The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria has commenced the preparations for the 2017 hajj operations, starting with the process of licencing state Muslim pilgrims’ welfare boards, commissions and agencies across the country.
The Commission’s Head of Media, Alhaji Uba Mana, who made this known in a statement in Abuja, said that the Commission has constituted a committee that is made up of members of the Licensing, Inspectorate and Legal Units of the Commission to visit state boards to inspect their facilities and manpower.
According to him, these are prerequisites for the issuance of licence to state boards, commissions and agencies, adding that the aim of the exercise is to ensure that state boards, commissions and agencies got adequate facilities and manpower to provide services to pilgrims during Hajj.
He said that it is based on the licence grade of either A, B or C that NAHCON would allocate 2017 Hajj slots to the states, adding that the committee had begun the national assignment and has so far been hitch-free.
Uba Mana said that the head of the committee, Alhaji Muhammad Liman, had briefed the Commission that the seven states covered had expressed happiness with the exercise and had complied with the directives issued them.
The spokesman listed the seven states so far visited by the committee as Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa and Bauchi.
He said that report of the committee revealed that the general assessment of the visited states was encouraging, while each state was scored according to laid down guidelines.
He, therefore, urged other states to wait for the committee’s arrival as each state would be graded according to its capacity.
“The grading criteria will be based on office accommodation, facilities, as well as manpower of the boards.
“Section 4 subsection 1 (a and i) of the NAHCON Establishment Act 2006, empowers the Commission to licence, regulate, supervise and perform oversight functions over organizations or bodies engaged in Hajj and Umrah operations.
“The NAHCON Act also empowers the Commission to issue guidelines and rules that will ensure that states pilgrims welfare agencies provide appropriate welfare services and guides for pilgrims.” [myad]
