During the ongoing 2023 Hajj in Saudi Arabia, Nigeria has recorded 30 cases of mental health issues and six deaths among its pilgrims.
This was discussed during a Pre-Arafat meeting that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) held on Saturday in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, with all stakeholders. Dr. Usman Galadima is the Chief of Operations and Head of the Nigerian Medical Team for the 2023 Hajj.
Galadima stated that his medical team also recorded seven cases of pregnancies, two miscarriages, and eight communicable diseases and offered consultation to 15,860 patients among Nigerian pilgrims at the meeting, which was attended by the Chairman of NAHCON, Alhaji Zikrullah Hassan.
However, the Chairman of NAHCON stated that all 95,000 eligible Nigerian pilgrims had been successfully transported to Saudi Arabia.
He disclosed that, in order to transport all pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, the commission had reserved five additional flights just a few days ago in the event that a Nigerian with a visa but a flight issue could be brought there by the commission.
He says that on June 23, the commission decided to cancel the five additional flights after confirming that all pilgrims had been transported to Saudi Arabia.
“I would like to express my gratitude to President Bola Tinubu and his Vice President, Kashim Shettima, for their guidance and support in numerous ways in which it may not be necessary to mention it.
Hassan also thanked the executive chairs of the 36 states and the FCT pilgrims welfare boards, agencies, and commissions for helping to make sure that all eligible Nigerian pilgrims were transported to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage successfully.
In a similar vein, he expressed gratitude to the Association of Umrah and Hajj Tour Operators of Nigeria for their tireless efforts to ensure the success of the 2023 Hajj's initial phase.
He stated, "When the situation of the flight was difficult, we were together until the very last moment."
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