The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) made an announcement recently regarding changes in the cost of Hajj pilgrimage.
This announcement came from their spokesperson, Fatima Sanda-Usara, on Sunday. The commission explained that despite their efforts to keep the costs the same, they had to adjust the rates due to difficulties in maintaining the previous fare.
This adjustment was primarily due to changes in the exchange rate, which they stated was now at N1,474.00 to a dollar.
Specifically, they mentioned that about 49,000 intending pilgrims had paid N4.9 million each when the exchange rate was lower, at N897 to a dollar.
However, with the current exchange rate, they needed to increase the fare by N1.9 million per pilgrim.
This meant that those who had already paid the initial amount were required to pay the additional sum by a specified deadline.
In response to this increase, Umar Namadi, the governor of Jigawa state, announced a subsidy of N1 million for intending pilgrims from his state.
This subsidy, communicated by Murtala Usman, the spokesperson of the Jigawa Pilgrims Welfare Board, meant that pilgrims from Jigawa who had already deposited their fees for the 2024 Hajj exercise would only need to pay about N900,000 instead of the increased amount of N1.9 million.
Mr. Usman also mentioned that the subsidy would apply to those who had deposited their fees before the sudden increase by NAHCON.
This move aimed to alleviate the financial burden on pilgrims from Jigawa state. these adjustments and subsidies were responses to the changes in the cost of Hajj pilgrimage, primarily driven by fluctuations in the exchange rate.
