Some intending pilgrims who are unable to raise the additional N1.9 million to make up the 2024 hajj fare of N6.566 is threatening to embark on protests to register their displeasure over the way and manner they were being treated.
Most intending pilgrims who spoke to HAJJ REPORTERS expressed their disappointment over the sudden increase in hajj fare by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
The commission had earlier announced a fare of N4.677,000 for pilgrims from the North and N4.999,000 for their southern counterpart for the 2024 Hajj exercise.
NAHCON however, penultimate week announced an increase of N1.9 million following delays in remittances of collected deposits by the states and eventual high exchange rate.
An intending pilgrim from Bebeji Local government in Kano State, Usman Mubarak said “the increment comes as a shock to us because NAHCON has earlier announced N4.666 as final hajj fare for 2024 Hajj.
“We are surprised that NAHCON is citing issue of exchange rates as the reason for announcing additional N1.9 increment in Hajj fare. Was it not the same reason they advanced when they announced N4.7 from the initial N4.5 we paid as deposit?”
Mubarak also said “I read the statement of NAHCON on your platform where they even said they have secured reductions in the cost of some services from Saudi Arabia? Didn’t they know that the dollar was fluctuating when they announced that fare? To me, this is a sign of confusion and incompetence”..
Another intending pilgrim from Kwara State, Rukayat Funmi Sulaimon said she has exhausted all avenues to source for the additional increase without success” “My brother, as I said in that my comments on your Facebook page, we may resort to protest to let the public know the injustice being meted to us by our own government. Where on earth will an agency announce three different hajj fares for the same hajj exercise? We were told to deposit N4.5 million which we paid.
“Later, I was made to understand that the new NAHCON Chairman promised that this year’s hajj fare will not be above N4.5 million. Then they later announced N4.999,000 which was far above the N4.5 million. It was my Senior sister who managed to paid the balance for me and now the same people are asking us to pay additional N1.9 million naira? For God Sake, how can we have confidence that they will not announce another increase after this one?
Another intending pilgrim, Yusuf Ahmed Tanko while reacting stated that “it is ridiculous to ask for additional fees after delaying the process due to bureaucracy. Either the government foot the balance or they apologies to the intending pilgrims and compensate them for the deposit payment kept in their custody”
Auwal Usman from Kaduna told HAJJ REPORTERS that “it is practically difficult to expect intending pilgrims to raise N1.9 million naira within four days.
