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Latest on 2024 Hajj Airlift and the National Medical Team
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
By 15th of May 2024, the outcome of preparations for the year’s Hajj season would manifest with the planned take-off of 428 passengers on FlyNas airline to Saudi Arabia.
The inaugural flight is scheduled to take-off with Kebbi state pilgrims from the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport (SABIA) in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital.
To witness the occasion are diplomats, members of the Hajj industry with the Vice President, His Excellency Sen. Kashim Shettima as Special Guest of Honour. An advance team of officials comprising medical personnel from the National Medical Team (NMT), media staff, accommodation officials, few feeding committee members, select members of the Central Security Committee members as well as the National Reception Team departed Nigeria on Sunday 12th to receive the pilgrims. The onward airlift to Saudi Arabia will last until 10th day of June or hopefully earlier. Pilgrims will travel in groups of 45 according to Saudi Arabia’s guidelines; missing out from the group could come with consequences as stated by the host country.
Two other flights are scheduled to take-off on same day of the inaugural flight with pilgrims of Nasarawa and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from the Abuja International Airport.
Subsequently, two flights would take-off each day in the days following the inaugural flight to gradually increase to five flights daily. 15 Airports have been designated for the 2024 Hajj exercise. About 65,047 pilgrims from both public and private sectors are expected to participate in the 2024 Hajj.
While all Hajj operational committees are critical to the success of every Hajj, the NMT is one of the most sensitive after the Aviation Sector. Composition of the team attracts interest of the pilgrims as well as prospective personnel. Hence, on the 12th of February 2024 The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) launched the National Medical Team (NMT) portal inviting interested candidates willing to volunteer their medical services for the 2024 Hajj pilgrims to register on the portal within two weeks. By the end of the registration deadline, 19,832 had applied. Out of this total only 7,532 scaled the first screening test of submitting duly completed e-forms.
It would be recalled that at the time of inviting interested candidates, the following criteria were clearly spelt out as yardsticks for qualification into the medical team. That:
i. Doctors and Pharmacists should be between the ages of 28 to 60 while nurses and Environmental / Community Health Workers should be between 22 to 60
ii. Applicants must not have participated in the last three NMT operations vis-à-vis, 2019, 2022 and 2023.
The only exceptions to this category are principal officers selected to lead the team from the onset as well as few regular members from the past teams who were recognized for excellence. Their selection is automatic.
iii. Must be in active service at the time of application
iv. Must be ready to work for 28 days and stay in KSA for 45 days.
The Medical Team, led by Dr Abubakar Adamu Ismaila from the Federal Min of Health and Social Welfare (FMH&SW) as Head of Medical Mission, along side selected staff of NAHCON in the NMT Committee conducted the assessment of applications. Other Principal Officers entrusted with the task are Pharmacist Ibrahim Babashehu (Registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria) as Head of Pharmacists; Dr Saidu Ahmed Dumbulwa, Institutional Representative of FMOH & SW on NAHCON’s 5th Board, Matron Zainab Garba Mamu (Retired Director FMOH& SW) holds the position of Head of Nurses and Dr Zaiyad Garba Habib (University of Abuja Teaching Hospital) is Head of Doctors.
At the end of the exercise, out of the 7532 correctly submitted applications, 1295 applicants were dropped for selecting payment option for their medical services instead of volunteerism as requested, while another five where similarly dropped for failure to indicate their choice of whether volunteerism or for a fee. Another 1,307 applicants were disqualified after indicating that they had participated in the medical team within the last three Hajj seasons. On the other hand, NAHCON’s data revealed another 175 applicants who either concealed the fact of their participation in the previous years or gave false information on that claim. A breakdown showed 37 of them participated in the 2019 NMT, 60
Those who participated in the 2022 medical team and 78 were members from 2023 National Medical Team.
They were eliminated. Another 135 were also eliminated based on age while 43 were rejected for submitting multiple applications. In total, only 4861 eventually scaled the second round of screening.
Interestingly, out of these 4861 successful candidates, only 140 would be shortlisted according to official medical quota allocated to the country by Saudi Arabia. In the past, it used to be one medical personnel to 1000 pilgrims.Nevertheless, because the Commission understands the peculiarity of Nigerian pilgrims for health care demand, NAHCON supports additional medical personnel among its overall quota to supplement Saudi’s formal allocation. Despite this gesture, overwhelming medical attention persists among Nigerian pilgrims while in the Kingdom.
