The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) says it has reached an advanced stage in the processing of entry visa for the 2024 intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.

The Executive Chairman, NAHCON, Malam Jalal Arabi, said this at the Maiden Stakeholders Summit on Nigeria’s Hajj and Umrah Industry on Thursday in Abuja.

Arabi said that the commission had scheduled May 15 for the inaugural flight of the 2024 Hajj.

He said that the approved air carriers were ready to transport all Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia
from over 10 departures centres.

” We as a board of NAHCON and team will be meeting with the air carriers later today to fashion out the departure centres and of course our partners in the aviation sector will also join us,” he said.

The NAHCON boss said that all pilgrims from states would visit Madinah for the maximum of four days before the commencement of Hajj rites.

” This is major change from the operations of Hajj in the last decade. All stakeholders are working to provide effective and efficient services to the guest of Allah (pilgrims).

” And this underscores the importance of this summit. The preparations for this year’s Hajj is characterised by different challenges but to God be the glory we are able to overcome the challenges.

” I can proudly say that close to 65,500 pilgrims of the States Pilgrims Boards, Agencies and Commissions and the Tour operators will be participating in this year’s Hajj,” he said.

He said that the commission under his watch was ready to partner, collaborate with stakeholders and work as a team for the successful conduct of the 2024 Hajj operation.

Arabi lauded Vice-President Kashim Shettima for his continued support for the commission.

He also expressed appreciation to the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III for his continued guidance to the leadership of NAHCON.

Earlier, the Rector of the institute, Prof. Mohammed Maiturare, said the summit was intended to serve as a crucial platform for fostering cooperation and collaboration between NAHCON, states pilgrims broads, tour operators and all stakeholders in Hajj industry.

” Through open dialogue, knowledge sharing and a commitment to working together we can address challenges and potential destructions that might arise and ensure the successful execution of the 2024 Hajj,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two-day summit was organised by the Hajj Institute of Nigeria established by the NAHCON.

The Federal Government has hinted that the construction of coastal routes in Nigeria has the potential to attract foreign investment and contribute to a stronger naira.

The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, gave the hint at the unveiling of the new design routes for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project on Wednesday in Lagos.

According to Umahi, the government’s plan to improve infrastructure is ultimately to aim for an economic revolution in Nigeria.

He said: “We talked about our economy, that it needs foreign investments.

“These roads are going to be constructed with concrete pavements and it’s CPC+ F, which means that there is foreign investment that will come in and this foreign investment will strengthen and stabilise the naira.

“  I’m very happy that the President has directed me to begin the design of one of the spurs linking to this coastal routes and that is the Sokoto-Badagry which was conceived by the President Shagari administration.

“It’s going to connect the ongoing routes, Lagos-Badagry routes that is being done by the federal government and state government.

“There is also another route which is the Enugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja-Cameroun-African Trans-Sahara routes. The coastal routes is also going to connect.

“The Sokoto-Badagry is 1,000 kilometre from the spur of the Trans-Saharan trade  routes down to Apo in Abuja is 461 kilometre.

“It means that anyone that is travelling from Sokoto to Lagos will do it in about 10 hours and travelling from South-East to Abuja, will do it in a maximum of about five hours.

“These are the benefits of the coastal routes.’’

The minister also addressed criticism surrounding who gets credit for developing the coastal routes in Nigeria.

He said that some people were upset that President Bola Tinubu was associated with the project saying, the criticism is misplaced anger and a way to attack Tinubu without understanding the bigger picture.

Umahi said: “Some people are already bitter as to why it should be President Bola Tinubu that is the one to develop these coastal routes as tt will be a lasting legacy for generations to come.

“That is just their own anger. So, they look for an avenue to attack. But it’s all about darkening counsel without knowledge.’’

He argued that the project’s long-term benefits outweighed political squabbles, which according to him, weill leave a positive impact for future generations.

Furthermore, Umahi explained how the coastal routes, envisioned by Tinubu when he was then governor of Lagos State, would significantly improve the functionality of the Lagos deep seaport.

He said that the coastal routes, which would facilitate trade within Nigeria and potentially boost economic growth, would allow ships to directly access the deep seaport, eliminating the need for expensive transloading due to insufficient water depth.

“And many ship that were payed for transloading right now from Togo, from the way the sea had insufficient water depth, we’re going to be sending them money because this coastal route is going to be an evacuation corridor for that deep seaport.

“ So, no more transloading. They go straight to the deep seaport and are offloaded and you can have your goods. If you’re going to Northern part of Nigeria, you just come straight to Badagry and then now to Sokoto.

“And this Sokoto is cutting across Kebbi, Niger, Kwara and so on and so forth; that of the South-East is cutting across Benue, Kogi and Nassarawa- Enugu-Ogoja routes.

“These are tough decisions and these are for economic revolution.’’ Umahi said.

The Chairman, House Committee on Information, Ethics and Values, Rep. Olusola Fatoba, has assured of improved budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Information and National Orientation in 2025.

Fatoba disclosed this when he paid an oversight visit to the ministry in Abuja.

“We are on the same page with the Minister on the issue of low budgetary allocation for the ministry in the 2024 budget. The Ministry cannot perform its function effectively with poor funding.

“We would do everything within our powers, including lobbying, to ensure that the ministry is better funded to perform its function of educating Nigerians on government programmes and policies.

“We would also work with stakeholders to ensure improved budgetary allocation for the Ministry in the 2025 budget to enable its carry out its functions effectively, and deliver on its mandate,” Fatoba said.

Earlier, the Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, had said that in a meeting with the committee in 2023, discussions were targeted at improved funding for the information and orientation sectors of the country.

“I know the efforts that the chairman and members of the committee, together with their counterparts in the Senate, put in to ensure that my ministry is properly funded to execute its mandate.

“Theirs, and our combined efforts have not given us the kind of budget that we should have for this ministry in view of the transformative journey that the ministry has embarked upon.

“We believe that the ministry has a critical role to play in ensuring that everything that the government wants to do is properly communicated, and Nigerians get to know, understand and support government policies and programmes.

“However, criticism is a very healthy thing and we all know that president Bola Tinubu is a democrat, who is always open to criticism that is healthy, progressive and aimed at moving the country forward.

“At the ministry, are not happy with the  kind of budget that we have, because the allocation being made for the ministry is, to say the least, very meagre,” Idris said.

The minister lauded the committee for its support, adding that the executive was looking at the challenges being faced by the ministry to ensure that it got the appropriate funding to transform the sector.

Idris said that sometimes the ministry had to go the extra mile to use its contacts and goodwill within the industry to get things done.

“I think that Nigerians, especially the media, are very ready to help but of course, we also know that they are in business. They need to power their generators and pay their staff.

“Therefore, we also need to pay them.  We should not take the relationship for granted,” Idris said.