A National Forum on the organization of Hajj and Oumra opened on Monday, January 30, 2023 at the Niamey Congress Center, under the chairmanship of the head of government Mr. Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou.
Placed under the theme, ” the organization of the Hajj and the Oumra in the Digital Age ”, this meeting which is organized by the Prime Minister’s Office, is intended to comb through the whole issue of organization of the Hajj and the Umra, and put an end definitively to the recurring problems which undermine the organization of the Hajj and the Umra in Niger.
During this two-day meeting, the participants will debate on two themes, namely ”the digitization of the organization of the Hajj and the Umrah” and ”the diagnoses and perspectives of the organization of the hajj and the Oumra in Niger based on the sub-themes of transport, accommodation, supervision and catering”.
”This forum, the first of its kind, should not be another one. it must not be a rat race to defend by all means corporate or professional interests,” said the head of the Nigerien government at the opening of the work.
Mr. Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou to let it be known that “anxious to establish and promote good governance, as provided for in my government statement under the impetus of the President of the Republic who has initiated a series of forums bringing together all the players concerned in the sectors where the scale of the challenges requires innovative responses following a shared diagnosis and analysis”.
Also, recalled the Prime Minister, ”the organization of the pilgrimage to Mecca involves many challenges and deserves, like the forums that my government has organized on public companies and non-governmental organizations, that it the subject of a forum bringing together all the players with a view to finding appropriate solutions to these challenges.
After noting that the list of shortcomings noted by observers in the organization of the hajj and the Oumra is long and quite simply reflects a real failure, Mr. Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou to cite, among other things, the non-embarkation of candidates for the pilgrimage who have accomplished all formalities; the uncertainty of outward and return flight schedules; the difficulties of online registration on the GAHO software; the high number of travel agencies; the embezzlement of funds from some hajj candidates by unscrupulous promoters.
This is why the head of government recommended preparing accordingly to deal with these possible difficulties.
”We must develop a great capacity for anticipation for the success of the pilgrimage, and prevent our fellow citizens who have paid all the expenses from being able to perform their hajj or perform it in poor conditions,” he said. he proposes.
”For this year, precisely, I have instructed the Commissioner in charge of the organization of the hajj and the Umrah to start without delay, the preparations for the Hajj 2023, because as you all know, the countries are subject to deadlines. often incompressible and measures to ensure in particular the quality of the services offered to pilgrims”, revealed the head of the Nigerien government.
”To this end, each actor must effectively discharge his share of responsibility, without interference, whether he is a representative of the State, COHO manager, head of agency or defender of consumer rights or pilgrim” , he said.
Finally, the Prime Minister therefore invited the actors to ”fruitful, innovative reflections which will consecrate the break with the trial and error and improvisations that we had known, reflections which will allow our country to be cited in example in the organization of Hajj and Umra”.
Previously, the chief of staff of the Prime Minister, also president of the said forum, Mr. Laouali Chaibou, for his part, recalled that a Nigerien delegation recently took part in the 2th edition of the conference and exhibitions on Hajj and Umar services called “Hajj Expo 2023”, at the invitation of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
According to him, this event is a framework for exchanges as a prelude to the 2023 hajj, the main objective of which is to make the appropriate arrangements to provide pilgrims with quality services.
M laouali Chaibou to invite everyone to make this objective his own so that the organization of the Hajj is a success in accordance with the will of the highest authorities of Niger.
For Hajj 2023, Niger has benefited from a quota of 15,891 pilgrims, without age restriction, i.e. double the year 2022, we note.
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• Gentlemen the Presidents of the Institutions of the Republic;
• Ladies and Gentlemen Members of the Government;
• Ladies and Gentlemen, Deputies;
• Gentlemen Governors of the Regions;
Mr. Deputy Mayor, President of the City Council of Niamey;
Mr. Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Niger;
.Distinguished Traditional Leaders and Religious Leaders;
. Dear Guests;
• Ladies and gentlemen participants;
First of all, I would like to thank you for your presence.
at the National Forum on the organization of Hajj and Umra
in Niger, the first of its kind in our country. Your presence
confirms to me all the interest you have, individually
and collectively, to the proper organization of Hajj and
Umrah in Niger.
The hajj and the umrah are among the most meritorious works
and the best ways for a muslim to get closer
of Allah, his creator.
