Hajj Flakes : Wednesday 21 Dhul-Qa’adah 1445 – May 29, 2024
By Fatih Lawal-Garu
1. King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has ordered to host 2322 pilgrims with all expenses paid by the Royal family for this year’s Hajj exercise.The breakdown is as follows: 1,300 pilgrims from over 88 countries, 1,000 pilgrims from families of martyrs, prisoners and wounded Palestinians, and 22 pilgrims from families of conjoined twins who were separated in the Kingdom.
2. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Program for Hajj, Umrah and Visit ( The scheme mentioned above) is supervised and implemented annually by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance. It has been initiated since 26 years ago and has hosted 60,000 pilgrims since inception.
3. The first group of pilgrims from Syria, numbering around 200, arrived in Makkah on Tuesday.
4. The bus guidance centre responsible for transporting Hajj pilgrims has announced its operational readiness for the upcoming Hajj season. 21,000 buses already on standby. 1,300 guides trained and equipped with hundreds of smart devices.
5. The Saudi Red Crescent Authority has deployed 2,540 medical professionals, ambulance technicians, and administrative staff across nearly 100 ambulance centers ahead of Hajj 2024. The staff will be positioned across 98 ambulance centers, covering entry points, pilgrim routes, and holy sites. There are 320 ambulances,13 advanced response vehicles, a dedicated air wing with seven air ambulances, and 2 medical helicopters. It also has a support fleet of 15 motorcycles, 150 golf carts, 150 electric scooters, 27 electric bicycles, ten ambulance buses, and additional service vehicles. More than 595 volunteers will assist the SRCA with ambulance services at various locations.
6. Saudi Ministry of Interior has advised persons against “becoming victims of the several fictitious companies and fake accounts on social media who claim to be agents/ authorities to facilitate Hajj using Umrah, Tourism, Work, Family Visit and other types of Visa at attractive rates.” Heavy penalties await hajj visa violators, Saudi Arabia repeatedly warns.
7. Saudi Council of Senior Scholars have issued a Fatwa (a legal ruling) to the to Muslim Ummah emphasizing the prohibition of performing Hajj without a permit.
8. A Facebook post yesterday lamented the poor quality of meals served to Nigerian pilgrims and accused NAHCON of shortchanging pilgrims in their BTA. The post went viral in minutes. In response NAHCON refuted the allegations, noting that the original poster is in Nigeria, his attention was drawn to his inaccuracy, affirms that the meal pictures were doctored. It accused Sahara Reporters of amplifying a lie for sensationalism sake. It urged the public to ignore the false narrative.
9. Reduction in BTA from $500 to $400 not NAHCON’s doing. NAHCON paid more than #600,000 for each pilgrim to get $500 at the exchange rate then. But the issues will be resolved amicably.
10. NAHCON medical services not restricted to state pilgrims, pilgrims from tour operators will also benefit.
11. The Executive Governor of Nasarawa State Engineer Abdullahi Sule pays $200 as Hadaya fee for Nasarawa Pilgrims . The motive behind the decision was geared toward curtailing the hardship pilgrims may experience as a result of the shortfall in the BTA due to sudden change in foreign exchange rate.
12. Nigerian Pilgrims repeatedly cautioned against extravagant spending in Saudi Arabia.
13. Ghanaian official gives tips to avoid getting lost in Hajj. Always wear your ID card; don’t lost your wristband; move in groups and pairs; agree on entry and meeting point when visiting the two holy mosques; note your hotel name; always send your location to a friend; note the phone number of your agent; avoid panic when lost; always drink water to avoid dehydration.
14. A 68-year old pilgrim from Lagos died in Makkah yesterday. Janāzah prayers has since been done for him in the Ka’abah and subsequently buried. This brings the Nigerian Hajj death toll to 3.
15. The last Batch of Lagos State pilgrims in Al Madīnah will leave for Makkah on Thursday after completing there 4 day stay.
16. Dr Abubakar Adamu Ismail, Head of NAHCON’s Nigeria Medical Mission in Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj has advised pilgrims to avoid staying in the Sun, use umbrellas while outside and drink more water to avoid heat stroke.
17. Another batch of 560 Kano pilgrims departed for Al Madīnah today.
18. Kebbi Hajj Officials rescued 3 pilgrims lost in the Haram in Makkah.
19. Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto state gave each of the 3,723 intending pilgrims from the state 1,000 Saudi Riyal while bidding farewell to the first batch of 423 pilgrims in the state yesterday.
20. 4 flights containing over 1,500 pilgrims have departed Nigeria today from Abuja, Kano, Ilorin and Maiduguri to Al Madīnah making it 65 flights from inception and over 27,000 pilgrims airlifted so far.
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