The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been advised to refrain from issuing pilgrims Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) through payment cards.
This was revealed by the Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR) in a statement by its national coordinator Ibrahim Mohammed on Tuesday.
It said less than 24 hours to the commencement of airlift of pilgrims to the holy land, the CBN was said to have directed some commercial banks to pay pilgrims only $200 in cash while the remaining $300 will be given through payment cards.
“This year’s pilgrims have already gone through a lot of uncertainties ranging from forex policy- induced rise in hajj fare to reduction in BTA. This decision by the apex bank will only add to their woes,“ the CSO said
“It is common knowledge that most of our pilgrims come from the rural areas and are not familiar with virtual financial transactions. Most of them don’t even know how to use ATM cards. Also, most ATM machines in Saudi Arabia are configured in Arabic which poses more challenges to even those who are well acquainted with e-transaction,” the statement said.
“Also, most travellers are often charged very high for using ATM machines in foreign countries, and with a depleted BAT already in place, the use of the cards for withdrawals in Saudi Arabia will only add to pilgrims misery,” the CSO said.
The CSO also stated that there were very few ATM machines available around the Misfalah/Kudai and Shahrah Mansur areas where most Nigerian pilgrims stay. This lack of access will also be a serious problem.
“About 75 percent of Nigerian pilgrims are first timers who mostly find it difficult to locate their accommodations in Makkah due to heavy traffic and unique nature of the buildings – how will they locate an ATM machine in such a situation?”
