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Muhammed Saad
Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto; and Babatunde Fashola, the Lagos
State Governor, on Sunday, at the Murtala Muhammed International
Airport, advised Islamic pilgrims travelling for the 2010 Hajj to be
good citizens of Nigeria at the programme.

Calling on the
pilgrims to pray for the country at the ceremony, the sultan advised
the pilgrims to strictly observe the religious obligations attributed
to the Hajj operations, adding that they should desist from any form of
business activity being undertaken by some during the exercise. “We
want you to cooperate with the Saudi Arabia authorities and shun any
act that is bad,” he said. “Also hajj is a religious obligation and not
an avenue to go shopping. Whatever you want to buy in Saudi Arabia can
be bought in Nigeria at a better quality, so save your funds.”

Mr Fashola implored
the pilgrims to pray for the 36 states in the country, especially at a
time when the country is warming up for its general elections. He also
commended Mr Abubakar for his agitation for cooperation and religious
tolerance among inhabitants of Nigeria.

Muniru Bankole, the
Managing Director of Med View Airlines, one of the carriers airlifting
the pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, promised that the travellers will not be
left stranded at the end of the pilgrimage. “You can see that the
pilgrims have been checked in,” he said. “We are operating with three
aircraft. As I am talking to you, one is in Ilorin which will airlift
those from Ekiti and Ondo States, and we have one in Maiduguri to carry
pilgrims from Yobe. We are operating 18 flights, so, we hope to finish
latest November 2, 2010.”

Pilgrims heading for Saudi Arabia form Nigeria for the 2010 Hajj are 95,000.