The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Tuesday matriculated the first set of students for its newly established Hajj Institute of Nigeria (HIN).
The matriculation, which took place at the institute at the Hajj House premises in Abuja, was attended by Ministers of FCT Musa Bello and Education Adamu Adamu.
The institute will train and certify all employees in the Nigerian Hajj and Umrah sector.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NAHCON, Alhaji Zikrullah Hassan, said the establishment of the institute would improve the quality of manpower in the hajj and umrah sector and enable the country to be at par with global industry standards.
He said the institute would provide an avenue for skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development of youths and be a reference point globally for hajj and umrah training.
Mr Hasan said, “I am confident that the institute will play a critical role in ensuring that Nigeria reaches and remains at the forefront of excellence in the global Hajj and Umrah industry.
“You will agree with me that the world is rapidly advancing in technology and it has become imperative that NAHCON keeps pace with these global trends.
“In view of this, it has become necessary for us to refocus our strategies and embrace the latest advancements in ICT.
“The Saudi Vision 2030, which all Hajj entities across the globe need to align to, has placed a high premium on excellent pilgrims’ services driven by ICT.
“It is for this reason that the Hajj Institute of Nigeria will provide a platform for training and research on various aspects of hajj and umrah, including the use of technology to improve our operations and services.”
The NAHCON chief said the management of hajj in modern times had gone beyond the trial by error system it was used to.
“Therefore, the birth of the institute marks the commencement of academic activities which will serve as added impetus to NAHCON’s quest for a sustainable hajj management system in Nigeria.
“We recognise the economic potentials of hajj and umrah and it is time for us to leverage these opportunities and make them significant contributors to Nigeria’s economy.”
He said the fourth board of the commission had chosen to be the pioneer students of the institute not only because of its confidence in the quality of the programmes but to also commence the process of taking Hajj and Umrah to the next level from the very top.
