The Plateau state chairman of the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board (MPWB), Alhaji Ado Ismaila has said that Plateau state sponsors more Muslims to pilgrimage compared to other Christian dominated states. He debunked the allegation that Governor Jonah Jang led Government does not like Muslims. The Muslim Pilgrim boss was speaking in Jos during a press briefing to address the preparedness of the state hajj board.

Ismaila also stated that the board will not allow irresponsible women to embark on the 2013 pilgrimage to Mecca. He said “We do not want to carry along with us irresponsible women to Hajj. This is an instruction from the National Haji Commission. All women intending to partake in this year’s Hajj must have a guide and must be seen to be responsible; this is to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment that occurred in the holy land in 2012 when some women were repatriated back to Nigeria”.

The Plateau state chairman of the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board (MPWB), Alhaji Ado Ismaila has said that Plateau state sponsors more Muslims to pilgrimage compared to other Christian dominated states. He debunked the allegation that Governor Jonah Jang led Government does not like Muslims. The Muslim Pilgrim boss was speaking in Jos during a press briefing to address the preparedness of the state hajj board.

Ismaila also stated that the board will not allow irresponsible women to embark on the 2013 pilgrimage to Mecca. He said “We do not want to carry along with us irresponsible women to Hajj. This is an instruction from the National Haji Commission. All women intending to partake in this year’s Hajj must have a guide and must be seen to be responsible; this is to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment that occurred in the holy land in 2012 when some women were repatriated back to Nigeria”.

The commission Chairman said that the board screened most self-sponsored intending pilgrims but still awaited the list to be sent to it from the State and Local Government Areas in the state. He added that special consideration was given to those who missed the 2012 pilgrimage and did not receive refund from the board and that preparation was in top gear. “Those who paid for the 2012 haji and could not make it due to some challenges will be considered first. We may not take all of them but 70 per cent of such complaints would be addressed”.

He said that the number of pilgrims have been reduced based on the instructions from the Saudi authorities due to on-going renovations on most infrastructures and apartments around the holy sites. Ismaila said the pilgrims will leave the country at the end of September.

count | 29

Plateau sponsors more Muslim pilgrims than other Christian’s majority states