₦airaland Forum

Hoping that this diplomatic impasse between Saudi Arabia and Nigeria be resolved soonest so as to allow the Pilgrims perform their religious obligation.

About 1000 female Nigerian pilgrims are still detained by Saudi authorities even as the two countries are still involved in “high level diplomatic talks” to resolve the impasse, Daily Trust learnt last night.


However, high level sources hinted last night that the federal government is trying to sort out the issue through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, even as the House of Representatives resolved yesterday to probe the issue.


“A letter signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs has already been delivered to the Saudi authorities over the issue. We don’t know whether they will accept it,” the source who is involved with the issue told Daily Trust last night.

Investigations revealed that apart from the initial 400 pilgrims who arrived at the holy land on board flight 17 last Sunday, 600 additional female pilgrims on flights 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22, from Katsina, Kano and Zamfara states were also detained at the airport on arrival.

The female pilgrims were detained on arrival when they couldn’t produce individual maharram, that is, the approved male companion accompanying them on the trip, usually a husband, father or brother, demanded by the Saudis.

But the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON)’s Commissioner of Operations, Alhaji Muhammad Abdullahi Mukhtar told our reporter yesterday that the it is not true that the pilgrims couldn’t produce muharram. He said the State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards (SMPWB) “qualify and identify as muharram of female pilgrims. And that has been the case for so many decades.”

He said that the situation is so confusing that “the Saudis randomly select flights to screen and detain.”

“All the 10 flights that landed in Medina were allowed into the country without any incidence. Also, flights 23, 24 and 25 were not touched at all,” he said.

Mukhtar wondered why only Nigerian pilgrims were selected for this treatment by the Saudi authorities. “In fact, there is no such issue in the memorandum of understanding signed between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia,” he said.

He said that it was not true that the first two Max air flights conveying Sokoto and Jigawa pilgrims on Sunday “were intercepted because only women were aboard.”

“Look at the manifest, all our flights carry both men and women,” he said.

Another top official said that the Saudis’ action is uncalled for because the fear of pilgrims refusing to come back home is no longer tenable.

“Since the introduction of e-passport by NAHCON adequately addressed the cases of pilgrims staying back in the holy land. In 2011, only 20 pilgrims absconded.

When did you see Saudi plane landing in Nigeria with deportees? The situation has been drastically addressed,” he said.

Reports indicate also that the pilgrims are being detained in deplorable condition. One of the detained pilgrims, Bilkisu Nasidi, who spoke to the BBC Focus on Africa programme on Monday, said that the women were being held in “terrible condition.”

She said there were about 400 of them (as at Monday) and they were being held in very unsuitable circumstance. She said they had been sleeping on the floor for three days, and an average of 200 women share four toilets.

She denied that all of them were without Maharram or guardian and that some of such guardians have opted not to leave the airport in order to give them some comfort.

“If they don’t want us to go into Saudi Arabia let them take us home, we are tired,” Bilkisu Nasidi said.

The Nigerian Consul in Jeddah, Ambassador Abdullahi Umar had told BBC Hausa Service on Monday that the Nigerian officials had been providing food and toiletries for the detained pilgrims, adding that a formal letter had been delivered to the Saudis and the issue was being taken up with the Governor of Makkah region, who would decide on the matter.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday commenced an investigation into the circumstance leading to the detention of the women whose number has now risen to about 1000 by the Saudi Arabian authorities in Jeddah.

Adopting a motion on matter of urgent national importance sponsored by Deputy Minority Leader Rep. Suleiman Kawu Sumaila (ANPP, Kano), the House mandated its Committee on Foreign Affairs to interface with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and report back today.

In his motion, Sumaila expressed shock that the affected pilgrims were people who applied for Saudi Arabian visas, and were approved by its embassy without such rules made known to them.

He said that the action of the Saudi authorities negated the long standing understanding between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia on Hajj performance.

Also, Rep. Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje (PDP,Abia) who chairs the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said her committee was interfacing with officials of the foreign ministry to secure pilgrims release.

However, Rep. Alhassan Ado Doguwa (PDP, Kano) blamed the Nigerian ambassador to Saudi Arabia for treating the issue with laxity by claiming that “he is on top of the situation” whereas “it is the situation that is on top of him.”

Meanwhile a Saudi embassy official in Abuja told Daily Trust in confidence last night that officials of the two countries were making diplomatic efforts to sort out the matter and they will address the press when the matter is settled.

http://dailytrust.com.ng/index.php/other-sections/lead-stories/177563-nigerian-female-pilgrims-in-detention-now-1000

Hi Guys,

I wanted to let you in on a great
opportunity available to you at:

http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-34049

This is the PERFECT solution if you would love to begin
making money online, but at this point aren't ready (or willing)
to create a successful online businesses of your own.

(It just doesn't get any easier than this...)

Stone Evans, "The Home Biz Guy", has agreed to set you up
with your very own *customized* online business package...

... at no cost!

Each package includes a personalized website designed to
promote a hand-picked selection of some of the TOP Internet
marketing products online.

