The Chairperson of the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON), Jalal Arabi, says the commission has engaged the services of Nigerian caterers to partner with Saudi Arabian caterers to provide food for pilgrims during the 2024 Hajj.
He announced this during the inaugural flight of Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, which took place on Wednesday in Kebbi State.
Mr Arabi said the commission is committed to serving the pilgrims the best during the exercise.
About 400 intending pilgrims from Kebbi State were airlifted on Wednesday to Saudi Arabia by FlyNas, one of the carriers approved for this year’s Hajj operations.
“Rather than being the parasite, the Commission contributed to the Nigerian economy through empowerment of the country’s local airline industry and empowering local caterers to travel to Saudi Arabia as paid labour.
“This was achieved through the Commission’s insistence that all Saudi caterers must partner with a Nigerian caterer to serve our pilgrims’ indigenous meals.
“Therefore, our indigenous foods are transported from Nigeria to Saudi, boosting the country’s GDP. Similarly, NAHCON insists that service providers must include Nigerians among their Hajj labour force to enhance communication with our pilgrims,” Mr Arabi said.
The NAHCON Chair called on pilgrims to safeguard their valuables and be good ambassadors of Nigeria.
“NAHCON has made necessary arrangements for your comfort, do not hesitate to contact any of our officials for assistance when in need because they are there to serve you. Safeguard your valuables and do not carry along any prohibited item into Saudi Arabia.
On the Issue of BTA, the chairman said the Nigerian government has reduced it to $500 from $800 previously given to pilgrims.
“We reduced the BTA from eight hundred dollars to five hundred Dollars after taking into consideration that any pilgrim in need of more dollars can source them on their own.
“We believe we have made enough accommodation and feeding arrangements that would not warrant the pilgrims spending extra on these amenities, thus five hundred dollars would suffice in these global cash crunch times.
“We reduced the length of stay in Madinah from eight days to four days and charged a fee commensurate to the four days.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who was a guest of honour at the event, called on intending pilgrims to be good ambassadors of Nigeria while in Saudi Arabia.
