FG bans pregnant women from hajj

[MrVan]

By FAVOUR NNABUGWU

Federal Govern-ment  yesterday banned pregnant women from going on pilgrimage even as it intensified medical screening of the 2012 Hajj pilgrims.

Chairman, National Hajj Commission (NAHCON, Alhaji Muhammad Bello who disclosed this in Abuja while briefing FCT Minister of State, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide on the preparation for the 2012 pilgrimage, said the commission would ensure that it collaborates with FCT Pilgrims Board to screen and avail each pilgrim with his or her medical history and certified status appended by the doctor that carried out the screening on that person.

Bello said that doctors' signatures have become imperative so that if any woman is discovered to  be pregnant at Saudi Arabia during the 2012 Hajj; the doctor concerned would be sanctioned.

He explained that the intensive screening was designed to address the issue of pregnant pilgrims and people with chronic illnesses, assuring that mobile clinics would be made available for pilgrims throughout the period the Hajj would last.

He further said the commission would provide the country's pilgrims with wrist band identification, I.D. Cards containing details of the each pilgrim such as the country he comes from, the state or the camp he belongs, name and the type of sickness diagnosed on the person and phone number of Nigeria's pilgrim officials should anyone of the pilgrims miss his or her way so as to be able to trace the person's origin with ease.

He however warned that pilgrim that refused to submit his or herself for medical screening would not be permitted to partake in the Hajj.

He also said that the commission would allocate 76,000 out of the total slots of 95,000 for the country representing 80 percent to the people that are going for their very first time while frequent Hajj people would have the remaining 20 percent slots with the first  airlift to take-off on the 18th of September 2012.

He stated that the country already had a shortfall of 25,000 pilgrims going by the demand of 125,000 desiring to go for Hajj every year.

"The demand for the Hajj seat is a major constraint, noting that out of about 125,000 Nigerians that expressed interest in performing the Hajj operations, only 95,000 Nigerians can secure seats, representing shortfall of 25 percent".

He noted that people over 80 years without a guardian would be denied the right to participate adding that the issue of missing people would be tackled headlong.

The commission, he stated would take pilgrims to the next level by focusing on individual pilgrim's welfare in order to make sure they are comfortable in terms of accommodation, feeding and transportation while the commission would educate and orientate all the pilgrims in terms how to comport themselves and use modern facilities among others

He applauded FCTA for quality accommodation to their pilgrims last year, adding that other states have emulated the FCT from the inspection of 23 states carried so far.

He said, "Our problem is not the resources but our  ability to deploy those resources for good use"

"Hajj is religious and socio-political . That is why they have to be educated. Most of the pilgrims need to be educated in terms of facilities such as 'lift', social interaction with others, toilet facility so that it will not look new to them".

"All the reform I have in mind is to take Hajj operations to the highest level as never experience before. I realize that a lot of early lifting has been taken care of by the commission, for Hajj to be meaningful, people need to be orientated."

He stressed the need for transparency, equity and justice in the selection of Hajj operations.

In her response, Oloye Akinjide noted that the Hajj camp would be ready soon adding provision of facilities for Hajj was huge but assured that FCT would provide the minimum facility to host Nasarawa, Kogi and Benue states.

She however requested that more seats be allotted to the FCT, assuring that the 2012 Hajj operations would be better that last year.

 

Vanguard Nigeria