BY ANDREW OROLUA
Association of Haji and Umrah Operators of Nigeria, AHUON, has called for immediate amendment of National Hajj Commission, NAHCON, Act of 2006.
Unanimously, members of AHUON at its annual zonal conferences held between August 19 and 28 agreed that “the current NAHCON Acts is obsolete and cannot stand the test and demands of modern Hajj management particularly as envisioned by the vision 2030 Reforms of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
A communique issued at the end of the Association annual conference and signed by National President Alhaji Abdullateef Yusuf Ekundayo appreciates the Federal Government of Nigeria under the leadership of His Excellency, the president and
commander-in-chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCON for its support to the Nigerian Pilgrims .
AHUON, however, urged the Federal Government to always extend such goodwill to Nigerian Pilgrims under the private tour operators too.
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The communique noted that the future of Hajj belongs to the private Tours Operators as it’s obtainable in the other climes. Therefore, going further any attempts to review the NAHCON act should capture the private sector initiatives led by AHUON, and its members should have representations on the NAHCON Board.
The conference further noted with concern the continue delay of NAHCON to close the Books of 2024 Hajj, from the tour operators’ perspective. According to association this includes refunds of all monies owed its members by the Commission before the opening of a new Bid for Hajj 2025.
Members were also unanimous in calling for a stay of action on the Bidding for the 2025 Hajj license until NAHCON reconcile its accounts with the tour operators and pay all refunds
outstanding, including the 2023 and 2024 caution deposits and those of services not rendered over the years.
The conference found it appalling, the refusal of the NAHCON to respond to the Association’s plea to intervene on the issue of epileptic Umrah visa regime from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj. The issue at stake calls for direct government intervention, “but to our dismay,the Commission has not acknowledged the receipt of our letter
stating our demands.”
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