The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan has thanked President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for the successful organisation of this year’s Hajj
Hassan expressed gratitude to Nigerians for their tremendous support during the just concluded Hajj operation.
At the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia before the last batch of pilgrims boarded the flight back home, the NAHCON boss acknowledged the assistance of President Tinubu and Shettima to the successful organisation of the Hajj.
He stressed that the intervention of the Vice President enabled the commission to transfer its trapped funds to Saudi Arabia and also persuaded the General Authority on Civil Aviation (GACA) to allocate more slots to our Nigerian Airlines.
“I want to sincerely express our heartfelt appreciation to the President and Vice President for their timely intervention and support all through the operations. Their invaluable support really contributed in no mean term to achieve today’s success story”, he said.
Monday’s airlift marked the conclusion of the inbound flight of the pilgrims with 298 from Kaduna, one from Bauchi and 16 officials coming four days ahead of the scheduled date.
“The Second Phase of the Operation which began on 4th July after the completion of the Hajj rites with the airlift of Sokoto State Pilgrims by Flynas was a roller-coaster of challenges and emotions which was amplified by the non-provision of slots to the Nigerian Carriers by the GACA.
“But after the resolution of the impasse following the intervention of the Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, it has been a smooth-sailing. It would be recalled that 3rd August was initially fixed as the final day of operation but the injection of additional aircraft by Max Air and Flynas ease the tension and increase the tempo of the operation. With the operation of the 183rd shuttle flight brings to an end, the 2023 Hajj Operations”, he said.
