The Acting Governor of Kaduna State, Hadiza Balarabe, has urged Kaduna Muslim pilgrims heading to Saudi Arabia for Hajj, to pray for the peace, unity and development of the country.
She also called on them to be good ambassadors of Nigeria and the state.
The acting governor made the call while biding farewell to the first set of the pilgrims leaving from the state
At least 388 pilgrims from Igabi, Ikara and Zaria local government areas are expected to be airlifted from Kaduna International airport on Tuesday.
The pilgrims earlier assembled at the Mando Hajj camp in the state capital, where a mandatory COVID-19 test was conducted together with other screening exercises.
The Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency, Yusuf Yakubu however warned medical officials to strictly screen intending female pilgrims to ensure no pregnant woman leaves for the Hajj.
This is the first time Nigerians will be allowed to go on Hajj since 2019 following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic which necessitated the closure of the two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah by the Custodian, the King of Saudi Arabia, King Salamn Ibn Saud.
Many Nigerians who paid to go on the Hajj pilgrimage in 2021 were unable to go following a last minute decision by the Saudi authorites to cancel Hajj for people who live outside the Kingdom to ensure the pandemic does engulf the kingdom.
The initial cost of the Pilgrimage was 1.5 Million Naira but this has since been hiked by over 500 Thousand Naira following the rise in the exchange rate of the Naira to the Dollar and Other World currencies.
Many of those who could afford to add money are now the Pilgrims for the year in Saudi Arabia while those who cannot will not go for the Pilgrimage.
The nations’ allocation of slots for Pilgrims has also been reportedly reduced from 100, 000 to 70,000.
