2024 Hajj: What You Need to know about Nigeria’s Participation

By Fatih Lawal-Garu

1. According to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), 65,047 Nigerian pilgrims will be performing Hajj this year. There was a drop this year in the number of pilgrims as 95,000 pilgrims participated in the 2023 Hajj exercise.

2. A 43-member advance team from NAHCON has arrived in Saudi Arabia today to commence operations in anticipation of Nigerian pilgrims.

3. The Chairman/CEO of NAHCON Mallam Jalal Ahmad Arabi stressed out to the advance team on the need for unity and harmony amongst themselves, reminding them that pilgrims are the main reasons for their appointments. In his words, “if you get it right, we get it right and on the contrary if you get it wrong, the rest will be about crisis management.”

4. The advance team under the leadership of Alhaji Ibrahim Mahmud contains 8 medical personnel from the National Medical Team(NMT), media staff, accommodation officials, feeding committee members, Central Security Committee members, and National Reception Team. They are to cater to the principal needs of pilgrims.

5. The team departed from Nigeria on Sunday May 12 2024 and landed in Saudi Arabia on Monday the 13th of May 2024.

6. The inaugural flight from Nigeria will take place at Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport Birnin-Kebbi on Wednesday, May 12 2024.

7. 428 pilgrims from Kebbi State will fly on FLYNAS Airlines to Saudi Arabia on the inaugural flight.

8. Two other flights will take off in the FCT and Nassarawa state on Wednesday, May 12 2024.

9. Flights will be between the 15th of May 2024 and the 10th of June 2024.

10. 45 flights containing pilgrims are expected to land in Saudi Arabia daily.

11. 40 private Hajj operators are approved other than State governments in the 2024 Hajj exercise.

12. 15 airports have been designated as takeoff points for Pilgrims.

13. There will be 2 to 5 flights daily from Nigeria.

14. The National Medical Team (NMT) will be working in 3 major clinics in Makkah and one in Madīnah.

15. NAHCON will run clinics in each of its 15 pilgrims’ field offices in Muna with mobile clinics in the Mashā’ir with state-owned ambulances as backup. This will be done throughout the days of Hajj.

16. The National Medical Team (NMT) currently has 140 members who were thoroughly and carefully selected after scrutinizing 19,832 candidates who applied for the exercise.

17. 50% of the medical team will be provided with portable first-aid kits for immediate medical intervention when needed.
Source:
Office of the Deputy Director, Information & Publications Division, NAHCON.Mousa Ubandanwaki.

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