The Nationa Hajj Commission of Nigeria NAHCON, has Inaugurated National Medical Team for the 2023 hajj operations.
Declaring the event open, at the NAHCON conference room today Thursday 27th April in Abuja, Chairman of the Medical Committee Sheikh Suleiman Momoh who is also the commissioner in charge of Policy, Research, Statistics, Information and Library Services (PRSILS) congratulated the team members and called on them to be proactive in their duties as they should consider themselves lucky to be among the selected ones out of about 10,000 applicants.
Sheikh Momoh said the commission will not accept any excuse of neglegence to work while in the holy land as that can no longer be tolerared, according to him there were reports last year about people abandoning their duty posts.
“Now we have not gone to saudi Arabia as we are here, in sha Allah very soon we will start going, there are issues we have noticed in the past. Most of you are new members hear, and i want us to hear this and enternalise it, National Hajj Commission exco and the management will not condone any excuse in leaving duty post because the life of every one Nigerian is very important to us, any one who will pass judgement will know that anything that needs to be done was done except otherwise”.
“So the fact that you will go and work for two days and as soon as the Masha’ir is over that is when someone will start saying your father is sick, your sister is getting married, or you have an exams to write so that you can return home early will no longer be tolerated”.
He further coutioned some senior team members who feel they cannot work under junior officers while in the holy land urging anyone who feels that way should quickly declined so that a replacement can be made, Says having accepted to go and work has to work under whoever is in charge should declined the offer, saying the the comission is only concern about the lives of the Nigerian pilgrims and not rank of those in charge.
The Chairman/CEO Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan while inaugurating the team also draw the attention of the Medical team members to be totally compliant to the guidelines of the Saudi Arabian medical profession.
He also reminded the team of how tidious this year’s operation will be as against last year since Nigeria got its full quarter, thereby suggesting that the team put it their ethical standards into use.
He emphasised on the issue of rank and bigmanism which is not required there in the holy land.
Alhaji Hassan told the team the number of days each member will spend is spelt, the token of allowance to be given and also the services of to be rendered to the pilgrims is an amanah by the almighty Allah therefore all should endeavour to get that reward appropriately.
On his part, Alhaji Abdullahi Magaji Hardawa who is the commossioner in charge of Operations emphasised on the need for the medical team to be responsible in their duties.
“Over 10,000 people applied for this responsibilities but only 230 of you were selected it is not magic, it is the will of almighty Allah who chose you, it is not NAHCON but Allah who chose you, again just like the chairman pointed out this assignment is an amanah by the almighty Allah, if you chose to betray it it is left for you and if you do it deligently it is almighty Allah who will reward you”
“What i will want to emphasise is for you to thank Allah by rededicating yourself to this duty not by saying alhamdulilah but by rededicating yourselves to this service”
Hardawa also cautioned against the need to return home earlier saying that the Commission will not accept this from anyone.
Also, his counterpart the commissioner of Policy, Personnel Management and Finance Alhaji Nura Hassan Yakasai also added that it is really an opportunity for all the team to be selected therefore the need to show gratitute to Allah by working whether being supervised or not.
He also said the team will be given an appointment letter on the number of days to stay in Saudi and the token to be given, he further said that the biggest reward is from Allah.
He called on the team’s attention that once the letter is given, each should go through the terms and if not satisfied should take a stand before even embarking on the trip.
Responding Board Member representing the Federal Ministry of Health Alhaji Baba Ahmed also called on the team to be dutiful as well as maintain the ethics of the profession.
“We are all professionals and we are all bounded by our code of ethics, so whether in Saudi Arabia, Nigeria or whereever we are supposed to uphold that as professionals, and let me also add because you are not in Nigeria don’t think that your license and your registration cannot be threaten, because if anybody is found wanting all the regulatory bodies are under federal ministry of Health so we will do the needful”.
“So as you are chosen out of the 10,000 who applied for this it is primarily an act of God and we are suppose to discharge our duties professionally and to all of us, human beings come first not our pleasures not our comfort so i want us to remember that”.
Out of the 10,000 people that applied for the 2023 medical team only two hundred and thirty (230) were selected.
