19th February, 2018
Independent Hajj Reporters, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), has called for the establishment of biometric centres across the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) for data capturing of intending pilgrims for the 2018 Hajj.
The National Coordinator of the CSO, Ibrahim Muhammad made the call in a statement in Abuja on Monday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Saudi Ministry for Hajj and Umrah Affairs had introduced compulsory Biometric Data Capturing for all Hajj and Umrah pilgrims worldwide.
According to Muhammad, the call for the establishment of the biometric centre has become necessary as about 80 to 85 percent of pilgrims from Nigeria are from rural areas and are mostly farmers.
He said for the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to successfully capture the biometric data of intending pilgrims, there was the need to establish data capturing centres in all the 774 local governments in order to ease the process.
He recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari raised concern recently over the hardship being faced by intending pilgrims over the new biometric policy when NAHCON Chairman, Abdullahi Muhammad briefed him on the 2018 hajj, and the new policies introduced by the Saudi Authority.
Similarly, Muhammad said that the Hajj and Umrah licenced Private Tour Operators had also expressed concern about the policy, which had posed a serious challenge to their intending pilgrims.
“Large number of people who wanted to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform their religious ritual had been inconvenienced by the new policy as they had to spend days in Abuja, Kano or Lagos for their biometric verification, wasting precious time and resources.
“Since only Kano, Abuja and Lagos have the data capture centres, we wonder how the three centres will cater for a country with 95, 000 hajj and over 1.5 million Umrah pilgrims.
“We are concerned that our pilgrims will be subjected to serious hardship unless the government of Saudi Arabia suspends this policy in the interest of the Muslim ummah,” Muhammad said.
He said since the Saudi security officials had to screen and capture biodata of all pilgrims on arrival, it is my opinion that such biometric records be used for whatever security or other purposes this new policy was set to achieve.
The coordinator, therefore, appealed to Saudi Authority to consider the implication of this policy on millions of Muslims who may be discouraged from fulfilling their fifth pillar of Islam.