On Sunday, the Governor of the Centre of Excellence (Lagos), Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat paid for the compulsory medical screening for the Lagos state’s intending pilgrims on pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Lagos State Ministry of Home Affairs’ political head (commissioner), Ibrahim Layode, revealed this at the official kick-off of the medical exercise held in Badagry Local Government Secretariat, Ajarah, Badagry.
Commissioner Layode who is also the Amir-ul- Hajj spoke on Governor Sanwo-Olu’s and his deputy’s stand on the the wellbeing of the pilgrims.
He hinted that the state governor mandated pilgrims going for the holy exercise in Saudi Arabia to ascertain their medical fitness before they embark on the journey. He said medical doctors and other medical practitioners were selected from general hospitals in the state to carry out the exercise.
He maintained that results would be released after the blood, urine and other samples collected from them must have been critically examined and analyzed at designated general hospitals, to confirm their true health status and help to know how best to manage them during their stay in the Holy land.
“Mr. Governor and his deputy felt deeply concerned about the economic hardship in the country and decided to foot the bill of the screening to alleviate the intending pilgrims of the cost of the screening which was N50,000 last year.
Unlike previous years when the intending pilgrims were assembled in a centralized location for the screening, the state government decided to decentralize this year’s exercise to ensure that every pilgrim is adequately screened in line with international best practice and fulfillment of the pre-requisite for traveling abroad” he said.
Commissioner Layode appreciated Governor Sanwo-Olu and his deputy for the good gesture.