The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has licensed 131 operators to participate in the 2017 Hajj exercise.
According to the Head of Media, NAHCON, Uba Mana, followed the pre-qualifications exercise carried out by the commission for the 176 companies, which applied for the 2017 hajj licence. Mana said about 45 companies that were disqualified for various reasons are expected to appeal their disqualification to the commission before February 28.
Mana, who stated that routine inspection would be sustained at regular intervals to ensure compliance and reduce the spread of unlicensed ones, said: “The commission will also ensure enforcement with considerable fines on the licensed companies found wanting.”
In another development, Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Alhaji Abdulakeem Abdulateef, has said that Muslims could now be part of pilgrims to Jerusalem.
Abdulateef, who stated that Muslims would be accommodated for pilgrimage to Jerusalem to visit the third holiest mosque in the world, said the state government decided to allow this because it is blind to religion.
He said the decision was in line with government’s policy to enhance the welfare of the people and not endanger it. He, therefore, appealed to Lagosians to make good use of the gesture, adding that any church leader, who mobilizes 50 people for a trip, would get an additional slot to serve as the coordinator of the group.
