Saudi Arabia Keeps Departing Nigerian Pilgrims In Isolated Camp
BY KABIR ALABI GARBA (WHO WAS IN SAUDI ARABIA)

OF the 181 countries that participated in the 2007 Hajj operations that ended a few days ago in Saudi Arabia, only Nigeria had a separate camp, as departure point for airlifting of pilgrims back home.



advertisement

Disbelief and disappointment etched boldly on the faces of the third batch of pilgrims from Lagos State as they arrived at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah on Tuesday night.

They discovered that only Nigerians were being attended to at what looked like an abandoned place hurriedly prepared for the operation.

However, investigation, especially from the regular guests to the Holy Land, revealed that the port of arrival used to be the same spot for departure for all pilgrims.

In fact, nationals from other countries such as Togo, Benin Republic, Ghana and Senegal departed from where they arrived for the hajj operations. But not so for the Nigerians.

An enquiry from the airport officials indicated that something untoward must have happened before the Saudi Arabia authorities decided that a separate camp should be created for Nigerian pilgrims.

What could have been responsible for this kind of treatment meted out to Nigerian pilgrims?

The Amirul-Hajj for Lagos State, Alhaji Ibrahim Babatunde Balogun, who is also the Lagos State Commissioner for Culture and Home Affairs, denied any ill-feeling on the part of Saudi Authority against Nigeria.

He insisted that the spot was designated for Kabo Airlines, one of the official carriers recommended by the Federal Government, to operate.

But Balogun's argument was proved wrong when the pilgrims completed departure processes and they had to travel a long distance to reach where the aircraft was stationed right inside the arrival camp.

A source from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) in Makkah confirmed that the observation was right except that the camp "is meant for pilgrims from non-Arab speaking countries in Africa.

"But because they are small in number - 1000, 2000 - compared to over 90, 000 pilgrims from Nigeria, the country always dominate the place," the source said.

However, his argument could be dismissed by the hoisting of Nigeria's flag at every strategic place at the camp.

Although, the new camp of departure was located directly opposite the arrival site, attempt by some pilgrims to go to that area for certain chores such as changing of their left-over riyals to dollars was frustrated, as there existed a thick barrier between the two camps.

More than anything else, it looked like a place for cargo services. No shopping malls and other facilities that are peculiar to departure arena of any international airport.

There was only one food joint and the choice was limited: bread, roasted chicken, tasteless fried rice and variety of highly sugary snacks.

But the price tag was exorbitant, out of reach of virtually all the pilgrims whose refrain in the weeks leading to their departure from Saudi Arabia had been Fulus Khalas (I am broke).

A regular guest to Saudi Arabia, who was part of the third batch of Lagos pilgrims that arrived in Nigeria on Thursday, Alhaji Femi Abbas, attributed the isolation to misconduct perpetrated by pilgrims from Nigeria during the previous year's Hajj.

"If you notice the camp at which we took-off in Jeddah, only Nigerians were found there," Abbas submitted.

According to the journalist and former Deputy Managing Director of the rested Ibadan-based newspapers, The Monitor, "the point of arrival used to be the point of departure for everybody including Nigerians."

"But because of misconduct of some Nigerians in previous hajj where some pilgrims fought at the point of departure and started stabbing one another with knives, and broken bottles, the Saudi authorities decided to ostracize Nigeria," he said.

Abbas insisted that "at that new camp, no other nationals, not even pilgrims from Benin Republic, Niger, Togo are there. They (Saudi authorities) thought pilgrims from Nigeria always behave like animals and they should be treated as such."

He, however, recommended proper orientation for intending pilgrims before they are allowed to embark on the spiritual exercise.

"That kind of orientation should have been given from home. We should not expose our lapses abroad. We should give our country a good name. We should behave well.

"We should show that we are civilised. It is because we showed them that we are uncivilised that they treated us like uncivilised elements." he said.

NAHCON Commissioner in-charge of Policy, Personnel, Management and Finance, Alhaji Liadi Tella, also mentioned low-level of sensitisation as the problem confronting management of hajj operations in Nigeria.

"The problem we have with hajj operations now is because people are not thoroughly informed, thoroughly sensitised, and not thoroughly mobilised."

Liadi, who is also coordinator of Makkah operations, insisted that, "Hajj is a service to Almighty Allah. It is not a jamboree. It is not a tourism endeavour. It is a religious activity and it must be embraced as such."

He disclosed that the commission was already making efforts that Nigeria "moves from 'supermarket hajj operation' to a structured hajj."

Supermarket hajj, he explained, "is a situation whereby people suddenly decide to go to hajj when the processes are almost concluded."

He said with structured hajj system, "those who are going to hajj in 2010, by 2009, they must have known themselves and completed their payments for it. Then, they would be able to go to hajj schools in their respective states and local government areas."

The hajj school, he stressed, would give intending pilgrims basic education on hajj rites and what is expected of them when they arrive in Saudi Arabia for the operations.

But the Lagos State Amirul-Hajj, Alhaji Balogun, noted that unless hajj operations are decentralised, Nigeria may not be able to get it right, urging the Federal Government to allow every state to do its own operations.

Citing airlifting of pilgrims as one problem that is yet to be tackled permanently, Balogun said: "If Lagos State were to be allowed to go for any official carrier, we will go for Saudi Airlines." His belief is that such decision would foster smoother operations of hajj for Lagos pilgrims.

Meanwhile, the seventh and last batch of the Lagos pilgrims is expected back home today (Sunday). The operations commenced last Sunday and by yesterday evening, the 6th batch had arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos while the seventh batch was completing processes for departure at the Jeddah airport.

A total of 3,645 went to the hajj from Lagos State out of the 81,750 pilgrims that went from Nigeria. The figure is aside from another 10,000 that embarked on pilgrimage through international approach.

The holy cities of Makkah and Madinah hosted about 2.4 million pilgrims during the 2007 edition. January 18 is the deadline for all pilgrims to leave the holy land.

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/jan/13/4.html