The Nigerian federal government has reportedly allocated N90 billion to subsidize the 2024 pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, according to a reliable source within the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), as disclosed to Daily Trust on Thursday.
The undisclosed source highlighted that this intervention prevented each pilgrim from being burdened with an additional N3.5 million on top of the initial fare of N4.9 million.
A senior official at the Presidency also confirmed the provision of financial support for the hajj exercise, though exact figures were not disclosed.
Previously, NAHCON had set the fare at N4.9 million per pilgrim, citing an exchange rate of N897 to a dollar. However, due to currency fluctuations and forex challenges, the commission raised the fare to N6.8 million, leaving intending pilgrims to cover the difference.
The recent hike was attributed to the ongoing foreign exchange crisis in Nigeria, with NAHCON expressing that it required N230 billion in total support from the government to address the fare differential.
Additionally, NAHCON has reached out to state governors to assist in subsidizing the hajj fare for pilgrims in their respective states. Notably, Kano responded by subsidizing N500,000 for each pilgrim.
While the N90 billion government support could only fully subsidize 19,000 intending pilgrims by N3.5 million each, it still alleviated the burden for all pilgrims by reducing their additional payment to N1.9 million.
A source from the Presidency acknowledged the government’s substantial financial support for the pilgrimage, emphasizing the government’s policy not to openly announce such support to avoid perceptions of favoritism toward any particular faith.
