By Adebayo Abubakar
The Kwara State Ameerul Hajj for 2022, Alhaji Awa Ibraheem has absolved the state pilgrims board of being complicit, in the issue, of Kwara pilgrims being made to sleep on the streets of Makkah due to accommodation issue.
He said that the state pilgrims board is not responsible for sorting out the accommodation of the pilgrims, but that the duty of the National Hajj Commission and that it is the commission that interacts with the Saudi authorities on behalf of the State pilgrims boards.
He said, it is important that people know that there are several organizations and agencies that are responsible and involved in the running of Hajj operations, among which are NAHCON, State pilgrims board, FAAN, NCAA, Customs, Immigration and many others.
“If there is any hitch in the activities of any of these organizations, it will impact on the pilgrims but unfortunately it is the state pilgrims boards that people know and often shoulder the blames,” he said.
He also dismissed the widespread allegation that the delays and accommodations issues were caused by the state pilgrims board’s late payment to the National Hajj commission, reiterating that the accommodation is the responsibility of the National Hajj commission.
Ibraheem however assured that the pilgrims are now in comfortable condition and that the board are already making necessary arrangements to ensure the pilgrims are returned back to the country without any stress.
