Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat pray with 1,600 Lagos pilgrims on Arafah Day
CHIGOZIE AMADI
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his Deputy, Dr. Kadiri Hamzat, joined the 1,600 Lagos pilgrims performing this year’s Hajj in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in a prayer session on Mount Arafah.
The Governor and his Deputy, who made separate video calls to the state’s pilgrims as they performed the core Hajj rite, congratulated the pilgrims on reaching Arafah. They prayed for a rewarding and accepted Hajj. They also prayed for their safety on the return journey.
Deputy Governor Hamzat prayed for the pilgrims and urged them not to take the privilege for granted, describing Hajj as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be guarded jealously.
The pilgrims expressed appreciation for the calls and prayed for the success of the Sanwo-Olu administration, for Dr. Hamzat’s victory as the incoming Governor, and for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 general elections.
In his remark, Amir-ul-Hajj and Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ibrahim Layode, thanked the Governor and Deputy Governor for connecting with the pilgrims, stressing that the gesture showed their compassion and commitment to the welfare of the 1,600 Lagos pilgrims.
Layode also commended the pilgrims for their good conduct and explained that the return schedule for Lagos pilgrims will begin on June 6, in line with the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria’s timetable, while assuring that all pilgrims would be airlifted within a week.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Islamic Matters and Chairman of the 2026 Hajj Ad-hoc Committee, Dr. Abdullahi Jebe, praised the pilgrims for being orderly and law-abiding.
He also thanked the Governor and his Deputy for finding time to call and pray for them, while also commending Saudi authorities for improvements at the Arafah camps, including the provision of more functional air conditioners, toilets, and adequate water supply.
On his part, Board Secretary of the Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Mr. AbdulHakeem Ajomagberin, appreciated the State Government for making the Hajj operation seamless and convenient, saying that free medical screening, inoculation, payment for Ihram clothing and Hady ram, and visa processing, among other programmes, were put in place to make the exercise stress-free for Lagos pilgrims.
