FOR THE RECORD: BEING A KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE CHAIRMAN/CEO OF NAHCON – ALHAJI ZIKRULLAH KUNLE HASSAN, AT THE STAKEHOLDERS MEETING HELD ON 17th NOVEMBER, 2022 AT AUDITORIUM OF NATIONAL MOSQUE,
ABUJA.
PROTOCOL:
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to this important meeting of Hajj stakeholders. This occasion is designed to bring together the crème de la crème of the Hajj industry in Nigeria to brainstorm and collectively review last Hajj and then proffer solutions for improvement. In this event today, some States which performed exceptionally well in the Hajj 2022 will be honoured.
True, no organization can succeed without constant networking with its sister agencies and other patrons whose supportiveness are indispensable in accomplishing superior results. As such, the Commission considers every party here present essential to its success.
As we are all aware, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) was established by the Act of National Assembly in September, 2006 and became fully functional as a Commission in 2007. It is this constitutional backing that puts the Commission in a position to license, regulate supervise and perform oversight functions over organizations, associations or any similar bodies engaged in organizing and coordinating the movement of persons from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj or Umrah.
Therefore, the Commission carries the burden of ensuring that Nigerian pilgrims receive the best services home and away. This duty is indeed intricate because it is a task that forces the Commission to be reliant, like a machine wheel that needs all its cogs to fit in order to spin unhindered.
NAHCON is blessed with several stakeholders with whom it shares symbiotic relationships to function. If each of us play our individual role dedicatedly and sincerely before the Almighty, we will always return here to celebrate our successes. In this regard I wish to salute the support of all Stakeholders in the successful execution of Hajj 2022 operations despite the challenges. We remain committed in serving our pilgrims well and with your support, we are confident that this is achievable.
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Ladies and gentlemen, let me remind you that the conjectural nature of Hajj fare in Nigeria is the major factor that forced NAHCON to start the implementation of the Hajj Savings Scheme without delay. The scheme is an arrangement that offers an intending pilgrim a long-term contributory platform to pay for Hajj gradually within a desired period. This arrangement has the potential of boosting early Hajj preparation with the prospect of enabling Hajj subsidy in future. I must commend the leadership of the Pilgrims Boards in all States for their contribution and patriotism in the execution of Hajj Savings Scheme (HSS), and by extension all other Stakeholders. Our Policy for Hajj 2023 is to maintain the status quo; that is to run the HSS concurrently with the Conventional pay-as-you-go, as it was for this year’s Hajj.
Our hope is to bring stability to the Hajj industry and to the cost of its performance from Nigeria. Our prayer is that the response we hope to receive matches our zeal to succeed.
Talking of services rendered to pilgrims, Executive Commissioners of NAHCON will provide details of the Hajj 2022 and other related matters to this gathering.
My distinguished brothers and sisters, Hajj 2023 is around the corner, it behoves on us all to focus on proper planning and prudence bearing in mind that our goal is to please Allah through our intending pilgrims who invested so much with the sole aim of serving their Lord. In addition, I am happy to inform you all that unlike last Hajj when the preparation started late due to absence of information, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has intimated us that arrangement for Hajj 2023 will begin with a conference via video communication scheduled for 21st December, 2022 between the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria and the Ministry.
Once again, I welcome you all to this great event, and to reassure you that our doors are open for communication. I wish us all happy deliberations and safe trip back to our various destinations at the end of the program.
