The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) said it has equipped its passport control office in Saudi Arabia with information communication technology (ICT) to forestall the abscondment of Nigerian pilgrims in the ongoing 2023 Hajj exercise.
Head of NAHCON’s passports management control committee, Alhaji Tajudeen Akande, made the disclosure in a chat with journalists in Medinah, saying the commission has put in place measures to record zero abscordment in the 2023 hajj operation.
He said NAHCON has full control of all its pilgrims’ passports.
“Hajj management is like a chain and one of the vital links is passport management.
“Here in Medinah we control our pilgrims’ passports 75 per cent. Before it was the Saudi agency, Adinla that controlled pilgrims’ passports. But in 2019, the Saudis Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said every country should control their pilgrims’ passports and Nigeria along with other countries like Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia took the initiative.
“Right from the 2019 hajj operation, the level of abscondment has drastically reduced because of measures introduced by the commission and this year, we are going to have zero abscondment because of enhanced awareness and ICT facilities we have put in place to minitor pilgrims,” he said.
Akande stated that effective passport management was very key to ensuring smooth transportation of pilgrims in and out of Saudi Arabia.
He added: ”It is from passport management that the committee arranges pilgrims’ transportation right from their arrival at the airport in Saudi Arabia, without which their passport will not be cleared.
“So, it is this same passport that will be used to convey each pilgrim from the buses to their accommodation.
“Therefore, passport management is a key change in the hajj management process,” he added.
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