Bauchi State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board ( BSMPWB) has expressed gratitude to the
Almighty God for successfully conducting this year 2024 pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

According to the board, all the 2,682 pilgrims from the State had returned home safely, and that got over 10 to 15 years, they have never had such a peaceful, credible, rancor-free, and successful hajj exercise like the one they performed this year, 2024.

This was made known by the Executive Secretary of the board, Imam Abdurrahman Ibrahim Idris.

He told a press conference in
Bauchi State that the board witnessed its sixth and last flight back home, thus ending this year’s pilgrimage.

“We use six aircraft for the airlifting exercise, and both traveled to the Holy Land in Saudi Arabia and back,each took nine days by the chartered aircraft,” Idris said.

He further explained that Bauchi State pilgrims were adequately accommodated in Mecca, Madina, and Mina while in the Holy Land, and the whole exercise took them 38 days as against the 43 days previously spent.

Idris described this year’s hajj exercise as the best so far, attributable to early preparations and an easy procedure for obtaining visas for the State’s pilgrims.

The executive secretary also revealed that the Saudi Arabian
authorities had just released the timetable and schedules for the 2025 Hajj saying it will facilitate the smooth conduct of the next exercise.

He also commended Governor
Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed for his moral and financial assistance, without which Bauchi would have conducted the exercise with only one aircraft.

The board secretary expressed dismay over the inadequate basic travelling allowance (BTA) of the pilgrims, which is slightly over $400.

He explained that this situation made Governor Bala Mohammed.to gift $100 to each of the pilgrims.

The board scribe further revealed
that these were in addition to the Sallah gift of 300 Riyals to each of the Bauchi pilgrims, while his wife, Dr.A’isha Bala Mohammed,gifted each of them praying and bed sheets.