The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has confirmed that the Federal Government will not provide a subsidised exchange rate for pilgrims’ Hajj payments in 2025.
In a statement released on Monday, Fatima Sanda Usara, NAHCON’s spokesperson, indicated that all intending pilgrims would be required to pay the full fare based on the current exchange rate.
The statement explained that if the Naira maintains its current exchange rate of ₦1,650 to $1, the cost for each pilgrim could rise to almost ₦10 million, as the Hajj fare is expected to be at least $6,000. While NAHCON is yet to officially announce the 2025 Hajj fare, several State Pilgrims Welfare Boards have begun advising intending pilgrims to make an initial deposit of ₦8.5 million.
Additionally, the commission announced a refund of 64,682 Nigerian pilgrims who participated in the 2023 Hajj, amounting to 150 Saudi Riyals each, for services not rendered during the pilgrimage. This announcement was made during an interactive session between NAHCON and Private Tour Operators (PTOs) in Nigeria.
The meeting, which took place on October 7, 2024, was led by NAHCON’s Commissioner of Operations, Prince Anofi Olanrewaju Elegushi. He shared key updates from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and NAHCON’s recent executive decisions under the leadership of acting chairman Prof. Abdullahi Sale Pakistan.
Notably, Saudi Arabia has further reduced the number of Private Tour Operators authorised for Hajj operations to 10, down from an initial 20. Each operator must now register a minimum of 2,000 pilgrims to qualify for Hajj visa approvals.
For the 2022 Hajj refund, Elegushi said the commission is still awaiting further information but confirmed that PTOs that camped at Field Office 18 in 2022 would collectively receive SR62,602 (equivalent to ₦26,993,224) as compensation for poor feeding services in Masha’ir.
Elegushi also revealed that NAHCON has approved an option allowing operators to use a ₦40 million bank guarantee as a caution deposit for the 2025 Hajj, instead of paying in cash. Operators who have already paid in cash can request refunds in order to present the bank guarantee.
The statement clarified that contrary to claims that NAHCON owes PTOs ₦17 billion from the 2024 Hajj caution deposit of ₦25 million, it only received ₦2 billion, ₦750 million from 110 registered companies. Out of this, ₦750 million has been refunded to 30 companies that requested it, while the remaining ₦750 million remains with the commission for undecided PTOs.
