Religion
The Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Alh. Zikrullah Kunle Hassan, on Wednesday, said the Commission is waiting for the Saudi authorities official decision on the 2020 Hajj exercise before coming up with its own.
Hassan stated this at a virtual seminar hosted by Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria with the topic: “The Future of Hajj and Umrah operations After the Pandemic”.
“Only the Saudi authorities can take the final decision. We can only take our own decision in the light of Saudi one”, the NAHCON boss stated.
Hassan, however, expressed optimism that the 2020 Hajj could still hold in spite of the fear and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
According to him, this was against the backdrop of the kingdom steps to combat the spread of the virus and the number of recoveries recorded.
He highlighted some of the heartwarming factors to include, the recent reopening of the mosques for prayers, easing of lockdown across the Kingdom, rate of recoveries of infected persons, reduction in the number of positive cases and opening of six large diagnostic laboratories.
Hassan further explained that the conduct of the 2020 Hajj may, however, come with possibilities of certain restrictions as the Saudi authorities may introduce some guidelines to curb the spread of the virus.
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According to him, these measures include reduction of global allocation, banning of pilgrims from countries with prevalent case of the Covid-19, exemption of certain category of persons like the aged, person with underlying health challenge or complications, in addition to health monitoring, quarantine and disinfection of people.
He admonished intending pilgrims to accept whatever decision taken by the Saudi Government as the will of Allah, noting that the religion of Islam places more value on life than any religious rites, while also assuring that the commission was taking great steps to ensure the welfare of pilgrims whether the 2020 Hajj holds or not.
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