The 2017 Hajj exercise in Lagos State has been described as being “slow” by the Lagos State Pilgrims Welfare Board in view of the response of intending pilgrims to the exercise in the state.
This was revealed by Mr Muftau Okoya, Executive Secretary of the Board in a media chat with new agency on Friday.
Okoya attributed the slow response of pilgrims to the prevailing economic challenges in the country.
“We had a seat allocation of 3964, but till now, we have less than 2000 intending pilgrims that have registered with us.
“I think the present economic recession is largely responsible for the slow response, and we can only pray for things to improve.
“We airlifted 2218 pilgrims in 2016, hoping to record considerable improvement this year, but the response has not been too encouraging. We hope it will pick up before the May 31 deadline,’’ he confirmed.
Okoya however said the seat allocation to the state by the National Hajj Commission (NAHCOM) was reduced to 1200 from an earlier 3964 seats.
“NAHCON initially allocated 3964 seats to Lagos State but due to slow response, and demand for more seats by some states, we had to reduce our number by 1200 seats.
“We are now targeting 2,500 pilgrims for the 2017 hajj operation,’’ Okoya said.
Also in his attribution, the Executive Secretary said the slow response was as a result of the decision of the state government to stay away from sponsorship of pilgrimages.
“You know, religion is largely personal, and since 2015, the Lagos state government has not been involve in sponsorship of both Christian and Muslim pilgrims.
“The state has saved about N2.4billion from this policy, and that money has gone into the provision of infrastructure.
“That is why you see the state government commissioning so many projects at the same time,’’ he stated.
Okoya advised Moslems to use the opportunity provided in the monthly Umrah (lesser Hajj) by the board.
“Muslims interested in going for the Umrah, particularly in the month of Ramadan, should also take advantage of our monthly Umrah services,’’ he stated.
Okoya appreciated federal government’s effort towards the approval of a concessionary forex rate of N305 to the dollar for a maximum of N1000 per pilgrim as Basic Travelling Allowance (BTA).
He advised the prospective pilgrims to pray for peace and prosperity for the country and government while on the spiritual journey.
“That concession will go a long way to alleviating the burden of sourcing dollars for the BTA.
“The pilgrims should go with the intention of praying for peace and prosperity of our dear country so that things can improve fast,’’ Okoya said.
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