By Matthew Mahmood
Authorities in Saudi Arabia refuse entry to over 1,000 Nigerian women Hajj pilgrims because they were not accompanied by men.
—Middle East Online
Saudi Arabian officials deported 1,000 single Nigerian female pilgrims who were on the annual religious Hajj retreat. The women were deported for travelling without male chaperones. Was it the first time that Nigerian female pilgrims travelled to Saudi Arabia without male chaperones aka mahrams?
…Nigeria's Saudi ambassador, Abubakar Shehu Bunu, said it had been agreed Nigerians could perform the rites as long as they were accompanied by local officials once they were in Saudi Arabia. Bunu has lodged a formal complaint with Saudi authorities.
—The Guardian
The Saudi Arabian government ignored protests by the Nigerian government. Some of the deportees claimed that they received harsh treatment. They were not fed for two days, and were not allowed to return to Nigeria with their luggage. The Saudi Arabian government should ensure that the belongings of the deportees are appropriately returned to them in Nigeria. Saudi Arabia is a country that a lot of Nigerian Muslims hold in high esteem.
An intriguing development was that the husband of one of the female deportees also returned home with his wife, in protest, when the Saudi Authorities refused to clear his wife, even after explaining that he was the husband of the woman.
A highly placed source at the National Hajj Commission who disclosed this said that the return (in protest) by the male pilgrim in question was an indication that there was more to the stance of the Saudi authorities than meets the eyes.
He said: “On board of the plane bringing the women is also a male pilgrim. He decided to return home with his wife in protest when his explanations and entreaties to the fact that his wife was accompanied fell on deaf ears. That shows clearly that there is more to the issue than meets the eyes”.
—Vanguard
Did the Saudi Arabian authorities ‘punish’ 1,000 single Nigerian women because of Nigeria’s First Lady Patience Jonathan? Mrs Jonathan recently ‘claimed’ that she was poisoned in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; a neighbouring Arab country to Saudi Arabia.
The ‘poison’ allegation was bad for the image of Dubai. Dubai authorities said they were unaware that the First Lady suffered from food poisoning. She is currently hospitalized in a German hospital. Why should 1,000 Nigerian women suffer because of a diplomatic row? As usual, the presidential spin doctors aka Junk Yard Dogs are expected to defend the ailing First Lady.
It will be recalled that it was alleged in high and low places that the First Lady’s visit to Lagos State contributed to the cause of Dana Air Flight 992 crash in Lagos on June 3, 2012. There were no survivors. 153 passengers and aircrew died. Six people also died at the crash site. The airspace was allegedly closed while Dana Air pilots were trying to contact the control tower for help.
The spin machinery of the First Lady's office denied the allegation as a ‘callous, inhuman and devilish’ effort to discredit the First Lady of Nigeria. According to a rejoinder,'The Nigerian Air space can only be closed for 10 minutes only when an Aircraft conveying the President approaches an airport and 10 minutes after landing. A total accumulation of 20 minutes by regulations'.
