Saudi Arabia has said the suspension of flight operations from Nigeria has no bearing on participating international pilgrims in the 2022 Hajj.
The Kingdom, through her Civil Aviation Authority, on Tuesday announced the temporary suspension of flight coming from Nigeria into the holy land as part of measures to curtail the spread of the new variant of coronavirus, Omicron.
However, a credible source from S’ Arabia Embassy in Nigeria told The Guardian that the Kingdom had no reason or intention to cancel Hajj and or, bar Nigeria from coming for the spiritual exercise.
Although Saudi government for two consecutive years now, has restricted Hajj congregation to citizens and non-citizens residing within the Kingdom as part of difficult safety precautions against the global health burden, The Guardian gathered that decision on 2022 Hajj has not been decided.
“Saudi Arabia is deploying all necessary safety measures to protect citizens, expatriates and pilgrims in the Kingdom against the virus spreading globally. And the recent flight restriction from Nigeria is temporary and has nothing to do with Hajj 2022. So, against what is being insinuated, Saudi Arabia has not cancelled Hajj,” the source said.
