The Kano State Government has directed the Pilgrims Welfare Board to commence preparations for the 2017 Hajj operation.
The Acting Governor, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, gave the directive in a statement issued by Alhaji Balarabe Abdullahi, the Public Relations Officer of the Deputy Governor’s Office, in Kano on Friday.
Abubakar, who is also the Chairman of the committee on Hajj, made this known when he received the report on the 2016 Hajj activities.
He said the administration of Dr Abdullahi Ganduje was committed toward giving all the necessary support and cooperation to the board to ensure better results of the subsequent Hajj operations.
“Despite the current economic situation and considering the tedious nature of this work and its challenges, government will continue to do every thing possible to improve the Hajj operations,” he said.
He said the state government would try to complete the board’s additional offices and recruit more tutors to enlighten intending pilgrims on Hajj operations.
Abubakar urged leaders and all the stakeholders to contribute their quota toward the forthcoming Hajj activities.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Malam Abba Yakubu, said that the board collected N789 million for the 2016 Hajj activities.
He said that the state government also gave N367 million as phase I assistance to the board to secure good accommodation for the state pilgrims.
Yakubu said that the board refunded N30 million to the pilgrims who for one reason or the other were not able to perform the 2016 hajj operation.
He, however, announced that only four pilgrims from the state lost their lives during the last Hajj operation.