The reader is invited to kindly take note that the overall NMT is constituted of 60% workforce selected and presented by the various states’ pilgrims’ welfare boards from the state level.NAHCON contributes only 40% of the medical staff.
Though of recent, the reverse is almost the case due to financial weaknesses of some state governments that rendered them incapable of sponsoring medical staff in the NMT. The Commission would not relent in augmenting critical services for the welfare of Nigerian pilgrims thus bears the brunt.
To meet its own 40% medical staff support, NAHCON conducts random balloting to select members of the NMT.
Thus, by the end of the balloting and collation, out of the 140 that were successfully shortlisted, three more were dropped for failing pregnancy tests, they have since been replaced.Hence, notification has been sent to successful candidates to serve as members of the 2024 Hajj National Medical Team.The team will be working under three major clinics in Makkah and one in Madinah which is located on Quran street. In Makkah, the Main Office is in Masfala Kudei where most pilgrims are accommodated. The two other major clinics are in Al-Tayseer and Masfala Shari Hijr. Medical
Personnel are not posted to individual state accommodations because the Saudi authority does not recognize state boards running individual clinics. NAHCON thus establishes few outpost stations to decongest the three main clinics. Erecting the outpost stations depends on certain factors that can only be determined while in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. About 50% of the medical personnel will be provided with portable first aid kits to move around with for timely medical intervention.
During the five days of Hajj rites, NAHCON would run one clinic in each of the 15 pilgrims’ field offices in Muna. In addition, the Commission will run mobile clinics in Masha’ir while ambulances belonging to state welfare boards shall be deployed to the sites as back-up.
The Commission’s deep desire to guarantee welfare of pilgrims gave impetus to the exhaustive efforts put in place for success of the Hajj season.
Usara is Assistant Director, Public Affairs and writes from NAHCON
A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu on Thursday, told a Federal High Court in Abuja that, Kanu’s broadcast led to the killing of a former Senior Special Adviser (SSA) to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak, and others.
In a recorded session played before the trial Judge, Justice James Omotosho, the prosecution witness, an official of the Department of State Services (DSS), led by Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, alleged that Kanu’s broadcast in which he ordered followers to “deal with” anyone violating his sit-at-home directive directly preceded the murder of Gulak on May 30, 2021.
The witness, the second so far called by the prosecution said, he was part of the DSS’ team that investigated the complaint made against Kanu by the then Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, and that, the defendant’s broadcast also led to the killing of a retired judge, Justice Stanley Nnaji and an intending military couple, Sergeant Audu Lucas, Private Glory Matthew.
The witness said Kanu, in one of his broadcasts, ordered his followers to enforce a sit-in at home in all South-Eastern states, and as a result, many people who went out of their houses on that day were killed.
He said investigation revealed that Sergeant Lucas and Private Matthew were not only killed by those who were enforcing Kanu’s sit-at-home order, but they were also beheaded.
The witness said investigation also revealed that before killing Gulak, those enforcing the sit at home directive by Kanu, blamed him (Gulak) for coming out on a day their leader asked people not to go out of their homes.
Kanu, however, denied responsibility for the violence, insisting that his movement is non-violent and that IPOB cannot be involved in any criminality.
He admitted operating a radio programme but denied that his broadcasts led to killings in Lagos during the End SARS protests, arguing that Lagos is not within the Biafran territory.
The prosecution’s witness, codenamed PWBBB, claimed that the video evidence linked Kanu to violent acts, including the burning of police stations and the beheading of officers in Lagos.
Kanu said he was not directly involved in the day-to-day running of both organisations (IPOB and ESN), which he said were managed by their states’ coordinators.
The defendant also said, in the video, that he made broadcasts in respect of the End SARS protest and other broadcasts on Radio Biafra.
Kanu, who said he facilitated the establishment of ESN, explained that the organisation was necessitated by the killings of the people of the South East and faulted the invasion of his house by armed soldiers, which he said accounted for why he left the country for fear of being killed.
He argued that the invasion was unnecessary and also faulted the manner he was arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria.
