Kaduna State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, on Thursday, appealed to Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) for more international passports for the 2022 intending Hajj pilgrims from the state.
Executive Secretary of the board, Dr Yusuf Arrigassiyu, made the appeal when he received the Comptroller of NIS in the state, Mr Odeh Adapoyi, in his office.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Arrigassiyu assumed office as the new executive secretary of the board on May 10.
He noted that there were lots of passport requests waiting for approval by the command.
Arrigassiyu described NIS as a very important agency, saying that without its support, the board cannot operate effectively.
He said that the screening of intending pilgrims would take place at the hajj camp instead of the airport.
“We hope that all agencies involved in the hajj operation, in terms of screening the intending pilgrims, will bring all their equipment to the hajj camp for the exercise.
“This will help in transporting the intending pilgrims straight from the hajj camp to the terminal for the trip to the Holy Land,’’ he said.
The executive secretary expressed the board’s readiness to work with NIS to have a hitch-free hajj exercise.
In his remarks, Adapoyi said that it was the responsibility of NIS to ensure that only qualified pilgrims got screened and allowed to participate in the hajj exercise.
“As you are aware, we are a very strategic and important agency, meaning that if we don’t issue you passports, there is no way you can travel out of the country.
“This is why we want to ensure that only qualified people are screened before they are allowed to travel,” he said.
The NIS comptroller assured the leadership of the board that its request for more passports had been approved by the national headquarters of NIS.
He said that more passports would soon be made available in the state. (NAN)
