Katsina PWB : GOVERNOR RADDA HAS VOWED TO IMPROVE THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PILGRIMS WELFARE BOARD - Board Chairman
By Kabir Ahmed S/Kuka
The Governor of Katsina State, Malam Umar Dikko Radda, has expressed his determination to further improve the activities of the State Pilgrim Welfare Board to ensure that it is run properly. Sarkin Alhazai na Katsina Alhaji Kabir Bature, who is also the Chairman of the Pilgrim Welfare Board appointed by the Governor recently, told our correspondent in an interview in his office at the board's premises that the first thing the Governor did was , calling them to the holy land with his colleague, that is, the Executive Director of the Board Alhaji Yunusa Dankama to ensure that the people of the state will be able to perform the Hajj for the coming year 2024 in a good atmosphere. The Sarkin Alhazai who is a neutral person in the matter of the Hajj Operations said, "even before giving us the appointment letter of these positions, the Governor, called us where we were in the holy land because he was there with the President Bola Ahmed Tunibu, and without wasting any time we met him there together with Executive Director Alhaji Yunusa Dankama
"When we met him, he told me that he wanted to personally see that the pilgrims of the state were improved. He said that he would not allow the Hajj to be ruined. He really wants to see the problems that affect the Hajj will solve. The first thing he did was to follow the places where the pilgrims were accommodated until he found suitable ones with no conjunction, full room with enough space to relax for the pilgrims during their stay in Makkah, and near Harami where people stay to perform their Friday. He did the same to those restaurants.
The Chairman of the Pilgrim Welfare Board added that Governor Malam Umar Dikko Radda did this to ensure that he improved the work of the board and the work of Hajj for the people who came from Katsina State. "Since I am serving the Hajj, I have never heard or seen that even the Secretary of State not the Governor go to Saudi Arabia to ask for privileges for the pilgrims when they go to the Hajj, except for Governor Radda, which clearly shows that he is a person who wants bring progress to his community in every aspect.
However, the chairman said that the biggest challenge they are facing is the issue of paying the deposit in a specific situation and at a certain time which is said to be paid quickly. "We know that there is nothing that we can change from the operations, for example, Arfat day or Muna's stay, or throwing stones and others. Our main appeal to the people is to come out and pay these fees before the specified time,that's the end of this month of December, 2023. We have more than 4 thousand seats but we have not yet reached a thousand people, despite the influence we have every time this operation comes. But we hope we will get people before the time is over. There are discussing with the government of Saudi Arabia and NAHCON to make the time more flexible because the Saudis have said that they will close the offering visa 50 days before the Arfat day. Also, we hope that some amounts will be reduce from the amount of the operation that the people will pay. Here I want to use this opportunity to call on our people who want to renew this plan to hurry up and pay before the time runs out. We know that most of the people who come for Hajj Operations are farmers and Our businessmen, we have seen how this year's season has been, this has given us more confidence that we may even have to ask for more seats from NAHCON because we have filled the ones that were given to us.
At the end, the chairman of the board expressed his gratitude to the Governor Malam Umar Dikko Radda for giving them this opportunity to serve Islamic religion. He further praised the Governor for the way he is fighting terrorism in the State which the community always praises and prays for him because they see it for themselves and it is not news. The Sarkin Alhazai further called on the people of state to continue supporting the Governor to see that he fulfills the promises he made and the responsibilities that God has entrusted to him.