My lifein Saudi Arabiya

LAMIRU MUHD B.U.K, KANO

SPS/09/GMC/00003

P.G.D. MASS COM

ONLINE ASSIGNMENT

10/9/10

 2^ND STORY

MY LIFE IN SAUDI ARABIYA 2007

It was 2007 November when God Almighty called me for Hajj (Pilgrimage), as we always say. It was November ending when we heard over the radio that the pilgrims from Jigawa State, Local Government of Kiyawa, Jahun, Kafin Hausa should immediately get ready and come out to kano airport, because our plane is coming/arriving in the night, with warning that anybody who delays should blame nobody but himself, because the plane will take-off in that night of its arrival.

So I prepared myself, very happy going to the holy land to perform my first Hajj, at the same time I was so unhappy and worried, because I am leaving my family and relatives going to the new and far place in oversea, but is something inevitable I must go. So I said good by to my family and asked them to forgive me, because I don’t know whether I may come back or not. My wife Hauwa and my children Munzir, Ahmad and Abduljalil, all boosted in tears, crying praying and saying goodbye to me.

So I left my house to airport with aim of leaving the country to Saudi Arabia. When I reached there I went to the Jigawa State office for more information, our team leader told us that we have to wait till when  the passports arrive, when the passport arrived my team leader called out the names and mine was called, so I collected my own passport. I counted the traveling allowance inserted there in everything was correct, so I was very delighted, but for some it was a sad day because they did not get passport and some got their own missing because of carelessness as result of old age or illiteracy that was the beginning of our problems.

After, we were asked to go to the boarding area for checking, because the plane is about to land. It was Mangal Air that will take us to holy land so we started rushing helter-scholar to go and qui a line. The boarding center is an open area with only Veranda no rooms, no stores with few toilets, the weather by that time was cold because it was hammatan, so we waited, there was no checking and the plane did not arrive.

So we found ourselves sleeping outside on veranda no food no room no mat no pillow no blanket and it was hammatan. We spent more one week, some of us who were very near they went back and became day pilgrims coming every day to check, some went and brought mat, blanket e.t.c. some they bought them with their money from the neighbouring shops. Some like me found themselves in dilemma, if you go back home you don’t have peace of mind, if you stay here you are expose to danger.

So we suffered a lot some were affected with illness or sickness such as fever, dysentery, vomiting e.t.c. This terrible situation completed us to demonstrate within the Hajj camp, the demonstration was covered by some press media like freedom radio Kano, radio and even Jigawa State radio.

This demonstration made Jigawa State Government to send some delegations of Commissioner (s) directors together with the secretary Jigawa State pilgrim board, to come and address and persuade us to be patient, they are trying to solve the problem with Mangal Air, at the end they gave us some food allowance for this inconvenience, but at the end Mangal Air couldn’t beat the deadline, so another plane was hared from Libia I think, that was the plane that took us to Saudi Arabia together some top government officials including the wife of the governor.

So in the evening we arrived at Jiddah airport after screening we came out from airport. Before our arrived to Jiddah we were promised by the government that each of us will be given Ihram clothes and a plate or dish of rice and chicken called in Hausa Shinkafa Kaza, so we were all happy because to an ordinary Nigerian Shinkafa Kaza is a special food for big and rich people, but on reaching there we found that the food was cheap, common to every one, even from the dust bean you can eat chicken and satisfy.

We noticed a lot of differences between Nigeria and Saudi Arebiya there is security in Saudi Arebiya anywhere and time, the life is easy because what ever you need is available and very cheap, the light is more their available activities were going on day and night you can eat to your satisfaction even if you don’t have money because charities come from every angle known as Sabil, though the government of Jigawa had done it best too.

So we stayed in Maccah for more than 30 days we performed our pilgrimage said our prayer and supplication without or with little problems, I have to confess here that throughout my life I have never eaten beef, chickens, eggs, juice, date and milk to the best my satisfaction till when I went to Hajj 2007 in Maccah May Good Almighty bless and protect the government of Jigawa and the people of Saudi Arebiya Ameen.

December ending 2007 we were asked to carry all our loads and baggage’s to go back home (Nigeria) that was the beginning of the next problem. So we were supplied with two bags small and big to put our properties/items so every one of us went to the markets bought what ever he wanted and filled up the bag. Later Hajj official announced that the big bag is to big is more than 40kg therefore we have to reduce it to 40kg or we must pay for the access, the pilgrims said no, why were they given the bigger one? How can they come out with this order after spending their money they should be informed before but not now.

This led to clashes between official of Hadeja Local Government and their pilgrims which necessitated the Jigawa State government to intervene by taking the responsibility of paying access kilograms of our bags, so we were taken to Jiddah airport to Nigeria during a very harsh weather of hamatan which was more harsh or harsher than that of Nigeria we spent more than 7 days in the airport no food, no money, no rooms and blanket and the food in the airport was very cost there is no charity (Sabil) because Saudi Arebiya government is expecting  every country to leave the airport as soon as they reach there within few hours.

We stayed in this bad situation later we were taken by Kabo Air so warrted, very dirty and weak. May God Almighty bless us with good leaders like those of Saudi Arebia Ameen.

Link with Kano State international airport, with Jeddahinternational airport with Maccah on Ka’abah, with Madinah or mosque of Prophet Peace be upon him.