Hajj: Don wants 10 years ban for old timers

Dr. Umar Labdo of the Kaduna State University has suggested that any Nigerian who has performed the Hajj once should not be allowed to do so again for 10 years.

Labdo, who teaches Islamic studies in the university, made the suggestion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.

He said the suggestion became necessary because of the increasing demand by some states for additional seats during the yearly pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia “which cannot be met’’.

NAN reports that the Saudi government admits only two million people from around the world for the yearly Hajj, so as not to over-stretch available facilities.

Of the number, Nigeria is allocated 95,000 seats which is shared among the states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Last year, the Saudi government introduced a policy which restricted the performance of Hajj by any Nigerian to once in five years to give opportunity to first timers.

However, the implementation of the policy was deferred to 2011 following the plea by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria that it would disrupt preparation for the 2010 Hajj.

Labdo said that since it was not possible for the Saudi government to increase Nigeria’s quota to meet states’ requests for more seats, the only option was to impose a ban.

Anybody who has performed Hajj once should not be allowed to go again until after 10 years, to allow those who have not performed Hajj before to do so,’’ he said.

The injunction is that one should perform the Hajj once in his or her life time “if he or she can afford it,’’ he said.

Labdo said that if one performed the Hajj once and “does it properly, he or she should feel fulfilled and give room to first timers”.

He advised those who sponsor the same people to Hajj every year to invest their money in the education of the children of such people.

“If you sponsor somebody to Hajj once, if you still want to help him or her, invest in his or child’s education,” Labdo said.

The lecturer noted that many man-hours “are lost whenever a civil or public servant, who is not a first timer, goes on Hajj every year,’’ adding that the government should do something about it.