In the last twenty one (21) consecutive years that I have been performing the Haj, the 2017 edition turned out to be the most challenging and most stressful for me and for many other Lagos pilgrims.
In Medina, Makkah, Arafat Muna and Mustelifat, Lagos pilgrims were challenged in many ways as they were faced with one hurdle, one set back, one problem, or the other.
Up to the 2016 Hajj, it had been praises galore for the Lagos State Government as the operations improved year after year qualitatively and quantitatively. It was such that no Lagosian ever wanted to go through any other channel including the international route than the State Pilgrim’s Board because of the excellent and stress free services the board provided for pilgrims. Unfortunately, the story was different this year. Starting from airlifting, it was challenge galore.
AIRLIFTING
In the past, Medview Airline, the official carrier of Lagos pilgrims, would take the state contingent straight to Medina from Muritala Muhammed Airport but this year, the flight was taken to Jeddah and pilgrims had to go to Medina, a journey of six hours by road in buses, which was stressful. To many pilgrims, this was not funny nor comfortable at all. This reporter learnt from independent sources that the Saudi authorities forced this hardship on the pilgrims for reasons best known to them by diverting the flight to Jeddah instead of Medina.
It was after three weeks of the Hajj operation that the Saudis allowed Medview Airline to make one or two landings direct to Medina. Our sources confirmed that this problem was neither the fault of Mediview Airline nor that of the Lagos State Government since the directive came from Saudi authorities, which could not be disobeyed.
ACCOMODATION/FEEDING
In the past few years, the Lagos State Government had always provided top class hotel accommodation near the Haram (the Grand mosque). Often times, the hotels are five to ten minutes’ walk to the mosque. This year, however, the accommodation was not up to standard and was located farther away from the grand mosque than previous arrangements.
The feeding was another bad story. Most of the time, it was Saudi food that was provided, which our pilgrims are not used to; hence Lagos pilgrims had to spend extra money to provide food for themselves from the tight foreign exchange allowed each person.
The allocation to each pilgrim this year was reduced from 1000 dollars to 800 dollars at the exchange rate of N370 per dollar. This posed a big challenge to every pilgrim.
CLOTH/SUITCASES
Before the Lagos contingent left home, they had begun to complain about the quality of Ankara material provided this year as inferior. By the time the pilgrim left Makkah, many had discarded the dress, alleging that they had faded or got torn; whereas, previous Ankaras lasted long after each pilgrimage. Hence, they accused the state government of providing a low grade material.
Next to the dressing was the kick against the suitcases provided for the pilgrims. Some pilgrims complained that they damaged right from the departure time at Lagos airport. While appreciating the desire to patronize home made goods, the pilgrims worried that the state government would have struck a better deal with the marketers or the producers to supply higher grade suitcases comparable to imported brands. They grumbled that the suitcases would not last beyond the Haj and urged government to revert to imported suitcases in the future.
MEDINA TO MAKKAH
This was a very smooth journey for Lagos pilgrims in the sense that there was no casualty. The buses provided were more than enough for the movement.
ACCOMMODATION IN MAKKAH
Over the past years, Lagos pilgrims enjoyed the excellent four or five star hotels provided them and the quality services in those accommodations. This year, the hotels were not only below standard, they are twenty five minutes’ walk away from the grand mosque (Haram) as against five to ten minutes’ walk previous hotel accommodations provided for Lagos pilgrims. Pilgrims had to pay to transport themselves speedily to the mosque.
The hotels lacked many facilities. The second hotel provided was even worse because the lifts were not working well. They were mechanically faulty. Each time people boarded it, it screeched and made awful noise that frightened the pilgrims. Yet, the pilgrims absorbed the situation while heaping curses on those responsible for this “suffering”. A source told Oriwu Sun it was because the State Government paid money late for the accommodations; hence the money provided what it could.
The question on the lips of pilgrims was why they should suffer this much. They paid the highest amount in the past two decades and to have coughed out N1.35million naira for the Hajj, it meant that the pilgrims deserved nothing but the best in terms of welfare and services.
FOOD SUPPLY
Last year, the food supplier was fantastic in his/her responsibilities but this year, it was an ugly story. Most of the food provided this time were not palatable. Most pilgrims resorted to buying food elsewhere, especially Nigerian food items. That was how a Nigerian vendor, Muri, came into the show as many rushed his supplies.
