Ahead of announcement of 2023 Hajj fare, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has tasked States Muslim Pilgrims’ Boards (SMPB) to access only cost effective accommodation in order to reduce the fare of the 2023 Hajj.
NAHCON stated this during a meeting between Chief Executives of SMPB, accommodation providers and 2023 hajj selected caterers at the second pre-hajj interaction on Sunday in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
“Yes, NAHCON’s commissioner of finance who presided over the meeting pleaded with us to search for a quality accommodation that is not far from Grand Mosque in Makkah but should be lower in price.
‘’The prices of accommodation in Makkah has shoot up because of the following reasons: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has started demolishing some accommodations previously used by Nigerian pilgrims to pave way for their new development plan.
‘’Unlike in 2022 when only one million pilgrims performed hajj, over 3 million pilgrims are expected to perform hajj this years – which means more number of pilgrims and fewer accommodations. Truly, it is very challenging to us states but we will work hard and see how far we can go,” a reliable source told the Hajj Reporters in Makkah.
Checks by Hajj Reporters reveal most hotels within Hijra Street in Misfala have now been marked for demolition while others have been pulled down by Saudi Arabia Royal Commission for Makkah and Holy Sites
Pilgrims from Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, Bauchi, Kano, Kwara, Plateau and Niger states do accommodate their pilgrims within Misfala by Hijra and Ibrahim Khalil Road in Makkah.
The accommodation and kitchen inspection earlier scheduled for 10:30pm has now been rescheduled for 5pm Saudi Time today.
The time for the inspection was change due to heavy traffic around Haram especially after Taraweeh prayers.
