Nigeria’s Intending Hajj Pilgrims to Pay Additional N1.9 Million to Participate In 2024 Pilgrimage
Nigeria’s intending pilgrims to the 2024 Hajj in Saudi Arabia, are to pay additional N1.9 million fare, according to the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON).
The commission which announced the fresh hike on Sunday evening said, an intending pilgrim will now pay a total of N6.8 million, instead of N4.9 million.
Spokesperson of the commission, Fatima Usara said, intending pilgrims have up till March 28, to pay all the N6.8 million Hajj fare.
According to Usara, intending pilgrims who fail to meet the March 28 deadline would not perform this year’s Hajj, as the Hajj fare payment portal of the commission would be shut towards midnight of March 28.
She blamed the additional N1.9 million fare on the volatility of the exchange rate of the naira, which was N897 to a dollar when the fare was pegged at N4.9 million last December 31.
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Usara explained that the late payment of the fare as at December 31, 2023 which forced the commission to shift the deadline twice, was responsible for the additional fare due to the exchange rate now over N1, 300 to a dollar.
This had remained the Commission’s dilemma. To make matters worse, now about 50,000 pilgrims under the Public Quota have paid the hitherto announced fare of about N4.9million and their payments are currently under the custody of the Commission.
Considering the urgency of the situation, NAHCON was forced to explore various options, including encouraging State Governments and affluent individuals to intervene on behalf of their pilgrims.
The good news now is that with Naira having appreciated to N1, 474.00 to a Dollar over the preceding week and after due consultation with stakeholders, coupled with NAHCON’s desire to ensure equitable spread of the Federal Government’s intervention to all the already registered pilgrims whose payments have been received, the Commission resolved that each pilgrim would now have to pay a balance of N1, 918,032.91 in accordance with the current foreign exchange rate.