This reporter contacted some Nigerian residents in Saudi Arabia and learnt that a Nigerian food vendor in Dubai provided the food this year. For such a vendor to cook for 10,000 Nigerian pilgrims twice a day, of course, became a herculean task. Sometimes, the dinner arrived by 12:00 midnight or 1:00am, when the pilgrims had waited and gone to bed or looked for alternatives. Hence, the pilgrims urge the Lagos State government to guard against this situation in next year’s hajj.
There is no doubt that the Amirul Haj, Dr. Abdul Lateef (Hakeem) tried his best as most people heaped the blames and the failures of the Haj on the National Haj Commission (NAHCOM) and Saudi Government. Lagos pilgrims are pressing NAHCOM to urge the Saudis to provide better services in future Haj.
THE MOTHER OF ALL CHALLENGES IN MUNA
It was in Muna and Mustelifat that Lagos pilgrims faced their most gruesome challenges in this year’s Haj. In the past Haj exercises, pilgrims often looked forward to the Muna tents, usually massive, beautifully made, partitioned with toilets, provided with beds, chairs, conveniences and a wonderful environment.
On the free day in Muna, it is a time to meet one another, crack jokes, throw banters and congratulate each other on the successful Haj. Pilgrims would eat, drink and enjoy their day, but this year, it was a sad episode. The first day in Muna was terrible. The tent that was provided for the 2,300 Lagos pilgrims could only house 1,700, leaving a balance of 600 pilgrims hanging. It was riotous as the affected pilgrims got angry.
An avalanche of curses was heaped on the state government for this lapse. Unknown to the pilgrims, again, it was the fault of the Saudi agents (Muasasa), which did not provide enough tents for Lagos pilgrims, not only Nigerians. Inside the tent for the 1,700 pilgrim, the toilet was appalling.
No human being can use such toilet. To be there for three days meant death or hell, especially for those staying near the toilet; the smell was poisonous! The toilets had insufficient water, were not swept and were generally unkempt because they were not enough for the population in the tent.
The truth was that this tent belonged to another African nation but trust Lagosians, they hijacked it when they found out that they had none. And when those nationals from that African country came, they chased out our female pilgrims and threw away their belongings. It took the intervention of Amirul Haj AbdulHakem to plead to all parties involved for calm and peace. He persuaded the Lagosians to cooperate with their African brothers/sisters. Without this timely intervention, it would have been a disastrous free for all.
Overwhelmed by the situation, the Amirul Haj picked the microphone and begged for peace to reign. He promised our pilgrims that he would arrange a better tent by the time they return from Arafat. That was after another round of curses was poured on the Amirul Hajj and the state government, who were not the causes, as well as the Saudi agent, the chief guilty one. The Amirul Haj later calmed the pilgrims with a lecture and promises.
FROM MUNA TO ARAFAT
The next day, transportation from Muna to Arafat was smooth and consolatory. As in other years, the atmosphere at Arafat was fantastic. The lectures by Amirul Haj were electrifying. He and other Islamic Scholars and Clerics lifted the spirit of the pilgrims with their lectures. The Amirul Haj offered powerful prayers alongside the representative of Governor Ambode and the Ansarudeen missioner, Shekh Abdul Rahman Ahmad, who supplicated for the pilgrims. It was a relieving session for the Lagosians after their harrowing experiences since arriving the holy land.
Also, having made the important Arafat obligation, they were happy. At the same Arafat, the Amirul Hajj told the pilgrims that a new tent had been provided for them at Muna and that news made them happier. Unknown to them another heart break was coming.
PROBLEMS IN MUSTELIFAH
All Lagos Pilgrims got to Mustelifah peacefully without stress; it was a well-planned movement. Unknown to anyone, more challenges were in the offing. The Amirul Hajj had announced that everyone would wait till 9a.m the following day, when buses to move the pilgrims to Muna would arrive.
We got to Mustelifah late in the night but had to wait till 11am the following day. People slept on the bare floor till morning and stood in the open till 11am, when buses eventually did not arrive. In fact, the Lagos contingent was the only group left in Mustelifah by that hour. All other pilgrims from other nations had left the place. When it dawned on Dr. Abdulhakeen that the situation was bad and that the pilgrims were not only agitated but frustrated, he became unhappy with the Saudi authorities.
