The hajj fare for 2025 Hajj may reach N10 million per pilgrim as the federal government says there won’t be a subsidy this year.
This was revealed by the spokesperson of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Fatima Sanda Usara, in a statement on Tuesday.
She said, “There will be no concessionary exchange rate from the government for Hajj fare payment for pilgrims whether under state or private Hajj operators.”
In 2024, President Bola Tinubu’s administration had subsidized the hajj with N90 billion.
With the latest statement from NAHCON, all intending pilgrims would access dollars at the current N1,650 to a dollar. The average total hajj package is about $6,000.
The statement said there would be a refund of N64,682 (150 Saudi Riyal) to every Nigerian pilgrim of the 2023 hajj, adding that the revelations were made during an interactive meeting between NAHCON and members of Private Tour Operators in Nigeria (PTOs).
“The meeting held on October 7, 2024 was to update members on resolutions reached after resumption of office on Wednesday, 2nd October 2024 by Acting Chairman of the Commission, Prof Abdullahi Sale Pakistan who had been absent briefly on a trip.
“NAHCON’s Commissioner of Operations, Prince Anofi Olanrewaju Elegushi, chaired the virtual meeting with the PTO’s where he relayed new developments from both Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (MoHU) and NAHCON’s decisions resulting from the second EXCO meeting with the new head of the Commission.”
Elegushi said Arabia had further reduced the number of PTO to 10 from 20 initially announced and each company must register a minimum of 2,000 pilgrims to be considered for Hajj visa approval.
According to him, for the 2022 refund, the commission is still awaiting further details but refund details have emerged only for PTOs who camped on Field Office 18 in 2022 and are to collectively receive SR62, 602 (N26,993,224) as refund for poor feeding in the Masha’ir.
“Similarly, the Commissioner Operations informed the PTO members that the NAHCON’s EXCO has approved the option of honouring bank guarantee as payment of N40 million caution deposit for the 2025 Hajj. In view of the above, any operator who wishes to make the payment through bank guarantee but has already made a cash deposit is invited to request for collection of the earlier deposit in order to present the bank guarantee.”
He said contrary to claims that NAHCON owes PTOs N17 billion from the 2024 Hajj caution deposit of N25million, it only received N2 billion, N750 million from 110 companies that registered for the 2024 Hajj.
“The amount included a roll-over of N1billion, 250million from the previous year. From the amount, 30 companies requested for refunds amounting to N750m, which has been paid. The balance still in the custody of the commission accruing to undecided PTOs is N750m.”
