Ilorin – Intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the 2023 Hajj exercise from Kwara State have been charged to
be good ambassadors of the state and the country while in the Holy Land.
The charge was contained in a lecture/enlightenment programme organised for the intending pilgrims in Ilorin on Saturday, May 20.
During the lecture organised by
by the Kwara State Muslim Pilgrim Welfare Board, the intending pilgrims were advised to follow all the guidelines and instructions given to them by officials.
The board also used the opportunity of
the enlightenment programme to update the intending pilgrims on the plans towards ensuring a smooth pilgrimage exercise and intimate them on the do’s and don’t’s of the exercise.
Several agencies of government sent in their officials to educate the intending pilgrims.
The agencies include the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS); the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA); the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), among others.
Also representing the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Mamman Jibril was Alhaji Abdulraheem Isiaka.
The Grand Khadi of the state Sharia Court of Appeal, Justice Abdullateef Kamaldeen delivered the lecture, taking the intending pilgrims on the step-by-step guide on the various rites of Hajj.
Justice Kamaldeen admonished the intending pilgrims to listen to the instructions passed to them by the board and the Ulama (Clerics) that would accompany them on the journey in order to have a smooth exercise.
He also demonstrated to them how to perform Tawaf (circumambulation of the Kaába) while in Makkah.
The Chairman of the Board, Dr. Abdulkadir Sambaqi in his speech urged the intending pilgrims to be attentive and follow all the instructions given to them.
He said the board is working round the clock towards making their stay a spiritually rewarding one.
Representatives of the various agencies of government present admonished the pilgrims not to engage in acts that would bring disrepute to the state and the country in general.
The NDLEA for instance which is the agency in charge of narcotics and drug trafficking informed the pilgrims on the severity of carrying contrabands drugs or narcotics to the holy land.
He said Saudi Arabia has a death penalty in place for anyone convicted of drug trafficking.
Executive Secretary of the board, Alhaji Abdulsalam Abdulkadir also admonished the pilgrims to be abreast of the do’s and don’t’s of the exercise and follow the instructions passed to them.
He announced that each of the pilgrims would get $700 as BTA instead of the earlier stated $800 because of the hike in air fare component of the Hajj fare following the ongoing Sudan War which has led to the closure of the Sudanese airspace.
He, however, assured that intending pilgrims who have completed their payment would not be made to pay any additional money while those who made excess payment would be refunded after the completion of the exercise.
The board Secretary commended the state government under the leadership of Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq for providing the state the required logistics towards the success of the exercise. (vitalnewsngr.com)
