Independent Hajj Reporters, a civil society organisation that monitors and reports Hajj and Umrah activities, has called on the federal government to deploy diplomatic measures to engage the government of Saudi Arabia to end the flight suspension placed on Nigeria by the Kingdom of over Omicron variant of Covid-19.
The group said Nigerian Hajj Operators had suffered financial losses running into billions of Naira as a result of the ban.
IHR in a statement on Friday by its national coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammad, said it acknowledged the proactive efforts of Saudi Arabia in protecting the Holy Sites and Muslims from the virus that resulted in restricting countries that has reported the Omicron variant.
The statement appealed to Saudi Arabia to queue into the World Health Organization’s advice against blanket travel bans over omicron and lift the suspension on Nigerian pilgrims.
It read in part, “However, it is our hope that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is aware that other countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, who had earlier invoked flight suspension on Nigeria based on Omicron, have now lifted the suspension.
“In addition, United States had on Tuesday lifted the travel ban initially imposed on South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi over Omicron; after United States Center for Disease Control recommends lifting the travel restrictions arguing that such restrictions are no longer necessary to protect the public health.
“More so, Nigerian Hajj Operators being the fifth Hajj/Umrah facilitators has suffered serious financial losses running into billions of naira. Many of the operators have closed shop with many more in debt with no special bail out or hardship curtailment assistance from any quarter.”
