From Muhammad Kabir, Makkah
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has advised Nigerian pilgrims to use umbrellas to cover their heads as they embark on the Hajj rites which start on Friday.
This is coming as the temperature is expected to rise above 45 degrees Celsius in the kingdom.
Thousands of Nigerians will join their colleagues in the holy land to embark upon the hajj ritual by moving to the tent city of Muna before proceeding to the plains of Arafat on Saturday.
The acting Chairman of the NAHCON, Barrister Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad, advised the pilgrims during a pre-Arafat stakeholders meeting in Makkah on Thursday.
The NAHCON chief said adequate arrangements have been made to cater for the health needs of the pilgrims through acquisition of ambulances and stationing them at pilgrims accommodations to tackle emergency situations.
In his speech, the head of the medical team, Dr Ibrahim Kana, the commission has “also procured Drugs from Nigeria and even India for our pilgrims.”
He said so far there is no any outbreak of disease among the Nigerian contingents.
Kana said the Nigerian contingent recorded only seven deaths, with three of the deceased from Kano, two from Katsina, and one each from Sokoto and Nassarawa states.
