The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Tuesday said it would deploy a robust Information Technology (ICT) platform for the registration of intending pilgrims for the 2017 Hajj.
The Executive Chairman of NAHCON, Alhaji Abdullahi Muhammad,said this at an interactive session with Punjab Information Technology Board and IT Personnel of State Pilgrims Welfare Boards in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Punjab Information Technology Board is a Pakistan-based organisation that develops IT Hajj platform for participating countries.
The NAHCON boss disclosed that the Pakistan Government had offered to develop a full-fledged IT Hajj platform at no cost to the commission.
According to him, the commission, during the 2016 hajj operation, visited the Director General of Pakistan Hajj Mission in Mecca and solicited his assistance in the area of IT.
Muhammad said Hajj operations would continue to be IT friendly for the rest of time, adding that IT was a reality that had come to stay.
“We cannot continue to register pilgrims manually and give room for allegations and counter allegations or allow room for people to manipulate and exploit innocent pilgrims.
“Whether it is going to be 100 per cent successful or not, we have to start to test run the ICT platform system and where we have challenges, we will work to overcoming them.
“We will instruct all the state pilgrims’ welfare boards, agencies and all the private tour operators to key in,” he said.
According to Muhammad, the IT drive of the commission for the 2017 Hajj will be in the areas of online registration and creating help desk for the pilgrims’ complaints.
He also said that the commission would continue to engage Punjab Information Technology to develop other modules such as medical component that would assist in administering medical services to the pilgrims.
“We believe that if Nigeria has a robust IT Hajj platform, it can be used for the entire West Africa and most African countries.
“I believe if Nigeria gets its Hajj IT right, we will reduce substantially the challenges being faced by Hajj managers not only in Nigeria but even in Saudi Arabia,’’ Muhammad said.
Mrs Saima Shaikh, the Director, Development and Training, Punjab Information Technology Board, said that the platform would enable NAHCON to provide better service to the pilgrims in the coming years.
Shaikh also said that the IT platform would cover all the processes of Hajj from registration, orientation, processing of visa, transportation to the pilgrims return from Hajj.
“Basically, we are in Nigeria at the request of NAHCON which visited us during the 2016 Hajj in Mecca and saw how IT is facilitating Pakistan Hajj operation.
“They requested that we should come and assist in developing their IT platform and after bilateral agreement between our countries, we are here to redeem our pledge,” Shaikh said. (NAN)
SSI/HAS/YAZ
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