How NAHCON shared FG’s N90bn intervention among pilgrims, stakeholders – Jalal Arabi

How NAHCON shared FG’s N90bn intervention among pilgrims, stakeholders – Jalal Arabi

National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON on Monday said that all stakeholders associated with the 2024 Hajj benefitted from the N90billion subsidy approved for the commission to ensure a successful pilgrimage.

Chairman of the commission, Malam Jalal Arabi, disclosed this at a world press conference, tagged: “Reflecting on the 2024 Hajj: Overcoming challenges and achieving success” held in Abuja.

Recall that by the final deadline of February 12, 2024, the unforeseen spike in foreign exchange rates had totally complicated matters, necessitating fresh adjustment of the year’s Hajj fare from the initially announced N4.9m. The financial projection after the foreign exchange liberalization was that each pilgrim would have to top up about N3.6 million in addition to the initial payment.

The situation, according to the chairman, impelled urgent intervention after engaging with the Federal Government to mitigate the effects of the high cost of the foreign currency with an appeal for a concessionary rate of N850 as exchange rate for the Dollar component of the Hajj fare.

Arabi, who thanked President Bola Tinubu for his swift approval of N90 billion instead, said: “How to spread this N90 billion equitably, to such a degree that registered pilgrims would not have to pay additionally to the N4.9m, was tough.

“At first, the 90 billion Naira would only cater conveniently for about 18,000 intending pilgrims out of the about 50,000 duly registered persons as at 22nd March 2024. Subsequently, appreciation of the Naira to N1, 474.00 in the month of May 2024 brought respite to our calculations as it meant a reduction from what the registered pilgrims would have to top up.

“NAHCON then devised a distribution strategy which played a crucial role in ensuring that all stakeholders associated with the 2024 Hajj benefited from the financial stability through this federal government’s support.

“Each pilgrim was supported with N1,637,369.87 from the N90billion except for pilgrims under the Hajj Savings Scheme (HSS) who enjoyed more. Hence, all registered intending pilgrims, except those on HSS, were required to pay a balance of N1,918,094.87 since the N90 billion was not sufficient to make up for the balance.

“However, new registrants were asked to pay N8, 454,464.74 being exempted from the Federal Government’s intervention. It is on record that eligible officials and stakeholders from all tiers of government enjoyed the subsidy from the N90 billion.”

The chairman assured that NAHCON would continue to assess and improve our processes to better serve the pilgrims and uphold the sanctity and significance of Hajj, adding that the commission remains committed to transparency and accountability in all aspects of its operations.