The Lagos State Government has cleared the air on the controversies over the 2022 Hajj fee, saying that the increment was beyond its control and that the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) determines the fee payable by intending pilgrims. The state government also said that a stakeholders’ meeting will be held after Eid-el-Fitri to iron out all the issues surrounding the fee increment.
In a statement signed by the Head of the Publicity Department of the Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Mr. Taofik Lawal, the board said that all the intending pilgrims have been communicated to by the Schedule Officers attached to the Local Governments in respect of the increments.
The statement read: “It is important to note that the increment is totally beyond the control of the Federal or State governments because Hajj operations, which is under the control of the Government of Saudi Arabia, is dollar based. The dollar, which was exchanged for N306 to one naira in 2019 has now risen to N419 (official rate) in 2022.
“In a meeting with the Chief Executives of States Pilgrims Welfare Boards, Agencies and Commissions in Abuja last Thursday, the NAHCON Chairman/CEO, Alh. Zikhirullah Kunle Hazzan said that the Saudi Arabian authority had increased its Value Added Tax (VAT) from five percent to 15 percent, and coupled with the high exchange rate of dollars, everything is bound to be affected.
“Equally important to add is that the new increment of N1,340,000.00 in addition to the N1.3 million initially deposited by our intending pilgrims covers airline tickets (to and fro Saudi Arabia), hotel accommodation, visa procurement, local transportation, PCR test both in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, amongst others.
“Consequently, the Board has no alternative than to act as directed by its regulator in order to make the exercise seamless for our intending pilgrims. “It would be recalled that Lagos State was allocated 1,562 slots while those over 65 years of age have been excluded in line with the Saudi Arabian Government’s directive.
Meanwhile, following the misunderstanding over the increment, the State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, said that the state government had concluded arrangements to hold a stakeholders meeting with intending pilgrims, Officials of NAHCON and officials of the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board. He said that the meeting, which will come up shortly after the Eid- El-Fitr Celebrations, is meant to discuss and rub minds on the increase in the Hajj Fare as announced by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) in respect of the Y2022 Hajj to the Holy Land.
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