Date: 2017-08-19

History was re-enacted a fortnight ago with the commencement of airlift of muslim pilgrims from the Ilorin International Airport to the Royal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for this year's hajj exercise aboard Med-View Airline Boeing 747. AHMED 'LATEEF witnessed the airlift and filed this report.

One thing that is constant in life is change. It is usually caused by dynamics of time; to some observers, it is a phenomenon that one has to live with day in, day out. Even when all other things in life remain stagnant, change has a way of maneuvering itself and make certain alterations. This could be effected either gently or violently and positively or negatively, the situation at hand, determines how it occurs. And whichever way it comes, one must live by it.

There is indeed a radical change in happenings of life, which in itself calls to question how man has been able to navigate his way out despite the obvious challenges that most time, accompany the change process. Expressly, man, by nature, is averse to change. He prefers to remains with the status quo. It has therefore come to fore that change is a reality that man has to live or contend with.

But one is bemused as to why change has become so rapid in the 21st century. Thanks to Information, Communication and Technology (ICT). It is indeed a major revolution in the way and manner business is conducted in all spheres of life. Today, it is seen as a major ingredient that has not only stabilized business transactions, but also ensure smoothness in the day to day running of affairs.

Whether in banking, education, communication firm, industry and most importantly aviation sector, technology has become pervasive and a phenomenon of some sort that one is compelled to live with or be crushed.

The advent of technology in the aviation sector in particular is an incontrovertible boost in the running of the sector. All processes involved in the flying on airspace have practically been revolutionized technologically, so it is expedient for players in the sector to also key into this and see how best they can ensure comfort, safety of air passengers aboard and develop the aviation industry in all ramifications.

Apart from the fact that passengers besiege airports in the country to catch flight to their respective destinations daily, there are designated periods that people travel through airspace abroad either for special programmes or holy pilgrimages. In Islam for instance, it is mandatory for able and capable muslims to embark on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia as the fifth pillars of Islam.

As an annual exercise, muslims all over the world converge on the holy land of Mecca and Madinah to seek the face of Almighty Allah by offering supplications and series of prayers in order to receive His bounties and blessings.

To posit that the conduct of the holy pilgrimage with movement of pilgrims from various parts of the world has since been revolutionized by technology, is an understatement.

In Kwara State, there is a radical but positive change in the way and manner hajj operation is done for muslim pilgrims, thanks to Med-View Airline, an official carrier for the exercise. Though the airline had a partnership with the Kwara State government in the past when pilgrims were transported to the holy land, the partnership was severed at a time for an undisclosed reason.

However, with a peace deal involving Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and the management of the Med-View Airline led by its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Alhaji Muneer Alade Bankole, which was held during Ummrah (lesser hajj) some two months ago in Mecca, the airline did not just resume operation for airlift of pilgrims but also commenced normal flight schedules for passengers from Ilorin International Airport.

The deal, which made Med-View Airline as additional airline company in the state, is gradually turning Kwara to a major aviation hub in the Northern part of the country. Passengers now fly with ease aboard the airline from Ilorin International Airport on.

A fortnight ago, it was a promise kept for Med-View Airline when it began airlift of muslim pilgrims from Ilorin zone to the Royal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The pilgrims, mostly women, were screened by officials of aviation agencies including Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service and other security agents before being allowed to board Boeing 747 belonging to Med-View.

The Med-View aircraft, a double decker airplane, touched down at about 10:36am at the airport where the pilgrims were ushered into it at about 10:45am. Prior to the arrival of the aircraft, officials of the airline were already on ground to ensure that the exercise was hitch free from the beginning.

It was observed that the take-off of the pilgrims on the commencement day of August 3, 2017 was a paradigm shift in the history of holy pilgrimage in the state, going by rigour and challenges that usually confronted the exercise in the past. This alone attests to the impact of technology in the entire process of planning and airlift of the pilgrims.

At the airlift witnessed by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Med-View Airline, Alhaji Muneer Alade Bankole, the state Amir Hajj, Professor Sulaiman Jamiu, Manager of Ilorin International Airport and a Permanent Secretary in the Governor's office, Alhaji Abdulrafiu Ayinla, no fewer than 460 pilgrims departed the airport to Saudi Arabia.

Reports indicated that all the pilgrims landed safely in the holy land and commenced pilgrimage activities in almost immediately. Pilgrims of other batches had also been airlifted

Speaking on the exercise, the Med-View Airline boss told reporters that the departure of the pilgrims as scheduled had shown the commitment and sincerity of the airline to the exercise.

Bankole, who described the pilgrimage as an exercise that every muslim is desirous to perform in own lifetime, urged the pilgrims to conduct themselves as law abiding citizens while in Mecca.

He thanked the state government for appointing his airline as an official carrier for the holy pilgrimage and promised to deliver quality service as done in the past.

"We pray for the government and the people of Kwara State and Governor Abdulfatah Ahme for this noble effort, because it is not an easy exercise. This is a journey for every muslim to fulfill in his or her lifetime. So, Med-View airline, being one of the appointed carrier, we are here to stay because we have come to show commitment and sincerity for the project of the airlift of Kwara state pilgrims, like we have been doing in this past years", Bankole said.

In his own view, the state Amir Hajj, Professor Jamiu assured that all pilgrims from the state would be airlifted in accordance with the schedules.

He said the figures of the pilgrims being evacuated for the exercise were so overwhelming and reiterated that their departure would not be delayed.

The Amir Hajj applauded the state government for entrusting his team with the responsibility and given it the wherewithal to succeed.

"We are very grateful to Allah, who has made it possible to have a successful beginning. As a matter of fact, the number that we have is so huge, and from the look of things, we are going to evacuate our pilgrims in a very short while because the first one that departed contained 460 pilgrims while the next one is taking 220 and there is another one Flynas that would take about 560.

"I want to assure that all our pilgrims would be airlifted in a short while. We are grateful to the state government, particularly Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, who has given us all what it takes to succeed and we pray that he and his government will succeed", he said.

Some of the pilgrims, who spoke to aboard the aircraft, expressed satisfaction with the arrangement put in place for the exercise.

With was described as early commencement of the airlift of the pilgrims in the history of hajj exercise in the state, pundits expressed hope that the med-view airline would sustain the tempo.