2025 Hajj: NAHCON Records 19% Airlift Progress

By

 



By Hadiza Abdulrahman 

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has so far transported 19% of Nigerian pilgrims within three days of the commencement of the 2025 Hajj airlift, marking significant progress in this year’s operations.

The figure represents a remarkable improvement over 2024, when only 9% were airlifted during the same period.

This year’s exercise has benefited from stronger coordination among airlines and State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards, with several states already completing their airlift phases.

Air Peace concluded the transportation of Kogi State pilgrims, airlifting 559 out of the 564 scheduled, while Max Air successfully conveyed 1,083 pilgrims from Oyo State to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“Imo and Abia States have also wrapped up their inaugural flights, although a few ‘no-show’ pilgrims remain. These individuals will be accommodated in mop-up flights later in the exercise,” said Fatima Sanda Usara, Assistant Director of Information and Publication, in a statement issued on behalf of the NAHCON Chairman.

In Nasarawa State, UMZA Air is finalizing the airlift of 944 pilgrims, with its final flight already on ground and preparing for takeoff at the time of NAHCON’s update. The airline is also scheduled to begin the Kaduna State airlift on May 14, operating back-to-back flights to maintain momentum.

FlyNas is expected to commence airlift operations for Sokoto pilgrims on May 13 and, barring any changes, will begin transporting Abuja pilgrims by May 16. Air Peace is slated to begin the Borno State airlift on May 18, continuing the steady progress of the nationwide operation.

NAHCON Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, expressed satisfaction with the smooth start of this year’s Hajj exercise. He commended the performance of the airlines, state boards, and other stakeholders for their coordination and commitment to ensuring a timely and seamless pilgrimage, said Fatima Sanda Usara in her statement.

A total of 64,188 Nigerian pilgrims are scheduled to partake in this year’s pilgrimage.The inaugural flight for this year’s Hajj operation took off at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport in Owerri, the Imo State capital, last Friday.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Water Scarcity Threatens Maternal Health in FCT Communities

By
Image
  A woman washing at a stream in Wassa IDP Camp in the FCT. Photo: Hadiza Abdulrahman Nigeria faces significant challenges in guaranteeing the human right to water for its population. A 2022 World Bank report reveals that  60 million  Nigerians lacked access to basic drinking water, and in 2021, over 100 million lacked basic sanitation. This deficiency leads to waterborne diseases like cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid, causing millions of deaths annually, especially among children under five.  women and girls are disproportionately affected , spending hours collecting water and facing risks, leaving them little or no time for education, work, or other activities, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Maternal health is also severely impacted, with expectant and new mothers facing increased risks without clean water. In Takushara, Abuja, young girls collecting water from a canal. Photo: Hadiza Abdulrahman TAKUSHARA In Abuja, the nation’s capital, some commun...
Read more

UN, Media Executives Sign MoU to advance Gender Equality

By
Image
Ms. Beatrice Eyong, UN Women Representative in Nigeria The UN Women in Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding  with several media organizations in Abuja to advance gender equality and women's empowerment.  On September 8, media executives from the southern part of the country signed a similar undertaking in Lagos. Ms. Beatrice Eyong, the UN Women representative in Nigeria, noted that the meeting presents an opportunity to examine and explore opportunities where the media could make impact in addressing challenges faced by women and girls. She pointed out  that the MoU would provide a framework for collaboration and collaboration to strengthen partnership in escalating media advocacy to promote women's economic empowerment, prevention of violence against women and girls and increasing women's representation and leadership along humanitarian, development and peace nexus. "Media is a tool that has been used over time in educating the society and accelerati...
Read more

Experts Advocate Increased Women Leadership in Biodiversity

By
Image
  Hadiza Abdulrahman  Experts have advocated increased inclusion of women’s leadership in biodiversity to strengthen sustainable and effective conservation strategies. This was the focus of a roundtable on Women and Biodiversity Leadership, held under the Scientific Diplomacy Programme organized by the Embassy of Spain and the Spanish Cooperation Office in Nigeria, with support from the European Union. The roundtable on women’s leadership in biodiversity highlighted the crucial role of women in biodiversity conservation and discussed strategies to close the gender gap in biodiversity science. It also explored innovative approaches to integrating gender considerations into biodiversity policies.  They called on stakeholders to address gender inequalities and ensure women's full participation in the sector, while also urging the government to provide adequate funding, inclusive policy development processes, strengthening network for knowledge sharing, enhance access t...
Read more