Thousands of intending pilgrims from Nigeria may miss the 2024 Ramadan Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia over the decision of the authorities to stop issuing Umrah visas.
Already, the development is fueling anxiety and agitation from intending pilgrims with the Ramadan fasting crossing 11, reports Daily Trust.
Also, hajj and Umrah operators may be exposed to huge financial losses from hotel bookings in Makkah and Madinah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
It was reliably gathered that several flights meant to convey intending pilgrims for the Umrah exercise are already being cancelled or rescheduled.
A source told our correspondent that a flight that was supposed to depart from Kano to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, with over 300 intending Umrah pilgrims, failed to leave because most of the passengers could not secure their visas.
The Ramadan is an Umrah season in Nigeria and other countries around the world as Muslims strive to spend the last 10 days of the one-month fasting in Saudi Arabia to perform lesser hajj.
But this year, the plan of many Muslims is threatened by the decision of the Saudi authorities not to issue visas to the intending pilgrims with many of them already agitated.
In Kano, hundreds of Umrah intending pilgrims are still waiting to get entry visas to perform lesser hajj.
Agents finger new policy
Some travel agents blamed the situation on a new visa policy introduced by authorities in the Saudi kingdom.
Kano Zonal Chairman, Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON), Haruna Ismail, said the visa policy with three months validity and two weeks duration of stay is responsible for the current slow issuance of the visa for intending Umrah pilgrims.
Ismail said many pilgrims had secured the visa since Rajab (the 7th month in the Islamic calendar) but delayed entry till Ramadan (the 9th month) because the visa has three months validity.
According to him, some pilgrims overstayed their duration in the kingdom because they did not fully understand the concept of three months validity.
“Once a client pays for an Umrah package and his visa is delayed or not given, then we have to either reschedule his ticket or refund his money and either way is a loss,” the agent explained.
Similarly, Abdulaziz Sabitu Mohammed, AHUON Vice Chairman, said more than 7, 000 Umrah intending pilgrims have secured visas but did not enter the kingdom.
He said 260 of his clients have their air tickets ready but no visa yet, adding that only about 40 clients have secured visas for this year’s lesser hajj unlike the previous years.
“From our estimation last year, Saudi Arabia received more than 25 million Umrah pilgrims out of which, three million performed Umrah in Ramadan, but this year, because of the new visa policy, three months validity and duration of stay of two weeks instead of one month, made many to overstay in the Kingdom. There were people who visited since Sha’aban (8th month) and stayed after performing the Umrah,” he said.
Mohammed said they have discussed the issue with the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, and hopefully, before the middle of Ramadan, the problem will be resolved.
Intending pilgrims agitated
But intending Umrah pilgrims are not finding the situation funny as many have gone to the extent of paying excess money just to secure the visa.
Some are willing to pay as high as N2 million for the visa, which normally costs less than half a million naira.
An intending pilgrim, Babangida Danazumi, told our correspondent that he used to travel with six others in a group every year, but none got a visa this time, forcing them to reschedule their tickets in anticipation of the visa.
He expressed anger that they spent nearly one year preparing for the trip, but were disappointed, calling on NAHCON to intervene.
Another intending Umrah pilgrim, Sadi Hamisu Ala, said he has been waiting for his visa since last month and is still waiting eight days after commencement of the Ramadan fast.
“Our booking was March 15, but we have to reschedule it because the visa is not ready. I belong to a group of eight persons and we bought our tickets seven months ago, believing that visas will be easy as every year. Usually, it is cheaper to book ahead and it makes things easier,” Ala said.
He appealed to NAHCON to intervene, saying most pilgrims pray for leaders and the country while in the holy land.
President of the AHUON, Alhaji Yahaya Nasidi, in a chat with our correspondent, confirmed the development, saying 90 per cent of intending Umrah pilgrims would miss the hajj because of the non-issuance of visas to intending pilgrims.
He said, “It is just unfortunate. Many people have cancelled their flights. The predicament is that most travel agents have made arrangements for hotels for the pilgrims and the pilgrims are not going. We don’t know how it is going to be. There would be a huge loss on hotels particularly.”
He stated that NAHCON is handicapped in handling the issue, adding that many people would miss Umrah during this year’s fasting.
Why S/Arabia stopped visa issuance
Our correspondent learnt that the decision of Saudi authorities to stop issuing visas was due to overcrowding as some intending pilgrims who were granted visas previously did not leave the country.
A statement from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah earlier in the week read in part: “Permits to perform two or more Umrah pilgrimages will not be issued during the holy month. This move is to ease congestion and provide the opportunity for all other pilgrims to perform Umrah in ease and comfort during the holy month.”
When contacted, spokesperson of NAHCON, Hajia Fatima Sanda Usara declined to comment.
