Nigerian intending pilgrims wishing to perform this year’s Hajj exercise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will receive a Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) of $500, the same amount that was paid to last year’s pilgrims from the country.
This was disclosed by the Chairman/CEO of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, in an interview with DCL Hausa.
The amount is approximately N830,000, based on the exchange rate as of Thursday, when the Naira closed at N1,660 to $1, according to data released on the FMDQ Securities Exchange, the official forex trading portal.
NAHCON had on Monday announced a fare of N8,327,125.59 for intending pilgrims from the Adamawa/Borno zone, which includes Adamawa, Borno, Taraba, and Yobe states.
Those from the remaining 14 Northern states, which form the Northern zone, are expected to pay N8,457,685.59, while their counterparts from all Southern states will pay N8,784,085.59.
While announcing the fare, the commission stated that it was determined through a collaboration between NAHCON, the Presidency, and the leadership of the state Muslim Pilgrims’ welfare boards, adding that they did their best to maintain the fare at the same level as previously paid.
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Prof. Usman, however, later stated that the fare might decrease if the government approves certain waivers the commission is expecting.
Responding to a question during the DCL Hausa interview, the chairman said, “The fare is the same as last year, which is $500 per pilgrim.”
Usman absolved NAHCON of any blame concerning the failure of most state pilgrims who performed the 2024 Hajj to receive their $500 BTA as announced.
He attributed this issue to the failure of state pilgrims’ boards/agencies/commissions to deposit funds early for conversion by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The chairman explained that it was the responsibility of the states to distribute the BTA to their respective pilgrims, adding that NAHCON had released the BTA early to the states, but they failed to convert it into dollars.
He further noted that fluctuations in the exchange rate last year ultimately affected the payment of the BTA to the pilgrims.
According to him, “Sharing the BTA is actually the responsibility of the states, and the commission had sent the money to them early, but most of them delayed converting the Naira to dollars. Because of fluctuations in foreign exchange, many pilgrims could not receive the full $500.”
