By Abdullahi Yusuf
Tha Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board has decentralized the medical screening of intending pilgrims to enhance the process ahead of the commencement of the Hajj.
To this effect, the exercise has been extended to the 44 local government areas of the state, beginning from the 2027 Hajj operation.
The Director-General of the Board, Alhaji Abubakar Ibrahim Matawalle, disclosed the initiative while interacting with members of the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ) on Monday.
Matawale said instead of screening the pilgrims centrally at the Pilgrims’ Camp in the state capital, the faithful would now be screened in their respective local government areas.
“I am trying to avoid a situation which happened this year when some pilgrims were on their way to the screening exercise they had an accident and some of them died.I will not allow that to happen again this year,by the Grace of Allah,” he said.
The Director-General said the new initiative would give the board a clear picture of the health condition of each and every intending pilgrim, and that the Center Officer responsible for each local government area would be detailed to ensure that the pilgrims are adequately taken care off during the Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
He said if during the screening exercise the board discovers that a pilgrim is unfit to perform the Hajj,his seat allocation would definitely be reversed.
On preparations for the 2027 Hajj, the Director-General gave intending pilgrims who have paid their 2027 Hajj fares but are yet to submit their electronic passports up to September 5, 2026, to do so or risk losing their allocated slots.
He explained that the measure was necessary so as to meet the timeline set by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for the processing of 2027 pilgrims’ documents and visas.
He warned that pilgrims who fail to submit their e-passports within the stipulated period would have their fares refunded, while their slots would be allocated to other intending pilgrims on the waiting list.
Matawale disclosed that more than 200 intending pilgrims were already on standby with their passports and evidence of payment, awaiting available slots.
According to him, Kano’s Hajj allocation currently stands at 3,050 pilgrims, following a reduction in Nigeria’s overall allocation by the Saudi Arabian authorities.
He said the board is determined to ensure that Kano does not lose any portion of its allocation due to delays in documentation.