Re: How's Hajj movement in Africa doing?
FG Diverts Virgin Flights to Jeddah
S/A bound passengers stranded in Lagos
From Josephine Lohor in Abuja, 01.05.2006
In a bid to ensure that intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia stranded in Nigeria were airlifted, President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday directed Virgin Nigeria to divert its flights to the Holy Land.
This development, however, caused confusion last night at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja wihen intending passengers to South Africa were told at 8.50pm that their flights had been cancelled due to "orders from above".
The President had yesterday morning appealed to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Sultan Ibn Abdulazeez Al-Saud, through a telephone discussion so that thousands of Nigerian intending pilgrims get the opportunity to fulfill one of the basic requirements of the Muslim faith.
Obasanjo's intervention subsequently led to the extension of the deadline placed for the arrival of Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for this year's Hajj.
With this, the stranded pilgrims estimated to be about 13,000, will be allowed into Saudi Arabia for the Hajj up till 8 AM today (Friday), January 6, 2006.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media Matters, Mrs. Oluremi Oyo, told newsmen yesterday that "without President Obasanjo's intervention to secure a landing extension for them, the remaining Nigerian pilgrims would not have been able to participate in this year's Hajj as the deadline for the arrival of pilgrims expired yesterday (Wednesday)".
She added that "also, in furtherance of his continuing efforts to ensure that all remaining Nigerian pilgrims are expeditiously airlifted to Saudi Arabia before the expiration of the new deadline, president Obasanjo has directed that Virgin Nigeria be contracted immediately to join in conveying them to the Holy land.
"The Federal Government sincerely regrets the inconveniences that the diversion of Virgin Nigeria's planes to the airlifting of pilgrims may cause its international passengers and appeals for their support and understanding of the government's need to ensure that thousands of Nigerians are not prevented from fulfilling their religious obligations", Oyo added.
Leader of this year's Hajj and Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Nasir Mantu, had Wednesday night disclosed that last-minute efforts were being intensified by the Federal Government to apply "for extension but we are yet to receive any official extension from the Saudi Government, but we are hoping to get one by mid night.
"We have invited the Saudi Ambassador to Nigeria and we are working together to ensure that we get an extension. The Nigerian Envoy to Saudi Arabia is also working in concert with the Saudi authorities to see that we get an extension", he added.
But yesterday evening, intending passengers on Virgin Nigeria flights who were not aware of the development were left in the lurch at the airport where they were told their scheduled flights had been cancelled at the instance of the federal government.
When Virgin Nigeria officials announced at 8.50pm that their scheduled flight to South Africa had been cancelled, there was pandemonium as many passengers began to complain loudly.
One of the stranded passengers told THISDAY last night that such attitude on the part of the Federal Government "without consideration for the rights of intending passengers, is a sad and tragic decision and now we can understand why Nigeria Airways died and Virgin Nigeria may go the same way if this kind of attitude continues."
A Virgin Nigeria official who spoke on condition of anonymity last night said the development was "very, very unfortunate"
According to him, their passengers in London and Johannesburg have also been left stranded and "the implication could be very bad for our business. We never imagined we would be faced with this kind of situation, Nigeria should learn to separate business from politics", he said.
source (Thisday)