By; SANI ALIYU, Zaria
Some concerned pilgrims from Kaduna State who performed the 2024 Hajj have given one month ultimatum for the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) and Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency to furnish them with detailed spendings of their Hajj fares or face legal action.
This was contained in a letter dated August 26, 2024 addressed to the Chairman, Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency and copied to the Chairman, National Hajj Commission by Bashir Musa and Associates, counsel to the concern pilgrims.
The letter issued to New Nigerian in Zaria “demanded a report of how the pilgrim’s funds from Zaria local government for the Hajj 2024 operation were spent and the payment of balance.”
It said the pilgrims who performed the 2024 Hajj through the agency, paid the sum of N4,505,000 , N199,000 , and N1,918,500 making the total sum of N6,622, 500.
“However, our clients have discovered not only deliberate maltreatment, inhuman treatment and abandonment of their persons by your officials but also unequal treatment during the operation.
“Our clients note with disdain, that some pilgrims were given the sum of $500 while our clients were giving the sum of $400 only for their upkeep during the operation while they were supposed to be paid the sum of $700. Our clients hereby demand for the refund of their balance.” The letter said.
The concern pilgrims also complained of allowing them to stay in the city of Madina for only 4 and 3 days respectively, when they were supposed to stay for 8 days to perform their full rituals.
“No explanations were proffered to our clients by your agency whatsoever, nor were they refunded the monies for the remaining days which includes hotels fees and feeding.”
The letter stated that ” our clients are in the know of the contribution of the President of the federal republic of Nigeria to them in the sum of N90,000,000,000 (Ninety Billion Naira) to assist and ease their Hajj.
“And by the calculations of our clients,they discovered that each pilgrim would be entitled to N1,631,500 but to the surprise of our clients, no penny was given to our clients and no explanations were given to our clients on how that monies were spent.”
The pilgrims raise alarm on the contribution of the Kaduna state Government to further ease their Hajj performance which nothing was paid to them, as well as the feeding arrangements while in the holy land.
“You also gave our clients substandard foods boldly written to “be eaten within one hour”, but distributed to our clients after one hour and after it has spoiled making our clients to either eat or waste it.
The pilgrims also expressed displeasure on the accomodations given to them which they complained of being jampacked with 8, 7, 6 pilgrims per room, and 4 in some few rooms, while the agency’s officials occupy good rooms per person or in few instances 2 people per room.
The concern pilgrims therefore give the agency one month ultimatum to furnish them with full details on how their monies were spent and how the contributions of both federal and Kaduna state Government were spent as well as pay back the remaining balances of $100 or $300 each or seek redress in a court of law.
Efforts to reach Yunusa Mohammed Abdullahi, the Public Relations Officer, Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency was not successful and text message sent via his mobile phone was not responded.