This was revealed by the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, Shehu Garba, who took to his Facebook wall to drop the message.
Below is the statement by Shehu Garba:
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the National Hajj Commission and the Nigerian Embassy in Saudi Arabia to urgently account for all Nigerian pilgrims in the aftermath of last Thursday’s disaster at Mina.
The Presidential directive follows conflicting reports on the number Nigerians who died or suffered injuries in the catastrophe which claimed well over 700 lives.
President Buhari is very concerned that days after the unfortunate incident, some Nigerian families are still grappling with painful uncertainty over the fate of their relatives who traveled to Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj.
The President expects the National Hajj Commission to work with the various state pilgrim boards, Islamic organisations and private travel agencies involved in Hajj operations to speedily provide a confirmed and verifiable report on the status of every Nigerian pilgrim in Saudi Arabia.
President Buhari has also directed the Hajj Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Embassy in Saudi Arabia to give all necessary assistance to Nigerians who are still receiving treatment for injuries suffered in Mina.
He continues to pray that Almighty Allah will receive the souls of the dead, comfort bereaved families, heal the injured and bring all surviving Nigerian pilgrims safely home.
According to the chairman of NAHCON, Alhaji Abdullahi Muktar Mohammed, 42 out of the 54 that died were from states pilgrims welfare board including two officials of the commission, while others were among those on the pilgrimage by private tour operators.
No comments:
Post a Comment