"Alhamdulillah": Ogun Pilgrims Land at Madinah, to Begin Hajj Rites

• The first batches of Nigerian pilgrims travelling from Ogun state have successfully landed in Saudi Arabia
• The third batch of pilgrims from the state is expected to get airlifted to the Asian country later this week
• The officials in charge express gratitude to Allah for making the journey a successful one

Nigerian pilgrims who departed Ogun state on Sunday and Monday for the yearly Hajj have touched down at the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The two batches, totalling 845 faithful, are now in the holy city of Madinah and are expected to begin the Hajj rituals.

As reported by the PUNCH, the remaining batches of pilgrims from the southwestern state are expected to be transported to the Islamic country before the end of the week.

The arrival of pilgrims at the Muslim holy land was confirmed by the Executive Secretary of the Board, Alhaji Dauda Salau, who heartily expressed profound gratitude to Allah for making the inter-continental journey a successful one.

Read also

"Electing him was a mistake": Zamfara community seeks to replace suspended lawmaker

He also sent a message of appreciation to the state's governor, Dapo Abiodun, for his unflinching support for the pilgrims.

He said:

"And we must also not forget to thank Gov Dapo Abiodun for the support given towards the success of this year Hajj operations so far. We are promising that the pilgrims would give a good account of themselves throughout the exercise.”

First set of Nigerian pilgrims take off

Legit.ng reported that the first batch of Nigerian pilgrims took off from Kebbi state for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, May 15.

According to a post on the Hajj Commission's official Facebook account, the inaugural flight contained 422 pilgrims and seven officials, 269 of whom were male and 163 female.

Shortly after, another flight from the Federal Capital Territory took off, containing 299 pilgrims, 123 males and 176 females.

Read also

Emotional photos as Peter Obi visits victims of Kano mosque attack

Governor approves N2.1 billion subsidy for intending pilgrims

Legit.ng had also earlier reported that the governor of Bauchi state, Bala Mohammed, had approved N2.1 billion as a 2024 Hajj fare subsidy.

This came after NAHCON increased the 2024 Hajj fare by N1.9 million, and many intending pilgrims who were unable to meet with new payment deadline demanded a refund of their money.

Following Bala's move, the state’s 2,290 intending pilgrims will now receive a subsidy of N959,000, amounting to 50 per cent of the increment by the Muslim body.

Source: Legit.ng