The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced that there will be no discounted rates or government subsidies for the 2025 Hajj.
This was revealed by Anofi Elegushi, NAHCON’s Commissioner for Operations, following a virtual meeting with Private Tour Operators.
According to a statement from the Commission’s spokesperson, Fatima Usara, Elegushi confirmed that pilgrims registering through the state Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards or Private Tour Operators will not receive any special exchange rates.
“For the 2025 Hajj, there will be no special government-provided exchange rate for Hajj payments, regardless of whether pilgrims register through state or private operators,” the statement partly read.
“This implies that with the current exchange rate exceeding N1,600/$1, pilgrims, who typically pay at least $6,000 each, might have to pay up to N10 million for the 2025 Hajj”
Although NAHCON has not yet set the deposit amount for the 2025 pilgrimage, some states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have announced initial deposits of N8.4 million for prospective pilgrims.
Regarding other issues with the Private Tour Operators, Elegushi mentioned that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has reduced the number of authorized companies from 20 to 10, and these companies must register a minimum of 2,000 pilgrims to be eligible for visa processing.
He also noted that pilgrims from the 2023 Hajj will be refunded SR150 (Saudi Riyals) each, while the Commission is still awaiting information on refunds for the 2022 Hajj, except for those under Private Tour Operators stationed at Field Office 18 in 2022.
“All 95,000 Nigerian pilgrims who participated in the 2023 Hajj through both state and private arrangements are entitled to a refund of SR150 each. NAHCON has already begun processing these payments,” the statement added.
“As for the 2022 refunds, the Commission is still waiting for further information. However, Prince Elegushi mentioned that refunds have been confirmed only for PTOs stationed at Field Office 18 in 2022, and they are set to receive SR62,602 for inadequate food services at Masha’ir.”
Elegushi further addressed claims that NAHCON owes PTOs N17 billion from the N25 million caution deposit for the 2024 Hajj. He clarified that the Commission only received N2.75 billion from 110 companies registered for the 2024 Hajj, which includes a rollover of N1.25 billion from the previous year. Of this amount, 30 companies requested refunds totaling N750 million, which have been paid, leaving a balance of N750 million for undecided PTOs.
