Gombe Govt Laments High Number Of Ailing Pilgrims

The executive secretary of Gombe State Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Saad Hassan Adamu, has expressed deep concern over the high number of aging and ailing pilgrims from Gombe in this year’s Hajj, describing the situation as unfortunate.

Adamu said with the enormous crowds of worshippers thronging the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage amid scorching heat weather, sending incapacitated and ailing parents to perform Hajj without guardians was a high level of insincerity and dishonesty any one can think of.

He said the children of the aging and ailing pilgrims purposely sent their incapacitated parents to come to Hajj in defiance of the State Pilgrims Welfare Board rules just to ridicule or the officials.

He said the affected pilgrims shun all invitations sent out to all intending pilgrims in Gombe to come for medical screening in order to keep their physical health status away from the officials.

We have problems of aging and ailment pilgrims from Gombe State and there are serious issues for us as a board and officials. The affected pilgrims deliberately hid their physical status from us until we came here.

“It was their children that purchased Hajj tickets for them and when we invited them for medical screening, they refused to bring them.

“We sent out several invitations to all our pilgrims to come for medical screening to ascertain their physical health before allowing them to travel, but unfortunately their children refused to bring them for the screening. We didn’t know these pilgrims until here in Saudi Arabia, and it is really unfortunate that somebody would send his aging or ailing parents to perform Hajj without a guardian. There was even one pilgrim that was lifted into the aircraft on a wheelchair,” Adamu lamented.

He however appealed to people to always follow their aging or ailing parents to Hajj if he or she must perform Hajj which is the fifth pillar of Islamic religion.

“I want to appeal to everybody that you’re doing Hajj for the sake of Allah and you should do it with sincerity and honesty. You shouldn’t send your parents to hajj alone if they are incapacitated.  You either come along to assist them performing Hajj comfortably or you after performing our own hajj, you can come and perform the Hajj on their behalf, it is allowed. Sharia allows you to perform Hajj for your aging parents,” he stated.