National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON has recorded 3 deaths out of 41,191 Nigerian pilgrims that participated in this year’s Hajj in Saudi- Arabia. 

NAHCON’s Head of Medical team, Dr Usman Galadima stated this in Makkah while presenting the report of the medical committee during the Post- Arafat Stakeholders’ meeting.

He said the affected ones were 2 females of 37 and 62 years from Kaduna and  Nasarawa  States while the remaining one was a 58- year old male pilgrim from Borno State. 

Dr Galadima noted that while the pilgrim from Borno State died in Muna, the one from Kaduna died at Arafah and the last pilgrim from Nasarawa State passed away in Makkah. 

He explained that they have all been buried according to Islamic rites in Saudi- Arabia while the families of the deceased had been notified of the incidents. 

The head of the medical team who did not disclose the cause of the deaths said 12, 152 patients were attended to at NAHCON’s clinics in 6 different centres. 

Chairman,  NAHCON, Alhaji Zikirullah  Hassan while briefing stakeholders on this year’s Hajj exercise said the airlifting of pilgrims back to Nigeria would begin on Friday,  15th July and would be on first-in, first-out basis. 

Alhaji Hassan who asked for the cooperation of other stakeholders gave an assurance that the airlifting of pilgrims back to Nigeria would have been completed before August 13 deadline given by Saudi Arabia. 

He noted that over 7,000 pilgrims that were yet to visit Medina would do so before returning to Nigeria. 

The Chairman,  Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs,  Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa reported that the Saudi- Arabia authorities had agreed that as from next year, Nigerian cooks would be mobilized earlier before the Hajj exercise to train Saudi cooks on how to prepare Nigerian local foods.

The Chairman,  House Committee on Pilgrims Affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Nalaraba who congratulated  NAHCON for a successful exercise said some countries could not make this year’s Hajj.

In a welcome address, Ambassador of Nigeria to the Kingdom of Saudi- Arabia,  Alhaji Yahya Lawal said all stakeholders involved in Hajj operations had learnt lessons from this year’s exercise and would work on such to make 2023 Hajj a better one.

 Ridwan Fasasi

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