The National Association of Retired Hajj Administrators of Nigeria, (NARHAN) has expressed satisfaction with the conduct of 2024 Hajj operation despite the challenges that heralded the pre-Hajj activities.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!NARHAN is an association comprising former Executive Secretaries of States Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards and veterans of Hajj operations at the national level.
In a statement released after their July 20, 2024, review meeting, the association’s leaders—including Chairman Alhaji Bukar Kime Dapsa, Secretary Bako Apapa, and Technical/Media Adviser Ibrahim Muhammed—outlined both the successes and areas needing improvement from this year’s Hajj.
“We applaud NAHCON, airlines and relevant stakeholders for successfully conducting 2024 hajj airlift operations with minimal challenges.
“This has shown that the Nigerian Hajj Industry is moving forward progressively. We are also aware of the difficulties in health services due to the record-breaking heat wave experienced by 2024 hajj pilgrims, especially in Masha’ir areas.
“The medical team has done a great service to Nigerian Muslims in this year’s hajj, and we pray that Almighty Allah rewards everyone involved,” the association stated.
The group also acknowledged the improvement in feeding and a relative increase in Tent ‘D’ spaces in Mina this year compared with last years’ experience.
“We, however, call for a more proactive approach towards a better mapping of the numbers of pilgrims performing hajj and how to effectively cater for their services, especially when pilgrims pay for all the services they receive during Hajj.
“We also called for more transparency on the issue of financial interventions during Hajj operations and for the commission to close the gap that creates room for uncertainty that made it possible for states to pay different sums of BTA to their pilgrims this year,” the statement added.
The retired administrators committed to overseeing the preparations for the 2025 Hajj, within the framework of State Pilgrims Welfare Boards, and to sharing their experience and expertise to help Nigerian pilgrims and Hajj administrators avoid operational conflicts..
“As part of our mission, NARHA will soon organize a Hajj press conference to highlight critical areas that need a quick response from the apex Hajj regulatory body to ensure a more transparent approach towards the 2025 Hajj exercise,” they promised.
