Borno pilgrims’ accommodation gulps N400m
Airlifting of pilgrims from Borno state for this year’s hajj exercise began yesterday in Maiduguri with the State government revealing that N400million has been expended for the accommodation of the participants.
Governor Kashim Shettima, while addressing the first batch of 320 pilgrims, said his government had spent over N400 millions to secure the best accommodations near the holy mosques in Makka and Madina cities.
“My government had secured one of the best accommodations for the pilgrims within close distances to the holy mosques in the two cities.
Borno’s accommodation ranks amongst the very best in this year’s hajj,” he said.
He added that it has been the standard initiated and maintained by his administration since 2011.
Shettima, added that it was gratifying that the pilgrims were being airlifted from Maiduguri as against last year’s bitter experiences when pilgrims had to go to Jigawa and Kano to fly to the holy land, a situation he attributed to politics aimed at undermining his administration.
He told the pilgrims that President Muhammadu Buhari who just marked his first 100 days in office had demonstrated so much love for the people of the northeast geo-political zone and it was clear that his administration was committed to not only ending the Boko Haram insurgency but also stimulating the economy of the region.
The governor further said it was therefore a duty for all citizens of the North-east region especially those embarking upon spiritual journeys to make out time to offer prayers for the President to succeed in his effort to make Nigeria a better place for all citizens.
Shettima also urged the pilgrims to pray for the State to speedily recover from the destructions it faced and for his administration to succeed in its plans to fix the State and reposition it to compete
favorably in the league of most progressive States in Nigeria.
Daily Trust on Sunday reports that the inaugural flight took off yesterday at 3:03 pm with a second flight expected on Saturday night.
A total of 2,437 pilgrims were expected to perform the hajj from the state.