Moreover, the hajj which constitutes the fifth pillar of the faith
Muslim is an obligation for any Muslim who has the
financial and physical capacity.
Anxious to establish and promote good governance,
as provided for in my general policy statement, my
government under the leadership of His Excellency Mohamed
Bazoum, President of the Republic Head of State, has committed
a series of forums inclusively bringing together all
stakeholders in sectors where the magnitude of the challenges requires innovative responses following a shared diagnosis and analysis.
Organizing the pilgrimage to Mecca comes with challenges
numerous and deserves, like the forums that my government has organized on public enterprises and non-governmental organizations, that it be the subject of a forum bringing together all the players with a view to finding appropriate solutions to these recurring challenges.
Ladies and gentlemen
The diagnosis of the situation relating to the organization of the pilgrimage to the Mecca of Nigerien pilgrims is easy as the problems and failures are the front page of the newspapers and social networks at each edition.
Without going to the exhaustiveness of the list we can quote:
The non-embarkation of candidates for the pilgrimage having
complete all the formalities;
– The uncertainty of the outward and return flight schedules;
-The difficulties of online registration on the software
GAHO;
-The high number of travel agencies;
-The embezzlement of funds from some hajj candidates
by unscrupulous agency promoters;
-The poor quality of the accommodation or accommodation very far away
places of worship;
-The poor quality of the restoration;
– The delay in the routing of the luggage or even the loss of the luggage on the return;
The insufficiency or even absence of supervision by certain agencies.
Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see from the
list of shortcomings observed by the observers of
our organization is long and simply reflects a
real failure. Yet pilgrims pay full price or all
is planned, calculated and quantified including a comfortable profit margin for the agencies.
Rather than being a moment of communion and serenity of
pilgrim facing his Lord, the Hajj has become a source of
haunting for the simple and good reason that the pilgrims are not
not sure of being transported to a healthy place on time, of being housed in decent conditions, of having a healthy diet,
to be well supervised to carry out the various rites or
yet to come back with all their luggage, etc.
Obviously it doesn’t work. Instead of being a source of
blessing and joy for the pilgrims the hajj has become for
them a real ordeal.
Instead of being an opportunity for mutual aid for their fellow citizen
the hajj has become a source of big profits for the
more and more travel agency promoters and
less scrupulous, eager to make margins
additional charges on reasonably calculated charges.
Ladies and gentlemen,
For Hajj 2023, Niger received a quota of 15,891
pilgrims, without age restriction, i.e. double that of
Last year.
With the doubling of the quota, we have to expect new
difficulties in the organization. You have to prepare,
accordingly, to deal with these possible difficulties; he
must develop a great capacity for anticipation for the
success of the pilgrimage, and to prevent our fellow citizens who have
paid all fees cannot perform their Hajj
or perform it under poor conditions.
For this year, precisely, I have instructed the Commissioner
instructed the Organization of Hajj and the Oumra to begin, without delay, preparations for Hajj 2023, because as you know, all countries are subject to deadlines often
incompressible and measures to ensure in particular the quality of the services offered to pilgrims.
One of the measures taken by the Saudi authorities is the
opportunity for Hajj organizations to deal with
approved companies and establishments that meet the standards
required and to the requirements of the pilgrims.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The purpose of this forum is to propose courses of action
to improve the efficiency of the organization of Hajj and
Umrah. We absolutely have to think outside the box.
This forum should not be one more. It doesn’t have to be a
rat race to defend by all means
corporate or professional interests.
It should not be a place for settling scores.
Rather, it should be a space for diagnosing the causes of
evil and the appropriate responses to it.
It must be a space for constructive exchanges but without taboos
to successfully organize Hajj and Umrah this year
and the years to come.
To this end, each actor must effectively discharge its
share of responsibility, without interference: whether he is a representative of the State, COHO manager, head of agency, defender of consumer rights or pilgrim.
I invite you, therefore, to fruitful reflections,
innovations that will consecrate the break with the
trial and error and the improvisations that we had known,
reflections that will allow our country to be henceforth
cited as an example by the countries, in terms of the organization of the Hajj and the Umrah.
With this, I declare open the work of the National Forum on
the organization of Hajj and Umrah.
Thank you.