Pilgrim's Board Chair, laments plight of stranded Oyo state pilgrims in Saudi

Almost two weeks after Hajj, the chairman, Oyo State Pilgrims Welfare Board (Muslim Wing), Professor Sayed Malik, has lamented the unusual abandonedment of Oyo state pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.

Issues bordering on the airlift of the pilgrims home, arose after the completion of the spiritual exercise and celebrations in Saudi.

According to Professor Malik, "we planned to take our pilgrims back to Nigeria immediately after their return to Makkah from Medina but the airline contracted to convey us, Aero Contractors, was not responding to our demands for prompt airlift. Later, we were told by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) that the airline was denied landing permit in Jeddah."

Prof Malik pointed out that, "Aero Contractors was imposed on Oyo, Nasarawa, Adamawa and Taraba States by NAHCON as against the usual practice whereby the state boards were at liberty to choose their preferred airlines out of the approved ones."

He added that, the latest news he learned was that, "Aero Contractors aircraft which transported the first batch of Nasarawa pilgrims to Nigeria didn’t come back for other pilgrims in Saudi but remained grounded at the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport in Abuja because the airline failed to secure permit to land in Jeddah from Saudi aviation authorities."

Meanwhile, we understand that Barrister Bayo Lawal, the State's Deputy Governor, has stepped into the matter, to resolve it.