Ogun Fails To Meet 2024 Hajj Quota, 929 Registered Pilgrims Face Additional N1.9 Million Fare Hurdle
Ogun state has failed to fill the quota allotted to it by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for the 2028 Hajj exercise in Saudi Arabia.
The state was allotted 1,191 slots by the agency for the 2024 Hajj exercise.
But NAHCON in a statement issued on Sunday, said only 929 intending Hajj Pilgrims from Ogun state had so far paid the initial deposit of N4.9 million, totaling N4.5 billion, for the holy pilgrimage.
The number of intending Hajj Pilgrims is expected to further drop as NAHCON has asked each of Nigeria’s intending pilgrims to pay additional N1.489 million, raising the total Hajj fare to N6.9 million.
The commission has issued a fresh and final deadline for each of the intending pilgrims to pay the N6.9 million, latest by March 28.
NAHCON has blamed the increase of the Hajj fare from N4.9 million to N6.9 million to the volatile exchange rate of the naira to a dollar.
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NAHCON has asked the intending pilgrims who had paid the initial N4.9 million, to pay the additional N1.9 million before the March 28, when the Hajj payment portal would be closed.
We have approached the Saudi authorities to increase out time for us which they have done and the time is closing up, it was decided that if we can find those that will assist and make up the payments on their behalf, which if we don‘t find, then every intending pilgrim must have to go and pay his N2 million balance in addition to what he had earlier deposited.
Yes, the commission had earlier approached state governors and some philanthropists that can assist to pay for the feeding of the pilgrims at their residences during the Hajj and similar assistance that will ease the spending to be incurred by the intending pilgrims.
If we are successful in this, good, but if we are unable to find it then every one of the intending pilgrims will have to pay the N2 million balance.
The federal government had done its utmost best because it had engaged in a lot of negotiations that have reduced costs for the intending pilgrims, she said.
