Kwara Intending Pilgrims Decry Delayed Airlift
Intending Pilgrims from Kwara State to this year’s Hajj have appealed to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Kwara State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board and other stakeholders to urgently address the plight being experienced from their airlift to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Some of the pilgrims, who spoke on this year’s Hajj exercise, expressed dissatisfaction with the poor arrangements in the airlifting of pilgrims for the Hajj exercise.
Some of the Pilgrims, who spoken on condition of anonymity, condemned the present arrangement in which they had to be transported to Lagos from Ilorin to join a flight to Jeddah, nothing that the burden was stressful.
They also expressed worry over the limited numbers of pilgrims being airlifted per flight, saying that it has caused serious delay in the journey of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
Kwara Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board had on 26th May, 2023 commenced the airlift of pilgrims with 262 Intending pilgrims for the inaugural flight.
Between 27th and 28th May, 2023, 272 pilgrims were airlifted to Saudi Arabia from the state, while another batch of 269 left the state to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between 28th and 29th of May, 2023.
Also, on between 30th and 31st of May, 2023, a total number of 270 were airlifted while another batch of 270 pilgrims took off on Friday for the Holy Land.
In all, a total of one thousand, five hundred and ninety-eight (1,598) pilgrims have so far been airlifted through the Kwara State Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board.
They appealed to all relevant authorities to address the plight of the pilgrims by making the exercise more comfortable for them.
They particularly urged relevant authorities to ensure that all the remaining pilgrims be fly directly from Ilorin International Airport to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and that bigger aircrafts that would accommodate more sizable number of pilgrims be made available.
Meanwhile, the State Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board has announced the temporary suspension of Pilgrims airlift for the weekend. The exercise will resume on Tuesday, June 6.
The Board said the directive came after the report from Medina in Saudi Arabia that the place is already full of Pilgrims, adding that Saudi Authority are making efforts to transport the pilgrims from Medina to Mecca to accommodate more pilgrims in Medina.
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