By Khalid Idris Doya The Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board in Bauchi has expressed its gratitude to Almighty God for the successful completion o...
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By Khalid Idris Doya
The Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board in Bauchi has expressed its gratitude to Almighty God for the successful completion of the 2024 pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, with all 2,682 pilgrims peacefully returning home after the holy exercise.
"To be honest and sincere, for over 10-15 years, we have never had such a peaceful, credible, rancor-free, and successful Hajj exercise like the one we performed this year, 2024," said the Executive Secretary of the board, Imam Abdurrahman Ibrahim Idris.
The Executive Secretary told the press in Bauchi yesterday that the board has witnessed its sixth and final flight back home, thus bringing to an end this year's pilgrimage exercise for Bauchi state.
"We used six aircraft for the airlift exercise, and both the travel to the Holy Land in Saudi Arabia and back each took nine days by the chartered aircraft," Imam Idris said.
He further explained that Bauchi state pilgrims were adequately accommodated in Mecca, Madina, and Mina, and the whole exercise took 38 days as opposed to the 43 days previously spent.
Imam Abdurrahman described this year's exercise as the best so far, attributable to early preparations and an easy procedure for obtaining visas for the intending pilgrims of the state.
He revealed that the Saudi Arabian authorities have just released the timetable and schedules for the 2025 Hajj exercise, saying it will facilitate the smooth and easy conduct of the next exercise.
Imam also commended Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed for his moral and financial assistance, without which Bauchi would have conducted the exercise with only one aircraft.
The Board Secretary expressed dismay over the inadequate basic travel allowance (BTA) of the pilgrims, which is slightly over $400. He mentioned that Governor Bala Mohammed gave $100 to each of the pilgrims to supplement this allowance.
In addition, the board scribe revealed that the pilgrims received a Sallah gift of 300 Riyals each, while Governor Mohammed's wife, Dr. A'isha Bala Mohammed, gifted each of them prayer mats and bed sheets.
He disclosed that, of the approximately one thousand deaths of pilgrims in the Holy Land globally, Bauchi had only one death. Alhaji Ismail from Toro LGA of the state died after completing the Hajj obligatory duties.
Imam Abdurrahman Idris also noted that the most pressing challenges his board faced were the additional Hajj fares of about ₦2 million for each of the pilgrims, as well as the BTA monetary exchange.
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