Kaduna State government has set up a special task force to conduct a seamless hajj operation in 2024 as cross section of officials in the state pilgrims board demand probe of its leadership.
The task force’s major responsibility is to avert the untold hardship experienced by Kaduna state pilgrims in Saudi Arabia last year in the areas of accommodation, feeding, airlift, transport, among others.
Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, on Wednesday inaugurated the eight-man task force headed by Sheikh Salisu Abubakar.
Other members of the task force include Baba Ahmed-Rufai (secretary), Imam Buhari, Maimuna Waziri, Aminu Kasimu, Prof. Muhammadu Mustapha-Gwadabe, AVM Muhammad Rabiu Dabo (rtd), and Ummakhukthum Jibril- Maigwari.
Mrs Balarabe said Governor Uba Sani was conversant with the various difficulties the state pilgrims were subjected to during the pilgrimage last year in Saudi Arabia.
She said: “Hence, there is the need to collectively rectify the gaps and create improved arrangements that prioritize the welfare of pilgrims.”
The creation of the special task force is seen by many as vindication of the 2023 Amirul Hajj of the state and Emir of Zazzau Ahmad Nuhu Bamalli, who in an interview with VOA Hausa, lamented the hardship experienced by Kaduna pilgrims.
The monarch had described the state’s 2023 Hajj operation as a total failure, adding that the whole operation was in shambles considering the predicament that pilgrims from Kaduna State went through while at the Holy Land before they were evacuated back to Nigeria.
The traditional ruler explained how he and his delegation were subjected to unprecedented hardship before they were airlifted back to Nigeria.
Ambassador Bamalli said many Kaduna pilgrims were left stranded at the holy land in precarious conditions before they were eventually evacuated back to Nigeria.
It will be recalled that during the 2023 hajj, Kaduna pilgrims had accused the Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Dr Yusuf Yakubu Arrigasiyyu, of acquiring 1,400-bed spaces in Kudai Zamzam, a mountainous neighbourhood far away from the Grand Mosque in Makkah.
The aggrieved pilgrims then called on Governor Uba Sani and the State House of Assembly to investigate the accommodations and other services contracted for them by Kaduna ES Arrigasiyyu in Makkah.
In the same vein, Mr Arrigasiyyu also locked horns with the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) over his alleged refusal to give hajj slots to about 2,000 intending pilgrims who paid through the Hajj Savings Scheme (HSS).
The commission said Kaduna had denied the HSS enrollees in the state the right to embark on the spiritual exercise, thereby deliberately undermining the commission’s policy and frustrating the intended pilgrims who had duly registered and met all requirements.
To address these anomalies, the Kaduna deputy governor said the terms of reference for the committee outlined the crucial areas that required utmost attention and diligence.
She said: “We expect you to ensure that only organizations capable of meeting our standards are engaged.
“They must ensure that the accommodation in Mecca meets the required bed capacity and proximity to the Kaaba, and the quality of feeding is standard.
“There must be proper implementation of hadaya services, and efficient transportation. These are the essential components of a successful pilgrimage.”
Some staff of the Kaduna pilgrims’ board said the task force was timely, adding that the leadership of the board has been compromised. They accused Arrigasiyyu of “bastardizing the board and spending scarce resources of the board on media propaganda.”
The ES was also accused of dropping the name of the state governor in substituting credible and experienced hajj service providers with substandard ones, obviously for whimsical gains.
The board officials have urged Governor Uba Sani to conduct a forensic probe of the board’s finances, procurement process and contracts.
One of of the top officials said “by the time the forensic investigation of the board is completed and those found guilty fully prosecuted, it would serve as deterrent to others.”
