MOHAMMED MUSA BELLO: MAN OF THE YEAR
When he was appointed as the National Chairman of the
Nigeria Hajj Commission (NAHCON), no one was in doubt
about how he would handled the Hajj affiars which, was
in great shamble over the years.
The worst was the 2006 pilgrimage to the holy kingdom
of Saudi-Arabia that, left many pilgrims in virtually
all the centres not making to the holy land to
performed one of the pillars of Islam. Therefore, his
appointment was greeted with enthusaism and hope
especially from the peoiple who, know his antecedents
as a workaholic person, someone that pursue things
with zeal and commitment and above all, as a person
who was well versed in Islam coupled with the fact,
that as a religious person, he wopuld leave no stone
unturned in his effort and that of the Federal
Government towards seeing the end of the problems
faced by the pilgrims year in year out going to
Saudi-Arabia to performed the hajj.
Alhaji Mohammed Musa Bello has proved to all and even
those, who are cynical about how he is going to solve
the problems usually associated with the pilgrims
affiars in the country. The first task to be performed
by this reserved person was to go headlog in putting
down the problems of pilgrimage to the government
through a comprehensive blue-print submitted by his
commission.
Secondly, he called a meeting with various states
pilgrim agencies in order to worked out modalities on
the selection of companies, that would airlift the
pilgrims in the various airlift centres designated by
the Fedderal Government in conjunction with the then
Directorate of Pilgrim Affiars which under the full
supervision of the Federal Ministry of Foreign
Affiars.
Alhaji Mohammed because of his desire to see that
Nigerian pilgrims were accorded the respect, they
deserved liased with the Saudi-Arabia Embassy to
hasten the processing of visas for the Nigerian
pilgrims through the various states pilgrim welfare
board. This greatly helped in the delay, some time
experienced by the states pilgrim welfare agencies
which ultimately is the cause of delayance in
airlifting of pilgrims over the years.
In order for Nigeria pilgrims to have access to the
holy Ka'abah in Mecca and the prophet mosque in
Medina, he pointed it out to the states Chairmen of
pilgrim welfare agencies to liased with the agents in
Mecca or Medina to secured accomodation in area
nearest to the two holy mosques so that the pilgrims
while in the kingdom could be able to go to the
mosques. This has yeilded optimum results in the last
two years of pilgrimage.
Thirdly, Alhaji Mohamed Musa intensified the campaign
to Nigeria pilgrims on the need to curtialed their
shopping that most of the time, put some pilgrims into
serious financial difficulties in the holy land even
before the completion of the hajj rites. Most
importantly, he talked to the Airlines that were
awarded the contract to airlift pilgrims to strictly
enforced and see that all pilgrims had complied with
the stipulated approved kilogrames of 50kg.
This was done in the 2006 and 2007 pilogrimage where
some airlines especially Kabo Airline compelled some
pilgrims, who had excess laguages to leave it behind
at the King Abdul-azeez International Airport in
Jeddah.
Infact,the current Minister of the Federal Capital
Territory Dr. Aliyu Modibbo in far away Saudi-Arabia
commended the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) under
the able leadership of Alhaji Mohammed Musa Bello for
a successful conduct of the 2007 and 2008 pilgrimage
by early airlifting of pilgrims to the holy land.
There is no disputing the fact, that Alhaji Mohammed
Musa Bello has become the engine room for the conduct
of Hajj operation in the last three years-first year
as the head of the management committee of the Hajj
Commission after the disssolution of the Hajj
Commission headed by the reknowned Dr. Gwandu of the
Shehu Danfodio University Sokoto.
Alhaji Mohammed Musa Bello no doubt know the sole
reason why , he was appointed to head the Hajj
Commission and he is bend in seeing to the fact, that
Hajj operation in no distant future is devoid of the
problems besieging it like late arrival of the
Nigerian pilgrims to the holy land for pilgrimage and
departure after the Hajj excercise.
One thing that is worth commendable done by Alhaji
Mohammed Musa Bello is the position paper, he
presented to the Saudi authorities through the Saudi
Minister of Hajj Affiars on the need for the
Saudi-Arabian government to accord due recognition to
Nigerian pilgrims as equal to all pilgrims, that come
for the annual ritual without any form of
discrimination or inferior complex to be shown to the
Nigerian pilgrims by any Saudi official in the course
of performing their duties during the period that the
Hajj last.
He did not stop at that, as he reprimanded the
officials of the Directorate of Pilgrims Affiars to be
alive to their responsibilities entrusted to them by
the government towards the conduct of the Hajj
operation. This yeilded greater dividend as the
officials do all they can, in order not to be found
wanting in discharging their official functions here
at home or in Saudi-Arabia.
Alhaji Mohammed Musa Bello has within his short stay
as the National Chairman of the National Hajj
Commission proved to be a versatile administrator, who
can go all out and to any length to see, that the
assignment given to him by the government is well
acompolished. He is dynamic and well-focused in the
conduct of this national assignment and has no time,
for all sort of frivolities towards performing his
official functions as the Chairman of the National
Hajj Commission.
BY
USMAN GARBA SANTURAKI,
WRITES FROM HOUSE NO 74, TAFIDA STREET,
JIMETA-YOLA.
E-mail:usbaturaki@yahoo.com
08036180958