Lagos not happy with NAHCON’s performance’

Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs Ibrahim Layode has expressed displeasure over the performance of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for this year’s hajj exercise.

Layode said the commission was responsible for most of the challenges faced by the pilgrims.

He called on NAHCON to convene a meeting with all states to discuss the challenges faced to avoid a recurrence.

“We had a lot of challenges and most of them are from NAHCON,” he said.

Layode specifically said the caterer used his discretion to select menu that was not favourable to pilgrims from the Southwest. He added that the pilgrims almost protested at Mina and many of them rejected the meals and chose to buy from vendors.

The commissioner, however, disagreed with the call for the scrapping of NAHCON, saying, ‘you can’t throw away the baby with the bath water’.

“NAHCON leadership has agreed that there were challenges this year which I believe as a government, we must discuss and point out, to find solutions to them against the next Hajj,” he added.

The Amirul Hajj also said 926 of the 1,869 pilgrims have been airlifted back home as at Wednesday.

He thanked the pilgrims for their patience and endurance, stressing that he is very proud of their conducts despites operational challenges. He also assured the remaining 943 pilgrims that they would be airlifted back in a short while.