Averting Nigerian Pilgrims Death

The House of Representatives’ Committee on Foreign Affairs last week queried the management of the National Hajj Commission over the death of 44 Nigerians during this year’s Hajj. We think that even the death of one Nigerian in an unlikely situation should worry us, but to lose 44 is too much.

While demanding a full report on the circumstances of the death, the committee also noted that the high level of deaths recorded was not just worrisome but attributable to the alleged dirty and unhygienic condition that Nigerian pilgrims, especially the women, were subjected to during the exercise.

The lawmakers therefore directed the commission to forward the report as soon as possible and that the report should include particular reference to where the Nigerian pilgrims encountered difficulties that resulted in the unprecedented number of death.

This is even as it congratulated the hajj commission for its success at the last Hajj, especially over the handling of the issue of male guardian in which a sizeable number of Nigerian female pilgrims were returned to the country for lack of a mahram (a male guide).

Apart from allegations of unhygienic conditions of places they were quartered, authorities of the pilgrims’ board are supposed to ascertain some facts about intending pilgrims so that those with terminal ailments, unsatisfactory health records, over-age travelers among others were not allowed to travel.

The Tide commends the House of Representatives for instigating an inquest into a tragedy that has become recurrent, but has continued to be regarded as normal. Unfortunately, the attitude of many Nigerians over the years towards the death of Nigerian pilgrims is rather sad.

No investigation has ever been carried out after such deaths nor have relatives of the diseased taken up the matter with the authorities. Yet, the same cannot be said to be the case with pilgrims from other nations. We think everything is wrong for Nigeria to behave like nothing happened when her citizens die.

The suspicion after the recent tragedy is that strict conditions were usually not enforced by officials. This has resulted in a situation where many people travel to Mecca every year for businesses other than for religious purpose and many of the travelers hardly pass the required medical certification before being allowed to embark on the journey.

Other factors that should be queried for the high death toll during the 2012 pilgrimage to Mecca include: change in weather condition, the stampede during the stoning of the devil and the belief by some faithfuls that it is a mark of honour to end one’s life at the holy land.

The point needs to be emphasised that the sponsorship of Nigerians to Mecca and Jerusalem is designed to assist citizens achieve spiritual rebirth; become better citizens and acquire a wider world view that would promote  their spiritual aspiration and mutual co-existence in Nigeria.

Over the years, it has become increasingly clear that most of those who partook in the spiritual journey never imbibed those ennobling values. This is why some people are asking if the money often expended on religious pilgrimages by Nigeria and its component states is not a waste.

This is not to say that the government should not be concerned about the safety of her citizens who travel outside the country on private economic or spiritual pursuits; Government’s concern should indeed stop at using relevant agencies to ensure the safety of its citizens.

A situation where some State Governments with debilitating economic and social challenges record as their major achievement in a year, the sponsorship of pilgrims to the holy lands makes the whole idea a joke.

The House of Representatives probe should serve as the beginning of a critical look at the whole idea of pilgrims’ sponsorship in Nigeria. The way Nigerians embark on emotional trips to do things that cannot support socio-economic growth in the country should worry this corrective regime. The needed changes must take place for the expected progress to take place.