The Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON),
Abdullahi Muhammad, has said the commission intends to accredit
journalists that will cover the yearly pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in
order to ‘sanitise’ Hajj reporting.
Mr Muhammad, who said this at the public presentation of Independent
Hajj Reporters (IHR) news website and awards ceremony Thursday in Abuja,
decried the current situation whereby journalists, who are sponsored by
various state Muslim pilgrims’ welfare boards and agencies sometimes
”work at cross purposes.”
According to the NAHCON chairman, the commission intends to select
journalists that will report Hajj and train them on the intricacies of
covering the religious rites.
“If FIFA has to accredit journalists that report the world cup, it is
absolutely necessary for the commission to accredit journalists that
should cover Hajj,” he said.
Justifying the need for the accreditation, Mr Muhammad said there are
reports that, ”many endanger the diplomatic relations between Nigeria
and Saudi Arabia which a journalist may not be aware of.”
The official implored journalists to report strictly on Hajj matters
if they go to the Holy Land and should desist from reporting issues that
have diplomatic implications.
Mr Muhammad praised IHR for pioneering the first website in the
country that is dedicated to Hajj and Umrah, hoping that the news portal
will provide credible information that will counter the misinformation
in the media about the yearly pilgrimage.
According to the NAHCON boss, Independent Hajj Reporters deserve
financial and material support as well as support in terms of ideas from
the Muslim ummah.
He also advised that IHR should not shut its doors to ideas from outside.
”Although you are the initiators of the news platform but ideas can
come from anywhere. Don’t claim ownership of the website because it is
for the Muslim ummah at large,’’ he said.
Mr Muhammad also advised IHR not to delve into the politics and
economics of Hajj affairs but should stick strictly on Hajj management.
”A lot of the misinformation on Hajj are concocted from the politics of
hajj,’’ he added.
Speaking earlier, the chairman of the occasion, Bala Ibn Na’Allah,
who is the Senate Deputy Leader, praised IHR’s initiative, pointing out
that the effort will be rewarding even in the hereafter.
He said although there is a marked improvement in the management of Hajj, ”the website should criticise where necessary.”
Mr Na’Allah recalled that there was a lot of deliberate
misinformation that was reported in the media on Hajj exercise which the
website should try and correct.
In his welcome address, the National Coordinator of IHR, Ibrahim Muhammad, said the decision to set up
www.hajjreporters.com
arose from the need to create a platform that will aggregate all
important Hajj-related stories and to serve as a knowledge-sharing
platform for all stakeholders.
According to him, Thursday’s event was not just to launch the website
but to recognise, ”those who have contributed to the rise of Hajj
administration, especially from adhoc annual arrangement, to a legally
established institution”.
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State, who bagged an award for his
commitment to Hajj in spite of the security challenges in his state,
donated N2 million to IHR.
The governor, who was represented by his Commissionerfor Religious
Affairs, Mustafa Fannarabe, also praised the initiative of a dedicated
Hajj website.
The first civilian governor of Katsina state, Saidu Barda; a former
Military Governor of Kano state, Ahmed Daku and Federal Capital
Territory Minister, Muhammad Bello were given Life Time Awards for their
contributions to Hajj affairs.
Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare Board got the overall prize
amongst state pilgrim boards while Kaduna State got the award for the
best in enlightenment and mobilisation.
Other awardees, who were honoured for their efforts towards the
passage of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria Act in 2006 include a
former senator, Jibril Aminu; a former member of the House of
Representatives, Haruna Yerima; and Kaduna State Governor, Nasir
El-Rufai; as well as former chairman of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu.
Other awardees include the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the
Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), recognised for ”prompt release of
needed (financial) support and dedicated coverage of Hajj activities,”
respectively .
Source: Premiumtimesng.com