Governor Umar Bago of Niger State has expressed dissatisfaction over inadequate tents and poor facilities at the Niger pilgrims camp in Muna, Saudi Arabia.
Bago, who stated this while addressing newsmen shortly after inspecting the tents for Niger State pilgrims.
He threatened to report the matter to President Bola Tinubu for necessary action. The governor also lamented the sanitary condition of the tents, saying that the facilities at Niger State tents fall below standard.
He emphasised the need for the decentralisation of certain hajj responsibilities from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), the Hajj management body in Nigeria.
The governor said, “First and foremost, I want to express our dismay as a state for the kind of ill-treatment our pilgrims got. The tent is over-populated and very filthy.
”The facilities here are not enough you can see people lying down outside which is not good enough.
Secondly, we need to take this issue up with NAHCON.
”As as state we are going to take over certain responsibilities from NAHCON and we are going to meet President Tinubu on this issue.
“For instance, Niger pilgrims complained that the food they are given is unsuitable to ingest. This is not human, it is inhuman. This is not ok for us and we are not going to accept it”.
On his part, the Emir of Borgu, Alhaji Muhammad Dantoro and Ameer Hajj Niger State 2023, said Niger state pilgrims paid for conducive tents, good food but unfortunately they did not get what they paid for.
”We will write our report on this. You can even see where I’m staying as an Ameer Hajj very close to the toilet.
”I said I’m not going to leave this place because I prefer to stay with my people so that we will experience it together.
”Take it from me and the entire pilgrims. It is a disgusting situation and unfortunately there is nothing to write home about.
”But as a Muslims anybody who intends to perform hajj whatever he sees is only Allah that will reward him/her.”
