The Sokoto State 2019 Hajj Operations Committee has recommended the deployment of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the planning and execution of future Hajj operations in the state.
This recommendation was part of many such contained in the report of the committee which led by the state Deputy Governor, Manir Muhammad Dan Iya.
According Dan Iya whose committee recommended the maximum utilization and integration of ICT in the conduct of future Hajj exercises, the state Pilgrim Welfare Agency (PWA) needs to collaborate with the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) in this regard.
The committee also recommended that the PWA should ensure that all Basic Traveling Allowance (BTA) due to pilgrims were given to them before their departure to the Holy land.
Dan’Iya also maintained that the state government officials should be given special Visas to enable them have easier access to the nooks and crannies of Saudi Arabia during the exercise.
The committee also recommended that the PWA should in the forthcoming exercise and even subsequently secure accommodation for the pilgrims near the Masjid-el-Haram in Mecca to enable them discharge their pilgrimage smoothly.
In addition, the committee urged the state government to intensify its training programme for all stakeholders in the Hajj exercise
Attributing the delay in presenting the report, the Deputy Governor said this was due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Responding, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal thanked the committee members for an excellent job and assured that the recommendations it made will be studied with a view to improve on discharging the administration’s obligations to the store people of the state.
