Osun State pilgrims in Saudi Arabia have protested discrimination in food served them where officials of the State government are served quality meals, while poor food are served to ordinary persons.
The Nigerian pilgrims from Osun State who are dressed in white Jellabiya, are seen in a video criticising what they had been provided to eat since their arrival in Saudi Arabia, lamenting their poor treatment despite huge payment as Hajj fees.
According to them, since their arrival in the Holy land of Saudi Arabia, they had been provided with two eggs and four slices of bread for the past days.
The pilgrims who are heard speaking in Yoruba dumped their food on the doorstep of the room of the Amir-ul-Hajj, Alhaji Maruf Isola at the hotel where they were lodged in Makkah, saying that their food allotments were insufficient.
They expressed disappointment that they could not access adequate meals despite payment of N2.9 million each as Hajj fare.
“For the past four days, they have been feeding us with four slices of bread and two eggs. But now we can no longer endure because the officials and members of the board are being fed with special food.
“But it is from the money that we paid that they are being taken care of. That’s why we are protesting,” one of them said.
The Osun State Muslim Welfare Board, on the other hand, has refuted reports of poor feeding of the state’s pilgrims in the holy land.
This was made known on Sunday by the Board’s Administrative Secretary, Bolaji Sanni on behalf of the Amir-ul-Hajj, Ishola.
Ishola dismissed the allegation of poor meal arrangements for pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, describing it as completely baseless and unfounded.
“The board will not leave any stone unturned to correct such erroneous impressions being created in the minds of the innocent public.”
“The alleged poor food being purportedly served to the pilgrims was a political mischief intentionally fabricated by fifth columnists to willfully disparage and malign the good reputation of the Board.
“All the pilgrims are in good spirits in the holy land and doing well as they look forward to performing some of the last hajj rites very soon without any problem whatsoever,” it added.
