From Suleiman Idris in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
The Kano state contingent to the 2019 hajj pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are no doubt keeping the spirit of patriotism and exporting the federal government programme of instilling discipline among Nigerians otherwise known as the ‘Change Begins with Me’ to the holy lands.
The state appears to have found a way to imbibe the tenets of honesty among their pilgrims as most pilgrims who lost their money in local and foreign currencies have received the missing currencies back from the state’s officials who reports that the lost currencies are found and returned by fellow pilgrims.
The noble act have brought smiles to many who either by error lost their money in the course of their stay in Medinah, Mecca and the five days spent in the tents in Mina.
An official of the state pilgrim welfare board who simply identified himself as Abdullahi confirmed to our correspondent in the state tent in Mina that money lost were returned to the owners through the pilgrims officials on several occasions.
Abdullahi said “we attribute this to the advice of the Governor back home before our departure and the sermons and counsel of the Ulamas and the desire of the pilgrims to be good ambassadors of Nigeria in the Holy Lands.”
Our correspondent witnessed the handover of some cash in both Nigeria Naira and Saudi Riyadh denominations to an elderly woman in Mina who had reported them missing in the Mina camp.
The middle age woman, Hajia Alimatu expressed joy at receiving the missing money part of which she said was made to buy few goods for resale back home in Kano.
Officials say this is the first time in the history of hajj that pilgrims from Nigeria and a particular state will exhibit such virtues and return the huge amount of missing monies during a hajj exercise.
The federal government has continued to a change of attitude by Nigerians to avoid corruption, stealing of properties not belonging to them among other social vices.
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