Group unveils plan for ₦10bn Tinubu Hajj training centre

By Uchenna Eletuo

A pilgrims welfare group, The Like Minds of Ulamah Community Development Association, South-West Nigeria has unveiled plans to raise ₦10 billion to build the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Hajj Training and Resource Centre.

The centre will educate people on a smooth pilgrimage, focusing on visa applications, insurance, logistics, welfare, and conduct in the Holy Land, the Islamic group said at a fundraising event and lecture on Sunday in Lagos.

The centre, to train intending pilgrims’ trainers from the South-West, will be located in Lagos State.

The centre will feature a central mosque, ablution facilities, a multipurpose hall, administrative and logistics block, vocational training centre, and more.

The event had the theme: “Hitch-Free-Hajj: The Spiritual Gain of The Renewed Hope”.

Speaking at the event, Dr Abdullah Ahamad-Jebe, Chairman of Like Minds of Ulamah Community Development Association, said the centre would help eliminate stressful and disappointing experiences for intending pilgrims.

Jebe, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Islamic Affairs, said the centre would equip potential pilgrims with the necessary knowledge for travel to the Holy Land.

According to him, the centre will train trainers who will then educate intending pilgrims in the states, ensuring they meet statutory requirements.

“Recent experiences on Hajj operations show that a lot improvements has been accomplished. The coming of the centre will be value addition,” he said.

Also, Commissioner, Operations National Hajj Commission, Mr Anofiu Elegushi, said that with no fewer than 256 Ulamahs in Lagos, processing tour to Mecca had become easier.

Elegushi said airlifting of the 2026 Hajj pilgrims will start on May 3. (NAN)