Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Jalal Arabi, says the N4.899 million that hajj pilgrims from the southern centre of the country are expected to pay for the 2024 exercise is the will of Allah.
Arabi said, “This is the will of Allah because the Commission, facing a tight deadline of 25th February, has limited time to explore further options to remain within the range of N4.5 million” that pilgrims had been told would be the fee.
A statement signed by NAHCON’s Assistant Director of Public Affairs, Fatima Usara, on Saturday [today], says there were efforts to peg the 2024 Hajj fares at N4.5m, but it had to make adjustments because of “the recent instability in the dollar exchange rate.”
Usara said while the Chairman of the commission, Jalal Arabi, had negotiated prices with service providers in Saudi Arabia, the situation of the Naira in the past week necessitated the adjustments, stating that the fares would have reached up to N6 million otherwise.
intending pilgrims from Southern centre: N4,899,000
Northern centre: N4,699,000
Yola and Maiduguri centres: N4,679,000
“It would be recalled that the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Malam Jalal Ahmad Arabi, had initially aimed to maintain the 2024 Hajj fare at N4.5 million that was charged as an initial deposit. The prospects had remained high until the well-known Naira crash that occurred mid-week.
“Regrettably, the recent instability in the dollar exchange rate compelled a necessary adjustment despite commendable efforts by NAHCON Chairman, Jalal Ahmad Arabi, to maintain the cost of the year’s Hajj at the said rate.
“Arabi had actively negotiated substantial discounts with service providers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in late January, striving to alleviate costs for intending pilgrims. However, the volatile currency situation within the week necessitated the Commission to take a drastic decision to consolidate the gains achieved in lowering the cost of services for the Hajj, without which the price of the 2024 Muslim pilgrimage might have shot to about N6,000,000,” the statement read in part.
Consequently, the commission has now pegged fares for intending pilgrims from Nigeria’s Southern centre at N4,899,000; those from the Northern centre will pay N4,699,000; while pilgrims from Yola and Maiduguri centres will pay a fee of N4,679,000 for the 2024 Hajj exercise.
Intending pilgrims have been advised to pay or balance their Hajj fares by Monday, February 12, 2024, to enable the commission to transfer the funds before the deadline.
According to the statement, Arabi said, “This is the will of Allah, because the Commission, facing a tight deadline of 25th February, has limited time to explore further options to remain within the range of N4.5 million.”
