Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency says the movement of pilgrims to the tent city of Muna will commence by midnight (10 pm Nigerian time) as Hajj rites begin on Friday.
Addressing pilgrim officers on Thursday, the Director of Operations, Alhaji Abubakar Usman Yusuf, disclosed that already the area earmarked for Kaduna state pilgrims have been demarcated in Muna.
Alhaji Abubakar advised pilgrims to be orderly, in order to ensure their quick conveyance to Muna, adding that they should also be organised when they will be moved to Arafat on Saturday.
According to him, the Agency has already sent a 25 -member advance team to Muna, comprising of preachers, medical personnel and welfare guides, as well as members of the security committee.
The Director pointed out that the 25-member team will receive the first batch of pilgrims and to ‘’ensure that pilgrims are settled in the tents of their respective local governments.’’
He further added that the advance team will proceed to Arafat by midnight to make similar arrangements that will facilitate a seamless operation.
The Director of Operations recalled that Kaduna state bagged an award during the last pilgrimage for orderly conduct during the movements from Makkah to Muna, and from Muna to Arafat, then to Muzdaleefah before sunset.
‘’Let us replicate what we did last year by ensuring that our pilgrims are moved on time and in an orderly manner. We have delineated spaces for all the local governments; there are separate tents for women and male pilgrims,’’ he added.
Alhaji Abubakar reminded all Registration Officers to ensure that their pilgrims have Nusuk cards because ‘’the Saudi Arabian authorities are bent on preventing anyone that doesn’t have the card, from entering Muna and other worship places.’’
According to him, authorities want to prevent the infiltration of illegal pilgrims who are resident in Saudi Arabia, to avert the overstretching of facilities in Muna, as it happened last year.
Safiyah Abdulkadir
