- Usara said the meeting was held to brief the PTOs on resolutions reached following the assumption of office by Abdullahi Saleh as acting chairman of NAHCON.
- She also noted that pilgrims will not receive any concessionary exchange rate from the government for the 2025 hajj fare.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced plans to refund N67,500 each to 95,000 Nigerian pilgrims who participated in the 2023 hajj due to subpar services.
Fatima Usara, the commission’s spokesperson, disclosed this information on Tuesday, adding that the announcement was made during a meeting held the previous day.
The meeting, attended by commission members and Private Tour Operators (PTOs), aimed to brief PTOs on resolutions following Abdullahi Saleh’s assumption of office as acting chairman.
Usara noted that pilgrims will not receive concessionary exchange rates from the government for the 2025 hajj fare.
“NAHCON’s Commissioner of Operations, Prince Anofi Olanrewaju Elegushi, chaired the virtual meeting with PTOs,” she said.
We discussed new developments from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and NAHCON’s decisions following the second EXCO meeting.”
Elegushi disclosed that Saudi authorities have reduced the number of lead companies for the 2025 Hajj from 20 to 10, requiring each company to register at least 2,000 pilgrims for visa approval.
He also announced that all 95,000 Nigerian pilgrims from the 2023 hajj will receive SR150 each as a refund,”
Usara added that NAHCON has begun arranging payment disbursement.
Regarding the 2022 refund, Elegushi revealed that details have only emerged for PTOs that camped at Field Office 18, who will collectively receive SR62,602 as a refund for subpar feeding services.
NAHCON’s Executive Council has approved using bank guarantees instead of the N40 million caution deposit for the 2025 Hajj.
Elegushi clarified that NAHCON received N2.75 billion from 110 registered companies for the 2024 Hajj and has refunded N750 million to 30 companies.
A delegation will visit Saudi Arabia to address ongoing challenges, including trapped IBAN deposits and limited Umrah visa issuance.