The chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman Pakistan, has commended President Bola Ahmad Tinubu and his Vice President, Kashim Shettima, for their intervention in resolving the BTA-to-intending-pilgrims-via-ATM puzzle.
The NAHCON chairman stated that their intervention compelled the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to rescind its earlier decision to issue ATM cards instead of cash to intending Nigerian pilgrims.
He remarked that, although no nation’s citizens can afford to be left behind in an ever-changing world, new innovations can only be meaningful and beneficial if gradually and systematically infused and assimilated by a society at its own pace, taking into account and appreciating its culture and background.
Professor Pakistan stated that Hajj handlers must put on their thinking caps to determine how best to address the issue of BTA via ATM or cash, before it evolves into another subject of public discourse and debate, as witnessed last year and again this year. He noted that the world is dynamic, constantly changing and advancing, which makes it imperative for Hajj handlers to be proactive in keeping pace with the continuous transformations and shifting tides of global social relations.
He observed that the chief concern surrounding the new policy is that most Nigerian pilgrims are rural dwellers who are often unfamiliar with the country’s banking systems, let alone those of the wider international community. Furthermore, he said the ATM machines in the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah are grossly insufficient, especially considering the two to three million pilgrims who gather in the holy land annually. He added that it is often difficult to find as many as five such machines in the areas where pilgrims reside in the two cities.
The NAHCON chairman stated that, following this year’s Hajj, the commission would convene with stakeholders, under the guidance of the Vice President, to find a lasting solution.
