An undisclosed official from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) shared with Daily Trust that the federal government has allocated a substantial amount of N90 billion to subsidize the 2024 pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The source emphasized that without this financial assistance, each prospective pilgrim would have had to contribute a minimum of N3.5 million to the initial fare of N4.9 million. Additionally, a high-ranking official at the Presidency verified that the government did indeed offer financial aid for the hajj operation.
The NAHCON had previously set the fare at N4.9 million per pilgrim in December last year, based on an exchange rate of N897 to a dollar. However, due to the ongoing foreign exchange crisis in Nigeria, the commission raised the fare by N1,918,032.91, bringing the total cost to N6.8 million.
The deadline for payment was set for March 28, 2024. The NAHCON attributed the fare increase to the challenges posed by the forex crisis. If the commission had received N230 billion in support from the federal government, there would have been no need to impose additional charges on intending pilgrims.
