Hajj Reporters, a civil society organisation, has called on States
Pilgrims Welfare Boards to commence preparation for 2018 hajj early
enough in order to avoid hitches that may lead to the smooth conduct of
the religious obligation next year.
This
was contained in a statement jointly signed by its national
coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammed and Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Mahmoud on Wednesday.
It
said ” we urge states pilgrims welfare boards to commence early
preparation for 2018 hajj in order to avoid last minute arrangements
that could lead to hiccups ahead Hajj 2018”.
“Independent
Hajj Reporters is aware that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria
(NAHCON) has kick started the preparation and implementation of 2018
hajj blueprint, even before the return airlift of 2017 hajj pilgrims
came to a close.
“
Recently, the apex hajj regulatory body placed advertorials inviting
tour operators to apply for 2018 hajj seat allocation – a critical step
forward.
“To
complement NAHCON, States pilgrims board should begins the process of
enlightening potential pilgrims on the need to register early. It is our
believe that most of the challenges faced during this year’s hajj were
due to late registration of Pilgrims,” the statement said.
The
statement further reminds hajj stakeholder to factor the derivative
lessons of 2017 hajj when late registration and its attendant
controversy nearly jeopardised the exercise.
“
Securing and signing contracts for accommodation, screening and
appointing air carries, mandatory deposits for services like Car
syndicates, Pilgrims tents in Mina and Arafat, United Agent Services,
payment for feeding and other logistics should be done early,” IHR said.
The groups said that ‘countries like India, Indonesia and Bangladesh has since began full scale preparation for 2018 hajj.
Meanwhile, the group also urges NAHCON to advice hajj service providers to partake in pilgrims enlightenment programmes.
”
As critical stakeholders, service provides should invest in pilgrims
orientation to complement what NAHCON and State pilgrims boards are
doing in that regard. Pilgrims needs to know the nature of services they
(Hajj Service Providers) offer”.
The
statement stressed that “early preparations will give room to rectify
any unforseen challenges that can slow down the implementation of 2018
hajj operations blueprint.
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