The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced that the federal government will not provide any subsidies for Hajj payments in 2025. According to a statement from the commission’s spokesperson, Fatima Sanda Usara, there will be no concessionary exchange rate for Hajj fare payments for pilgrims, whether through state or private Hajj operators.
As a result, if the naira remains at its current exchange rate of N1,650 to one dollar, each intending pilgrim could face costs nearing N10 million, as the fare is expected to be at least $6,000.
While NAHCON has yet to finalize the official Hajj fare for 2025, State Pilgrims Welfare Boards have started requesting an initial deposit of N8.5 million from prospective pilgrims as they await the official announcement.
In addition to the fare update, the commission also revealed that 64,682 pilgrims who participated in the 2023 Hajj will receive a refund of 150 Saudi Riyals each. This information was disclosed during a meeting between NAHCON and members of the Private Tour Operators in Nigeria (PTOs) held on October 7, 2024.
The meeting was led by NAHCON’s Commissioner of Operations, Prince Anofi Olanrewaju Elegushi, and focused on updates from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (MoHU) and recent decisions made by NAHCON following the appointment of Acting Chairman Prof. Abdullahi Sale Pakistan.
Elegushi mentioned that Saudi Arabia has reduced the number of PTOs from 20 to 10, with each company required to register a minimum of 2,000 pilgrims to qualify for Hajj visa approval.
He also provided updates regarding refunds from the 2022 Hajj, indicating that details are still pending but that specific PTOs that camped at Field Office 18 in 2022 will collectively receive SR62,602 (approximately N26,993,224) due to inadequate feeding during the pilgrimage.
Furthermore, the NAHCON EXCO has approved the option for PTOs to use a bank guarantee as a payment method for the N40 million caution deposit required for the 2025 Hajj. Operators who have already made cash deposits can request a refund to facilitate this process.
Lastly, Elegushi clarified that contrary to rumors, NAHCON does not owe PTOs N17 billion from the 2024 Hajj caution deposit. The commission received N2 billion, which included a rollover of N1 billion from the previous year, with N750 million already refunded to 30 companies that requested it. The remaining balance of N750 million is held for undecided PTOs.
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