Solution came around 12 noon when a tent was provided for the pilgrims at least to rest their heads having been in the open for nearly Eighteen (18) hours.
Rather than head to Muna, the 2,300 pilgrims from Lagos had to stay in Mustelifah for four days. Only few mattresses were provided while pilgrims without one slept on the rug floor. The tents had fans and not air conditions as in previous years. The toilets were a bit better than the one we met at Muna.
The biggest challenge was that the Lagos pilgrim trekked to and fro Arafat to throw stones at the devil, a distance of seven kilometers. This was not the case in past editions of the Hajj, when the distance was relatively short. As a result of this long distance trek, some pilgrims fell sick while others lost their way back to the tent. Not less than twenty pilgrims were declared missing for some hours until they were later found.
In the past, there were only few cases of sickness or missing persons. For someone, who trekked about seven kilometers, he/she needed good tent and rest but the tent promised and provided was substandard. Again, there was an explosion of anger as the pilgrims got to the point of rioting, heaping all the blame on the Amirul Haj.
The situation was such that when a food vendor van arrived. Some pilgrims accosted the driver before he could stop and ordered him back. There was tension in the air as Dr. AbdulHakeen took the microphone to express his own anger. As he was about to speak, a female pilgrim with a plate of food suddenly side stepped and the plate of food fell on the ground and splashed the mess on the Amirul Hajj’s white robe.
AN ANGRY AMIRUL HAJ
For the first time, this reporter saw the angry part of the Amirul Haj. Some pilgrims had accused him of creating problems with the food supply so that pilgrims would patronize the Nigerian food vendor called Muri. He denied the accusation, saying he had no arrangement with the vendor and that Alhaji Muri had been serving Lagos pilgrims ever before he (AbdulHakeem) became the Amirul Haj.
The Amirul Haj was so incensed that he went into warning those he called trouble makers and those who had pre-determined goals of sabotaging the Haj operation. He disclosed that he had advance knowledge of these people and would not hesitate to deal with them adequately. At a stage, this reporter resorted to pleading with him for calm, but he said it was necessary to tell those trouble makers the truth. He added that he was not the cause of the situation and neither did he bargain with Muri, the food vendor, to create any problem or exploit any situation. He blamed the Saudis for the lapses and appealed to the pilgrims to bear with and manage the situation since they would not be in Saudi for long or forever.
For another 30minutes, the Commissioner spoke like the orator he is, wondering why some of the pilgrims thought in a negative way. He thanked the majority of them, who behaved themselves and took the situation calmly as it came. He appreciated them for being law abiding, even in Muna, where past pilgrims would have attacked him, given what happened this year, though he still wondered why some pilgrims threw caution to the air by insulting him in Mustelifah.
He confirmed that he had identified those who were bent on sabotaging his efforts. It was the first time this writer would hear the Amirul Haj pour out vituperations, but thank Allah that at the end of the day, peace was restored. He later gave a lecture in the evening, which lasted till about 10pm. By then, he had found a way to appease all the aggrieved pilgrims.
THE TERRIBLE FOUR DAYS STAY IN MUSTELIFAH
The Amirul Haj had notified the pilgrims close to the end of their stay in Mustelifah that not all of them would be transported to Makkah due to shortage of buses. He, therefore, appealed to those, who could foot the bill themselves, to find their way to Makkah while the less buoyant ones wait for the buses.
This had never happened in the history of the Haj for the past twenty (20) years; so, it was another shocker for the pilgrims. By early Sunday of that week, many pilgrims had left for Makkah, a distance of about five kilometers from Muna. The cumulative result of all these frustrations, disappointments and shocks was more sickness for the pilgrims.
THE CLINIC
This Haj clinic recorded acute shortage of drugs, such that they could only attend to emergencies. More than fifty (50) sick pilgrims were transported back to Lagos by Medview Airline because it was not possible to attend to them in Makkah. The Nigerian Embassy Health Center near the Lagos camp became the saving grace as it helped to attend to routine cases.
All these challenges were pointers that this year’s Haj was a most difficult experience for Lagos pilgrims. It is not certain if other Nigerian pilgrims went through the same stress but for Lagos pilgrims, this Haj is not one to be forgotten in a hurry.