Hajj 2024: FCT Board prioritises welfare, wellbeing of Pilgrims

By Stanley Onyekwere

The Federal Capital Territory Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board (FCT-MPWB) has reiterated commitment towards better welfare and wellbeing of its pilgrims, who traveled to Saudi Arabia to perform this year’s Hajj rites.
FCT-MPWB Director of the FCT Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board, Malam Abubakar Adamu Evuti gave the assurance in a chat with the media, in Makkah, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In particular, Evuti assured Pilgrims of FCT contingents that the Board remains committed, and will continue to prioritise their wellbeing, in terms of accommodations, feeding and healthcare throughout their period of stay in the Holy land, even till when they are expected back home Nigeria after the completion of the Hajj rites.
On the likelihood of any health challenge that would be above capacity of the FCT Board, Evuti opined that such case will be referred to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), for immediate action.
“We want to assure them that their feeding is not going to be compromised, also their accommodations, where there is challenge will not be compromised, and we will also make sure that even the healthcare system will be provided.
“So, let them be rest assured that throughout the time that we are going to stay here, upto the end of June as the case may be FCT pilgrims will be given the best of its provisions in terms of health, accommodations and feeding.
Evuti, also explained that, the FCT pilgrims started arriving the holy land on the 15th of May 2024, first in Medinah and after 4 days they were moved to Makkah where the Hajj exercise will be observed.
According to him: “We, as a Board, our job here is the welfare and wellbeing of the pilgrims and that is the paramount responsibility here. And we have to be very vigilant from the beginning upto the end.
“ Before now, all the pilgrims of Nigeria from FCT are already in the country and once they have arrived we are doing the best we can in term of accommodations, feeding, healthcare; we want to assure them it will be provided from the time they arrived into this country and upto the time we are going to leave this country inshallah”.
The Director, who noted that any Nigerian, who is in the Holy land is an ambassador of the country either as a Pilgrim, journalist, or Hajj worker.
“ Other countries are here, they are been fed, they are not even been fed properly but no body is complaining not only that even in terms of accommodations and where they’re located, you will find out that they are very far away from Haram and no body is complaining.
“But, you see FCT pilgrims apart from being provided with nice food and being given an accommodations very close to Haram, unlike other states but yet they are not satisfied, a little matter that meed to be resolved amicably, they go on social media all in the name of mischief.
“ I want to appeal to all of us that this is a country which belong to all of us, we don’t have any other country but Nigeria.
“So, once we are outside our country and we are in another country, we should project the image of the country not going to bring the country disrepute in terms of making wrong report of all actually was not happening”, he added.