In response to the increase in Hajj fees announced by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), six governors have announced financial support to the intending pilgrims from their respective states, aiming to alleviate the financial burden of the increased costs.
The commission had earlier directed the pilgrims to pay an additional N1.9 million besides the N4.9 million they deposited, amounting to N6.8 million.
However, the cost for pilgrims who have not deposited the required amount would pay over N8.2 million and N8.4 million from the North and Southern respectively.
Nigeria is anticipating a decrease in the number of 2024 pilgrims, with only 48,414 people expected to participate, compared to over 90,000 in 2023.
There had been concerns among the intending pilgrims after the addition, many of whom have expressed their inability to participate in this year’s Hajj because of the hike.
Five governors from the North and one from the South have so far announced subsidies to prospective pilgrims.
Only pilgrims from Kogi State fully covered the required Hajj fee through the saving initiative.
2024 Hajj: Intending Pilgrims to Pay Additional N1.9m – NAHCON
Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, was the first to approve the subsidy of N500,000 to each of the 2,906 pilgrims from his state, totalling an expenditure of N1.453 billion, reducing the additional amount each pilgrim would pay to N1.4 million.
Other states that followed Kano include Jigawa, Kebbi, Yobe, and Bauchi, with subsidies ranging from covering half to the entire additional fee required.
While Malam Umar Namadi of Jigawa State N1 million naira to each pilgrim from the N1.9 million, the governor of Kebbi state in the northwest announced that each pilgrim will receive N1 million, approving to release N3.34 billion for the 3,344 pilgrims from the state.
The governor of Yobe state, Mai Mala Buni, also announced to pay N1 million for each of the 1,290 from the state.
Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state approved a N959,000 (50%) subsidy from the extra amount for each of the 2,290 pilgrims from the state, releasing up to N2.1 billion for the exercise.
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, from the South, covered the full N1.9 million added amount for each of the 42 pilgrims from his state and secured additional seats for new participants, a gesture highly appreciated by the Muslim community.
According to the Hausa version of BBC, the reduction of the intending pilgrims this year is largely attributed to the doubled costs of the fare compared to the previous year. Despite the financial assistance from these states, it remains uncertain if all intending pilgrims will manage to participate due to the high fees.
The deadline for the payments of the fares was extended by NAHCON to accommodate more payments but finally closed on April 3rd.
