The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has expressed hope that the 2021 hajj may take place, with the recent procurement of COVID-19 vaccines by the country.
The Chairman of the commission, Alhaji Zikrullah Hassan, stated this at a news conference to mark one year in office of the Fourth Board of NAHCON, held in Abuja the nation’s capital.
Alhaji Hassan, however, said the Saudi Arabian authorities had, till date, not released any official statement with regards to whether this year’s hajj would take place or not.
“With the recent procurement of Covid-19 vaccine by the Nigerian government, there is hope for hajj 2021 to take place in full performance. There is a high hope for Nigeria to be among the nations that will participate in the hajj exercise. If we follow the recent statement from Saudi Arabia on the countries listed as having higher risk and which are banned from Umrah (lesser hajj) participation, Nigeria was not included. At the moment, Nigerians are among the Umrah pilgrims allowed into the kingdom. So, for whatever reason, NAHCON is making all necessary preparations towards the 2021 hajj operations,” Hassan said.
The chairman said the Commission is working closely with the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 to ensure that all intending pilgrims were vaccinated, if the Saudi Arabian authorities made it a condition for hajj participation.
“The commission will not compel any pilgrim to take the COVID vaccine but if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia makes the vaccine a condition to participate in Hajj, NAHCON will have no option than to comply and any pilgrim who declines to take the vaccine may forfeit his or her the Hajj slot,” he said.
The NAHCON boss, however, advised Muslims to exercise patience and pursue their good intentions of performing this year’s hajj, saying: “intention itself, in Islam, is of spiritual value that will be rewarded even after death.”
Hassan said that the fourth board of NAHCON had, in the last one year, introduced far-reaching reforms to reposition the commission with a view to enhancing hajj operations and boosting internally-generated revenue of the organisation.
He adds that despite all the challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic, the commission made frantic efforts to move the activities of the commission to the next level, to enhance hajj operations in the country.
Lateefah Ibrahim
