On Monday, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) assured pilgrims in the country that the ongoing nationwide strike by organised labour would not affect the airlifting of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the 2024 Hajj rites.
The commission also revealed that 38,249 pilgrims had been airlifted to the Holy Land in 97 flights.
Speaking in a statement released today, NAHCON noted that the remaining 28,000 intending pilgrims will be airlifted before June 12, 2024, which is the deadline for the closure of the Arabian border for the Hajj operation.
Therefore, NAHCON tasked the intending pilgrims to be at rest as they will all be airlifted to the holy land for this year’s pilgrimage.
The statement partly reads, “While the strike embarked upon by the National Labour Congress is causing apprehension among some concerned pilgrims, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria wishes to assure pilgrims and other concerned Muslims that the strike action will not affect the Hajj airlift. By day 19 of the 2024 Hajj airlift, 37,102 pilgrims have been airlifted to Saudi Arabia; this number excludes officials and other Hajj industry stakeholders involved in the Hajj operations.
“The Hajj flights have been departing as planned, beginning with the initial three flights per day on the day of the inaugural flight. This gradually increased to a maximum of six flights daily. About 13,176 pilgrims are yet to be airlifted, and this number would have been reduced before the end of today. From NAHCON’s projection, all pilgrims will be transported to Saudi Arabia before June 10, 2024.”
News About Nigeria reports that organised labour led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) embarked on an indefinite strike which began on Sunday, June 2, 2024.
According to the workers, the industrial action is to press home their demand for an increase in the minimum wage and to kick against the hike in electricity tariff.
