The first set of Nigerian pilgrims from Nasarawa state that were airlifted to Saudi Arabia 45 days ago are still there despite the evacuation of nearly 4,000 other pilgrims that came after them.
This development is generating serious tension among the pilgrims even as it became the first time that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON)’s age-long policy of “first-in, first-out” would be discarded.
By this policy, Nasarawa state pilgrims that were transported to the holy land through the 2023 hajj inaugural flight on May 25, would have been airlifted back home when the inbound journey began on July 4.
This newspaper gathered that there is rising tension among the pilgrims as majority of them have exhausted their BTAs.
There are fears that the Nasarawa pilgrims agitation may snowball into full revolt despite efforts by the state pilgrims board executive secretary Alhaji Al-Makura to calm them, a hajj commission official told this newspaper in Makkah.
Almost three days after the commencement of the return airlifts from the holy land, only one airline –Flynas – was fully active as it operated eight of the 10 flights recorded so far. The remaining two flights were conducted by Air Peace and Azman Air.
It was observed that since the commencement of the return airlift on July 4, the commission has transported 3,811 pilgrims as of early hours of Friday.
The hajj commission approved five airlines – Flynas, Max Air, Azman Air, Air Peace, and Aero Contractors – to airlift 75,000 state pilgrims to hajj. It also approved Arik Air and Value Jet to participate in the airlift of 20,000 pilgrims allocated to licensed private tour operators.
Despite this number of approved airlines, only two – Flynas and Max Air – operated optimally during the outbound operation to Saudi Arabia.
This newspaper reported how Aero Contractors was assigned to airlift the Nasarawa pilgrims, but problems started manifesting right from the inaugural flight. Max Air had to rescue the Nasarawa pilgrims earmarked for the national inaugural flight because Aero Contractors didn’t position any aircraft for the national event.
However, the spokespersons of NAHCON told 21st CENTURY CHRONICLE in separate interviews that the Nasarawa pilgrims and thousands others who arrived the kingdom earlier couldn’t be airlifted because the airlines couldn’t secure slots from Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA).
Mr Mousa Ubandawaki, deputy director, information and publications in NAHCON, in a response sent via WhatsApp said, the commission didn’t jettison the first-in, first-out policy.
“We didn’t jettison it. The Saudi General Authority on Civil Aviation (GACA) has not approved slots for the other airlines to begin their flight. You should have noticed that only Flynas has been flying to Nigeria since the return flight began. But we are still in talk with them, hopefully the request will be granted very soon,” Mr Ubandawaki said.
In her emailed response, Fatima Sanda Usara, assistant director, public affairs in the commission, however, said the airlines are airlifting pilgrims based on first-in, first-out arrangement. A claim that was found to be incorrect.
Mrs Usara said, “Each airline has its designated passengers. Flynas, a Saudi indigenous airline had the advantage of securing its airlift slot within the first 2 days that the airlift commenced and is already airlifting its pilgrims according to the first in first out arrangement.
“Other airlines are yet to secure their slots including the airline responsible for transporting Nasarawa pilgrims. NAHCON is already doing everything possible in liaison with aviation partners to see that the airlines secure slots to start airlifting soonest. Aero and Max Air are yet to start airlifting due to the slots unavailability.”
This ugly trend has caused hajj stakeholders to question the wisdom behind NAHCON’s new policy of approving seven air carriers for the airlift of the country’s 95,000 pilgrims.
A hajj commission official, who declined being named for fear of a backlash said, “NAHCON approval for seven airlines for the operation didn’t help matters. It is evident that two competent air carriers can transport the entire Nigerian pilgrims seamlessly without any hitch.”
The official said the procedure that led to the approval of the hajj carriers was compromised. “Majority of the airlines are either bankrupt, lack capacity or operational antecedents in hajj, and managerial acumen,” the official told this newspaper from Makkah.
Findings by this publication revealed that if NAHCON had adhered to its pre-qualification guidelines, many of the airlines wouldn’t have been approved, and thousands of pilgrims like those of Nasarawa state wouldn’t have been left stranded.
Some of the conditions outlined by NAHCON for qualification for license for pilgrims airlift for 2023 hajj include:
“Verifiable evidence of ability to make available reliable flight schedule for the operation not less than eight (8) weeks before commencement of the airlift.”
Other pre-conditions include: “Detail/ and specifications of aircraft to be deployed for the airlift; lease agreement(s) between the lessor and the lessee of aircraft intended to be deployed for the operation and while should be confirmed by NCAA and GACA,” among others.
It was not clear how many of the approved airlines, with the exception of Flynas and Max Air, scaled through this rigorous vetting process only to flop when the airlift began.
Some of the aggrieved pilgrims have appealed to the Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule and Vice President Kashim Shettima to come to their rescue.
A federal government official who was briefed on the matter said, “we are fully aware of the unfolding situation. Operatives from ICPC, EFCC, DSS, and other intelligence services have been deployed to the holy land. They provide up-to-the-minute update on all that is happening. We are aware of everything. And I can assure you that there must be immediate consequences for this unfolding mess.”
Another staff of the commission who spoke in confidence said, “this is the first time that inaugural flight pilgrims are stranded. This is unprecedented. What obtains in the past was that the commission leadership must devise ways of airlifting them back even if through a rescue operation so that the first-in, first-out tradition is sustained.”
The official who spoke on the condition that his identity would be protected said, “the airlift is a national operation, not an individual state operation. The first flight pilgrims shouldn’t be allowed to suffer simply because their assigned airline didn’t get a slot. NAHCON has contracted the hajj airlines on behalf of the federal government of Nigeria. What it should have done is to deploy any available airline to evacuate them. Alas, the leadership of the commission couldn’t do that because they have lost the respect of the airlines and all the other service providers.”
“But the current leadership has showcases an absolute lack of understanding of hajj operational algorithm as well as aviation ecosystem by this singular act. Our major fear now is the looming revolt from the aggrieved pilgrims. Any pilgrim that stays for more than 45 days and also sees others who came after him being evacuated back home, is a securit
