The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced that 95,000 Nigerian pilgrims who participated in the 2023 Hajj will receive a refund of 150 Saudi Riyals (approximately N67,500) each, due to complaints of poor services during the pilgrimage.
In a statement released on Tuesday, NAHCON spokesperson, Fatima Usara, explained that the decision was made during a meeting held on Monday with members of the commission and Private Tour Operators (PTOs).
While gathering update from PTOs on the outcomes of recent discussions following the appointment of Abdullahi Saleh as the acting chairman of NAHCON, Usara noted that while refunds will be issued, pilgrims should be aware that there will be no concessionary exchange rate from the government for the 2025 Hajj fare.
The meeting, chaired by NAHCON’s Commissioner of Operations, Olanrewaju Elegushi, was conducted virtually and included important updates from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (MoHU).
Elegushi disclosed that the number of lead companies for the 2025 Hajj had been halved from 20 to 10, with each company now required to register a minimum of 2,000 pilgrims to qualify for Hajj visa approval.
According to him, “All 95,000 Nigerian pilgrims that travelled for Hajj in 2023 from both states and private operators are to receive SR150 each (one hundred and fifty Saudi Riyals) as refund. According to him, NAHCON has already begun making arrangements to disburse the payments.
“As for the 2022 refund, the commission is still awaiting further details. However, Prince Elegushi revealed that refund details have emerged only for PTOs that camped on Field Office 18 in 2022.
“They are to collectively receive SR62,602 (sixty-two thousand, six hundred and two Saudi Riyals) as refund for poor feeding in the Masha’ir.
Elegushi explained that NAHCON’s Executive Council had approved the use of bank guarantees in place of the N40 million caution deposit for the 2025 Hajj.
“Any operator who prefers this option and has already paid the deposit in cash is allowed to request a refund in order to submit the bank guarantee instead.
He stated that the deadline for registration has been extended to 11:59 pm on Friday, 11 October, to accommodate both cash and bank guarantee deposits.
Meanwhile, Elegushi advised that those opting for the bank guarantee can issue a bank draft while awaiting the bank guarantee, which may be presented even after the registration deadline.
He confirmed that for the 2025 Hajj, there will be no concessionary exchange rate from government for Hajj fare payment for pilgrims, whether under state or private Hajj operators.
“Responding to allegations that NAHCON owed PTOs N17 billion from the 2024 Hajj caution deposit, Elegushi clarified that the commission had received N2.75 billion from 110 registered companies for the 2024 Hajj, including N1.25 billion rolled over from the previous year.
However, he stated that N750 million had been refunded to 30 companies, with the remaining N750 million held by the commission pending requests from undecided PTOs.
“To address ongoing challenges ahead of the 2025 Hajj, a delegation of NAHCON officers and selected PTO members will visit Saudi Arabia to resolve issues such as trapped IBAN deposits, pending refunds, and the limited issuance of Umrah visas, ” Elegushi added.
Saharareporters
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