Hajj: FG, State Govts Provide Succuor To Intending Pilgrims, Subsidises Hajj Fares

As the deadline for payment of 2024 Hajj fares elapsesd 12:am today (Friday), the federal government has released N90 billion to subsidise the 2024 pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, OSUN DEFENDER gathered.

Sources within the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), revealed this to Daily Trust on Thursday.

Recall that NAHCON had in December last year, fixed a minimum fare of N4.9 million per pilgrim, based on the exchange rate of N897 to a dollar by then.

In announcing the fare at that time, the commission had quoted the sum of N4,899,000 for southern pilgrims; N4,699,000 for those from the North; while pilgrims from Yola and Maiduguri centres were asked to pay N4,679,000.

Through a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesperson, Fatima Usara, the hajj commission had raised the fare by N1,918,032.91, jacking up the total amount to N6.8 million.

The commission had also said intending pilgrims had up to yesterday (March 28, 2024) to pay up the extra N1.9 million for the spiritual exercise.

The increament has caused some intending pilgrims to ask the state Muslim pilgrims’ welfare boards to refund their deposits due to their inability to raise the balance of N1.9 million announced by (NAHCON), while others were making efforts to pay the balance by themselves.

Speaking on the increased fare on Thurday, a source within NAHCON, who asked not to be named, noted that without federal governemt’s intervention, each of the intending pilgrims would have been requested to add at least N3.5 million to the initial fare which was pegged at N4.9 million.

A top official at the Presidency also confirmed that the federal government “actually provided some financial support for the hajj exercise”.

Asked to confirm whether the federal government released up to N90 billion as support for the pilgrimage, the official simply said: “that might not be far from the truth.”

He added, “Of course, the federal government has offered support for the pilgrims because the pilgrims have been lamenting.

“Normally, any support that the government is giving to any faith, whether the Christian faith or the Muslim faith, the government does not like to announce it openly so that it will not appear as if the government is favouring one faith,” he added.

The NAHCON had attributed the latest hike in the hajj fare to the foreign exchange crisis which Nigeria has been battling for months.

One of our sources in NAHCON disclosed that if the commission had received up to N230 billion as support from the federal government, there would have been no need to ask intending pilgrims “to add a dime.”

The source said: “The forex crisis has caused a lot of problems. That is why the hajj commission has asked intending pilgrims to pay the extra amount of N1.9 million each. The commission actually needed N230 billion to sort out the fare differential caused by the forex crisis.

“The promise for support which was provided by the government was announced in the presence of reporters during the inauguration of the board and management of the hajj commission, which was held at the Office of the Vice President on February 28, 2024.”

“By the previous calculation, the N90 billion given by the federal government can only subsidise 19,000 intending pilgrims by ₦3.5 million.  But by spreading it on 50,000 pilgrims, it reduces it to N1.9 million; meaning that the federal government has subsidised each pilgrim by ₦1.6 million before each intending pilgrim was asked to add the remaining N1.9 million,” the source further explained.

When contacted, NAHCON’s spokesperson, said: “The intervention of the federal government for NAHCON can’t be quantified monetarily and we are still calculating. By the time we determine whatever the government has done, we will let everybody know.”

The source said the NAHCON had also contacted state governors to subsidise the hajj fare for the intending pilgrims in their respective states.

In Osun, 1,540 intending pilgrims registered with the Osun State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board and paid the initial fare.

The Chairman of the Board, Dr. Morufu Olawale Isola said the intending pilgrims from the state were responding to the fare hike of N1.9 million announced by NAHCON.

A reliable source said at least 400 intending pilgrims from the state had paid the N1.9 million extra fee, while others were processing the payment.

Meanwhile, Governor Nurudeen Adeleke had said that the government would do everything necessary to aid smooth hajj operation for pilgrims from the state.

Asked whether the state government would subsidize the extra cost of the hajj fare for Osun pilgrims, the governor said: “The way God has been assisting us, it is the same way that we will assist them.”

Also the govenments of Kebbi, Kogi and Kano states has paid the additional increase in hajj fare for the states’ intending pilgrims.

Confirming the payment in separate media briefings, the state governments said the subsidy was extended only to those who had paid the initial hajj fare and were duly registered.