Governor Masari to Constituted New Katsina State pilgrims welfare board to ensure proper Coordination and Smooth Exercise of 2017 Hajj Exercise.

katsina state Governor, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari has pledged to revisit the Act establishing the state pilgrims Welfare Board to free it from political manipulation.

Governor Masari was speaking shortly after receiving the 2016 Hajj report from the chairman of the Board, Alhaji Ado Shinkafi at Government House, katsina.
The Governor explained that the activities of the pilgrims welfare board should be purely religious devoid of political sentiments.

He assured that credible persons would be constituted to serve in the pilgrims welfare board before the next Hajj exercise.

Alhaji Aminu Masari expressed displeasure that the connivance of officials of the pilgrims welfare board made some pilgrims to loose their accommodation in Mecca.

He added that the same connivance made some pilgrims who are mostly from the rural areas to be shortchanged in their Basic Travelling Allowances-BTA .
The Governor maintained that officials of the pilgrims welfare board discovered to have substituted 100 dollars bill with one dollar bill would be severely punished to serve as deterrent to others.

He said the state government would also investigate how some international pilgrims got their visas from the Saudi consulate through the state
 pilgrims welfare board.

Governor Masari was also not happy that some staff of the pilgrims welfare board that were sent as advanced team were made to travel empty handed and had to wait for the arrival of Management team to function.

Earlier, the chairman of the board, Alhaji Ado Shinkafi told the Governor that the seventeen man committee is pleased to report that the 2016 Hajj operation could best be described as the most successful in recent years.

Alhaji Ado Shinkafi explained that the state government had played its role properly in the pre-hajj preparations, stressing that the resources committed in subsidising pilgrims accommodations in Mecca has been justified because of the relative proximity to the ka'aba.

He commended the support of the Governor' s gift of three hundred riyals to each pilgrim from the state,which is none to any other state in the federation.

Alhaji Ado Shinkafi however complained of some lapses recorded which include the cheating of some unsuspecting pilgrims in the BTA exchange, unbecoming conduct of some pilgrims and officials in spreading false rumors and the non performance of some staff of the board.

He later presented four recommendations to the Governor for the general improvement of future hajj exercises in the state.