He said the protest in Lagos during the End SARS protest was outside the Biafran territory and that the destruction witnessed during the protest could not have been due to his broadcast.
Kanu said he does not have authority over his members, adding that if he had authority over them, he would not have subscribed to the referendum; he would have just pronounced Biafra into existence.
In the video, Kanu denied that IPOB is responsible for the violent attacks in some parts of the south east and the killings witnessed, adding that “IPOB is a peaceful movement. The IPOB is a non-violent movement.”
Defence counsel, Paul Erokoro, SAN, objected to the admissibility of the video, requesting time to consult further.
Following agreement by lawyers in the matter, Justice James Omotosho adjourned till May 14, 21 and 22, 2025 for further hearing.
By Gloria Ikibah
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, has said the fight against poverty in Nigeria must start at the community level.
Representatives by the Chief Whip of the House, Rep. Isiaka Ibrahim, at the inauguration of a new House Committee focused on community and social development on Wednesday, Abbas stressed that real change will only happen when policies are designed to meet the everyday needs of people in towns and villages.
He also called on the government to create people-friendly programmes that reduce the gap between the rich and the poor.
The event, held at the National Assembly in Abuja, marked the official takeoff of the Committee on Community and Social Development Agency/NG-Cares. Abbas urged members of the Committee to approach their work with honesty and a genuine desire to help struggling Nigerians.
By Francesca Hangeior
White smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, signalling that cardinals locked inside have elected a new leader for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Thousands of pilgrims and curious onlookers in St Peter’s Square cheered and applauded as the smoke appeared and bells began to ring, indicating the 2,000-year-old institution has its 267th pope.
All eyes now turn to the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to see who has been elected to succeed Pope Francis, an Argentine reformer who died last month after 12 years as leader of the worldwide Church.
The new pontiff will be introduced in Latin with his chosen papal name and address the world for the first time.
He faces a momentous task: as well as asserting his moral voice on a conflict-torn global stage, he faces burning Church issues from the continued fall-out from the sexual abuse scandal to the Vatican’s troubled balance sheets.
Some 133 “Princes of the Church” from five continents — the largest conclave ever — began voting on Wednesday afternoon.
Sworn to secrecy, on pain of excommunication, their only means of communicating their progress to the outside world was by sending up smoke through the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.
On Wednesday evening and then again on Thursday lunchtime, the smoke was black, emitting disappointed sighs from the tens of thousands watching.
But on Thursday afternoon just after 6pm (1600 GMT) the smoke emitted was white, confirming that the Catholic Church has a new spiritual leader.
By tradition, he now enters the Room of Tears — where freshly-elected popes give free rein to their emotions — to don a papal cassock for the first time, before returning to the Sistine Chapel so the cardinals can pledge their obedience.
He will then appear on the balcony along with a senior cardinal, who will announce to the waiting crowds “Habemus Papem” (“We have a pope”).
The pope will then give a short speech and impart his first “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”) blessing.
The election has come at a time of great geopolitical uncertainty, which was seen as a key voting issue, along with the rifts within the Church.
Francis was a compassionate reformer who prioritised migrants and the environment, but he angered traditionalists who wanted a defender of doctrine rather than a headline-maker.
Some 80 percent of the cardinal electors were appointed by Francis. Hailing from 70 countries around the world, it was the most international conclave ever.
That was no guarantee, however, that the cardinals would pick someone in his vein.
The question was whether to choose a pastor or diplomat, a liberal or conservative, someone versed in the Curia — the Church’s governing body — or a relative outsider from areas of the world where Catholic faith is thriving.
Before the cardinals were locked into the Sistine Chapel Wednesday, their dean Giovanni Battista Re urged them to choose someone able to protect the Church’s unity.
The next pope must also be able to lead “at this difficult and complex turning point in history”, amid raging conflicts around the world and the rise of ultra-nationalist parties.
The Church has also had difficulty in adapting to the modern world, with declining priest numbers and increasingly empty pews in the West.
The papal inauguration usually takes place less than a week after the election with a mass celebrated before political and religious leaders from around the world.
The new pope will likely do a tour of St Peter’s Square in his popemobile for the first time, before delivering a homily outlining his priorities.
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