TheCable

A Saudi minister in charge of hajj on Thursday commended Nigerian pilgrims to this year’s pilgrimage for their discipline and comportment at the airport in Jeddah.

Abdullah Marghalani, who is the assistant deputy minister, ministry of hajj and Umrah affairs, made the commendation when he received AbdullahI Mohammed, chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), in his office at King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah.

He said since the start of the operation, he had not received any information of any misbehaviour by any Nigerian pilgrim.

The minister also commended the dedication and hardwork of officials of the commission at the airport, adding that their action had contributed to the smooth flight operation being experienced in the homebound journey.

“Both your pilgrims and staff have been cooperating with us in the task of delivering seemless service at the airport,’’ Marghalani said.

The official pledged to continue to work closely with the officials to ensure smooth operation.

He suggested for more enlightenment programmes for the pilgrims to enable them understand activities involved in the pilgrimage to ensure smooth operation at all levels.

Earlier, chairman of the commission had commended the minister and his staff for their cooperation, which he said had greatly eased the operation at the airport.

He said Nigerian pilgrims and officials would continue to cooperate with the Saudi authorities to ensure improvement in the activities of the pilgrimage.

Mohammed congratulated the Saudi government and citizens on the occasion of the Saudi National Day, which was observed on Thursday.