NAHCON's Intervention in Nigeria's Diplomatic Profiling, by Tunde Akanni
During my repeated visits to the Holy Masjid, I have been able to appreciate the quality of vision and taste of the new leadership of NAHCON led by the proven and cross-generational leader, Zikrullah Hassan, as hinted by the first day of arrival. This hotel for NAHCON officials featured a spectacular signpost for all Nigerian pilgrims. It was so visible to locate and can be used as a landmark to determine the location of pilgrim hotels from all Nigerian states.
Together with over four hundred other pilgrims from Lagos and Abuja, we arrived, with a great sense of gratitude to Allah, at King Abdul Azeez International Airport on July 5th. We were very grateful because just as we were about to fly out of Lagos there was a loud shout for the doctors on the plane to show up quickly for an emergency. One of us prospective pilgrims, a middle aged person from Lagos State, had failing health. She was quickly surrounded by doctors and others for various support. His lower limbs were too weak to support his upper trunk. Her drooping head pitifully betrayed a failing neck as doctors tried to pull her back up. This unpleasant incident inside the plane lasted over 30 minutes, but no one was in a hurry, as we all wanted her to bounce back to endure the six-hour journey. She did not do it. We had to help him disembark.
The Jeddah pilgrim arrival point secured by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for Nigerian pilgrims, offered endless but refreshing facilities as we had everything we needed to wash and dress our Ihram, so that we can head straight to the Holy Masjid Haram in Makkah for the first leg of the holy pilgrimage. Just before the walk to Haram from our hotel, we had to drop off our light bags – Muslim pilgrims pack light for good. The Nema Mawadda Hotel was to be my home and that of my eight media colleagues from Lagos. With accommodation secured, we rushed to the Holy Mosque with the relentless chanting of Labaykalahuma Labayka…
Returning to the hotel after the initial rites in Haram, many of the officials on the same plane with me were enthusiastic about the facilities widely described as a clear change from the past. One of them volunteered: “The civil servants' hotel looked like a school dormitory with mattresses on the floor without basic ornaments for comfortable sleep. In this way, you are immediately led to fully activate your senses for the hallmarks of endurance, patience and tolerance of the hajj season."
Really for me this is a reasonably fair accommodation in Makkah since I started doing the hajj many years ago, dating back to the 1990s. From our Nema Mawwada hotel on Ibrahim El Khalil Street at Masjid Haram there is barely 30 minutes of healthy trekking on well-paved pavements. What about appeals left and right from generous donors of refreshments, including full meals to pilgrims? The first day I had various offers including a full meal with chicken. I had barely savored this when my friend and colleague, Mikhail Mumuni, former editor of Tell, cracked a disturbing joke about the culinary adventure, saying he would like to look for a place to get shawarma. Pronto a guy approached us and handed this over and for free! Allah Akbar, we both have a choir!
During my repeated visits to the Holy Mosque, I have been able to appreciate the quality of the video...
During my repeated visits to the Holy Masjid, I have been able to appreciate the quality of vision and taste of the new leadership of NAHCON led by the proven and cross-generational leader, Zikrullah Hassan, as hinted by the first day of arrival. This hotel for NAHCON officials featured a spectacular signpost for all Nigerian pilgrims. It was so visible to locate and can be used as a landmark to determine the location of pilgrim hotels from all Nigerian states.
Together with over four hundred other pilgrims from Lagos and Abuja, we arrived, with a great sense of gratitude to Allah, at King Abdul Azeez International Airport on July 5th. We were very grateful because just as we were about to fly out of Lagos there was a loud shout for the doctors on the plane to show up quickly for an emergency. One of us prospective pilgrims, a middle aged person from Lagos State, had failing health. She was quickly surrounded by doctors and others for various support. His lower limbs were too weak to support his upper trunk. Her drooping head pitifully betrayed a failing neck as doctors tried to pull her back up. This unpleasant incident inside the plane lasted over 30 minutes, but no one was in a hurry, as we all wanted her to bounce back to endure the six-hour journey. She did not do it. We had to help him disembark.
The Jeddah pilgrim arrival point secured by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for Nigerian pilgrims, offered endless but refreshing facilities as we had everything we needed to wash and dress our Ihram, so that we can head straight to the Holy Masjid Haram in Makkah for the first leg of the holy pilgrimage. Just before the walk to Haram from our hotel, we had to drop off our light bags – Muslim pilgrims pack light for good. The Nema Mawadda Hotel was to be my home and that of my eight media colleagues from Lagos. With accommodation secured, we rushed to the Holy Mosque with the relentless chanting of Labaykalahuma Labayka…
Returning to the hotel after the initial rites in Haram, many of the officials on the same plane with me were enthusiastic about the facilities widely described as a clear change from the past. One of them volunteered: “The civil servants' hotel looked like a school dormitory with mattresses on the floor without basic ornaments for comfortable sleep. In this way, you are immediately led to fully activate your senses for the hallmarks of endurance, patience and tolerance of the hajj season."
Really for me this is a reasonably fair accommodation in Makkah since I started doing the hajj many years ago, dating back to the 1990s. From our Nema Mawwada hotel on Ibrahim El Khalil Street at Masjid Haram there is barely 30 minutes of healthy trekking on well-paved pavements. What about appeals left and right from generous donors of refreshments, including full meals to pilgrims? The first day I had various offers including a full meal with chicken. I had barely savored this when my friend and colleague, Mikhail Mumuni, former editor of Tell, cracked a disturbing joke about the culinary adventure, saying he would like to look for a place to get shawarma. Pronto a guy approached us and handed this over and for free! Allah Akbar, we both have a choir!
During my repeated visits to the Holy Mosque, I have been able to appreciate the quality of the video...
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