Agaju Madugba, Katsina
President Muhammadu Buhari has flagged-off commencement of airlifting of intending pilgrims in for the 2019 Hajj in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“Hajj presents us with a unique opportunity for self-reflection, imbibe the spirit of brotherhood and tolerance in order to foster unity in diversity as reflected in the spirit of the hajj rites,” Buhari said yesterday evening, at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina, venue of the flag-off ceremony.
Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari represented him at the ceremony and read Buhari’s address.
He said:ver three million people from about 180 countries, speaking different languages and performing the same rites at the same time is a great lesson in unity to humanity.
“The dressing of the rich and the poor, the king and the servant, the mighty and the low, in the same simple attire, reminds us of our equality before the law.
“I implore you to make the best out of the hajj experience and improve on your relationship with your creator and discharge your duties to your country as responsible citizens. Nigeria needs your prayers now more than ever before.”
Buhari urged the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to ensure that Nigerian pilgrims are well taken care of in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, in his remarks, NAHCON Chairman, Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad, urged the pilgrims to strictly abide by all the Hajj rules and regulations
He reminded them of the prohibition of kolanuts in Saudi Arabia as, according to him, “for the purpose of narcotic control, the Saudi government has banned carriage of kolanuts into the Kingdom.”