Your site ALSO includes a built-in email follow-up system
including a pre-written 400-day email autoresponder campaign
through which you can build your *own* list of subscribers!

But the best part is, Stone will do all the set up work of
customizing and even uploading your website at no cost!

You've got to check this out right away!

This is a professional online business package that would
take most people *years* to develop and setup, yet Stone will
setup your website for no cost, normally within 24 hours...

(...Please allow an extra day or two in this case due to
the tremendous demand that there will be for this
opportunity - Stone is just "one guy" and will obviously be
setting up each website request one by one.)

So how do you get started?

Just follow the 3 simple steps on this page:

http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-34049

Once you get there, just follow the 3 quick and easy steps
that Stone needs you to complete so that he can get to work
setting up and personalizing your new online business!

There are people -all around you- making money online...

Now YOU can get in on the action *regardless* of experience
level: No HTML. No uploading. No payment links.

NONE of that stuff to mess with!

Stone will even show you how to *promote* your new site
step-by-step using FREE and/or paid promotion techniques.

This is it. Your chance to create an online cashflow as
quickly and easily as possible. No excuses left! :-)

Here's that link again:

http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-34049

Sealeddeal: Dana's aircrash was not planned by the Dana's group.its an unfortunate event and aircrash will not stop anytime soon in nigeria history or even,in history of world because aircraft is man made.So,if FG have found out that Dana airline operate accordingly,then lifting suspension on them is in order.Aircrash is not the only place where nigerians lose their life.Thousand of nigerians lose their life annualy on road mishap alone and govt will neither construct good road nor suspend license of some transportation industries involved.and the masses will not protest or speak up.just because,its basically the poor that die through road accident.unfortunately,that same poor people are now speaking and being used by rich to oppose govt's plane to restore license to Dana as if it concern them.and beside,govt attention was much drawn by Dana's aircrash than road accident happening daily.Dana's aircrash was not and is still not,to me,a sad event.As long as road accident continues due to govt intent to avoid road construction and putting up proper measure to forestall road mishap,my prayer remain that aircrash continues.death is death.

Spot On. No vex too much My prayers is that air-crashes don't continue. Most road accidents are not necessarily due to bad roads but carelessness on the part of drivers due to over speeding.

Thought moves were on ground for dialogue

morufoye: Nigeria's democracy is the most complex in the world. We fared better in the military era. Should we say we are not matured enough for democracy? I think a government led by people who were trained to sacrifice their lives for the nation is better than that being led by rogues, robbers and thieves.

In as much as I would agree with with you of the unfortunate situation at the National Assembly; believe me, we are better off under a democracy (we can have our own unique democracy). Worse things happens under the Military you may not just be aware of, even where you are aware, you cannot voice out the way we are doing now. What is needed is we march our words with action (non-violent), just like what happened during the fuel subsidy removal demonstration across the country, then our so called leaders will know we can't just be taken for granted. Drop this thought of Military, they are no good, am sure you are old enough to have experienced them.

If indeed Otedola was sure his company has not and is not entitled to drawn from the subsidy regime, he does not need
to lose any sleep about this when he could easily have called in his lawyers to clear his company's name. Going by happenings in Nigeria, anything is possible, his company may not be eligible to partake in the subsidy regime but being a big player in the sector, it is possible to get any "pie" in the sector if he wants to with the pool of corrupt officials available. Both parties are claiming to have documents and home video clips, let the security operatives do the right thing. One thing should be made clear, whether Farouk initiated and collected bribe or not or that Otedola engaged the services of a nollywood film director to get clips of the bribery session or not, implement the report as passed by the house. This is just a smokescreen the sweep the report under the carpet. We are not deceived.

What a waste of time and resources. Just playing to the gallery

bendazum: From what I see in my charts,this week will be a profitable week.I will make use of my past experiences in Forex and Bom to dole out cash this week.It's all well.Let's go there!

Yes BOSS! We dey wait

cryptic: Hmmmm...Boko haram....hmmm, Boko haram.....

Can't say for sure yet.

monkeyleg: Was this plane from Lagos to Abuja or Abuja to Lagos? Please can someone confirm

Abuja to Lagos. RIP

My brother you just exposed you mum to ridicule You do not even need to bring this
here, some would by their comment annoy and disrespect you further. You know what to do,
if that friend of yours try disrespecting your friendship by his lustful pass on your mum further,
you show him the door. What non sense

Walai you are very lucky

Kamardiran: thank God.....he is not my father...........

Too much over reliance on oil revenue. The State ought to have by now developed other viable income generating sectors
comparable or even surpassing the oil revenue.

Thanks have accepted the frienship request and sent my number to your inbox. Thanks man!

bendazum: YOU ARE RIGHT.I AM A PROFESSIONAL BETONMARKET ANALYST.I HAVE ADDED YOU.ACCEPT THE FRIENDSHIP REQUEST AND INBOX ME YOUR PHONE NUMBER.

@bendazum
Have been on betonmarket for sometime now with nothing to show forth. From what I have read sofar shows to a large
extent that you know your way round this market. Hoping that you tips would put me back on tract.
please hit me on ojgreat.ng@gmail.com