Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Arabian authorities toward the smooth conduct of the 2024 Hajj.
Mrs. Fatima Sanda-Usara, the Assistant Director, Public Affairs, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
Nigeria, under the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), solidified its commitment to a seamless Hajj by signing the 2024 (1445AH) Hajj Memorandum of Understanding with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
Nigeria was represented at the signing of the MoU in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, by top government officials, including Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar and NAHCON Acting Chairman Malam Jalal Arabi.
The host contingent was led by the Saudi Arabian Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Taufiq Al-Rabiah, Mrs. Sanda-Usara said, that prior to the signing of the MoU, the two ministers held brief discussions where Nigeria requested for a lasting solution to the shortage of tents in Muna.
She also said that the Nigerian government also pressed for more favourable terms for the country’s carriers during transportation of pilgrims for the holy pilgrimage.
Mrs. Sanda-Usara quoted the Saudi Minister as acknowledging the challenge of space in Muna and assuring that efforts were being made to maximise the use of the available two million square metres for the over two million pilgrims that performing Hajj annually.
She expressed the ministry’s support for all measures aimed at giving pilgrims the best services and accepted to visit Nigeria soon.
Other participants at the meeting, included the Nigerian Consul-General in Jeddah, Malam Bello Kazaure, senior officers from the Nigerian Mission in Saudi Arabia and NAHCON.
The Saudi Arabian Ministry for Hajj and Umrah had allocated 95,000 Hajj slots to Nigeria for the 2024 holy pilgrimage.
