Intending pilgrims for the 2023 Hajj exercise from Kwara State, North Central Nigeria, have been advised to follow all the guidelines and instructions given to them and be good ambassadors of the state and the country while in the Holy Land of Saudi Arabia.
The advice was given by various stakeholders of Islamic faith during the enlightenment lecture organised by the Kwara State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board for all intending pilgrims at the Board’s premises in Ilorin, the state capital.
The enlightenment programme was an opportunity by the board to update the intending pilgrims on the plans towards the smooth pilgrimage exercise and intimate them on the do’s and don’ts of the exercise.
Several agencies of the government which included the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS); the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA); the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) were in attendance to educate the pilgrims.
The Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Mamman Jibril was also represented at the event by Alhaji Abdulraheem Isiaka.
The Grand Khadi of the state Sharia Court of Appeal, Justice AbdulLateef Kamaldeen delivered a lecture enlightening the intending pilgrims on the step-by-step guide on the various rites of Hajj.
Justice Kamaldeen admonished the intending pilgrims to listen to instructions passed to them by the board and the Ulama (Clerics) that would accompany them on the journey in order to have a smooth exercise.
He also demonstrated to them how to perform Tawaf (circumambulation of the Holy House) while in Makkah.
The Chairman of the Board, Dr. Abdulkadir Sambaqi also urged the pilgrims to be attentive and follow all the instructions given to them.
He assured that the board is working round the clock towards making their stay a spiritually rewarding one.
Representatives of the various agencies of government present admonished the pilgrims not to engage in acts that would bring disrepute to the state and the country in general.
The NDLEA for instance which is the agency in charge of narcotics and drug trafficking informed the pilgrims on the severity of carrying contrabands drugs or narcotics to the holy land, saying Saudi Arabia has a death penalty in place for anyone convicted of drug trafficking.
The Executive Secretary of the board, Alhaji Abdulsalam Abdulkadir, also admonished the pilgrims to be abreast of the do’s and don’ts of the exercise and follow the instructions passed to them.
Abdulkadir announced that each of the pilgrims would get $700 BTA instead of the initial $800 because of the hike in air fare component of the Hajj fare following the ongoing Sudan War which has led to the closure of the Sudanese airspace.
He however, assured that intending pilgrims who have completed their payment would not be made to pay any additional money while those who made excess payment would be refunded after the completion of the exercise.
The Executive Secretary commended the state government under the leadership of Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq for providing the state the required logistics towards the success of the exercise.
Source: Voice of Nigeria