants to part with the total sum of N29.4m.

“The matter when reported by one Harrison Gwamnishu (#HarrisonBBi18) via the social media platform ‘X’, was taken up and properly investigated. While the monies have been returned to the complainants, the officers were subjected to orderly room trial in line with extant laws, and have been demoted.”

The FPRO noted that some senior officers have “been subjected to the Force Disciplinary Committee hearings” to “scrutinise and address allegations of misconduct against higher-ranking officers of the Force.”

He assured the public that “these measures are taken with the utmost seriousness and are integral to restoring and maintaining their trust. He re-emphasised that the NPF is dedicated to fostering a culture of accountability and respect within all ranks to ensure that police officers serve with integrity.”