From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Supreme Council for Shari’a in Nigeria (SCSN), has raised the alarm that thousands of Muslims in Nigeria may miss out in 2024 hajj if something urgent is not done.
The Council said it has observed some lapses in the preparation for the 2024 exercise that might affect the chances of Nigerian Muslims to effectively participate in the annual religious programme in Saudi Arabia.
Secretary General of SCSN, Nafi’u Baba-Ahmed, in a statement, on Saturday, called on the Federal and State Governments to intervene in fixing the identified challenges affecting the smooth preparation of religious exercise, particularly as regards forex.
He said: “Our extensive consultations and investigations revealed disturbing deficits in the state of preparations of the Hajj. Deadlines set by the Saudi Arabian authorities are being breached, with thousands of potential pilgrims who have made payments unsure if they have made the right payments, or if they will be able to perform the Hajj.
“As at today, it is most unlikely that even half of Nigeria’s allocated slots are most unlikely to be filled. And even more worrying is the fact that thousands who have paid some amounts, including those that paid the stipulated amount within the time set by National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), and first timers might be denied the opportunity to perform this important obligation.
”Nevertheless, the Council is aware of efforts to address these issues that have arisen due to the exchange rate. We appreciate these efforts. We wish to emphatically draw attention to the imperatives of more efforts by federal and state governments to remove all bottlenecks to the performance of the Hajj by as many Nigerians as possible.
“Needless to say that failure of Nigerian Muslims to perform this year’s Hajj, or even the loss of opportunities by thousands of people who have made efforts to pay, through no fault of theirs, will represent an intolerable affront.”
The Council, therefore, appealed to all elected persons and other influential Nigerians to contribute towards avoiding a serious setback to the reasonable expectations of thousands of potential Pilgrims and Muslims that their country will assist them to perform their religious duties.
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