*Photo:Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman,Chairman/CEO of NAHCON *
As activities ahead of Hajj 2025 take full swing, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) is deploying necessary measures to ensure hitch free and a rewarding spiritual exercise for Nigeria pilgrims.
For obvious reasons, Hajj exercise in the country comes with peculiar concern on yearly basis. Little wonder the NAHCON receives maximum national attention at a period of this nature.
Neverthless, it is imperative for Nigerian Hajj Media Support, a concerned group monitoring and reporting hajj affairs as its relate to Nigerian Pilgrims to express deep satisfaction on the level of preparations put in place so far by NAHCON.
Just recently, the group witnessed the conclusion of pre-hajj visit of all stakeholders in the industry to Saudi Arabia where NAHCON, on behalf of Nigeria signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with various service providers that would render premium accommodations, transportations, feeding and other necessary welfare service to Nigerians in Saudi Arabia.
The group vividly recall also the successful conclusion in the selection of air carriers that will convey Nigerian contingents to the holy Land. Four airlines including one Saudi based airline scaled through after due diligence.
Similarly, the Commission released the much awaited final fare for 2025 Hajj to the public. The fare for this year’s pilgrimage eventually came with ease and doused the tension of possible outrageous cost many unpatriotic elements patiently awaited.
But NAHCON, under the diligent chairmanship of Professor Pakistan released the unexpected. According to the template, pilgrims from Adamawa and Maiduguri zone will pay N8, 327,125.59, those from other Northern region billed N8, 457,685.59 while their counterparts from the Southern region are expected to remit N8, 784,085.59.
Of course, those who are familiar with what determines the differential in the fare know too well that, it wasn’t intentional to force pilgrims from one region to pay more or less as against their counterparts from other zones as the costing is purely based on the nautical miles between designated destination to the holy land.
No doubt, the final fare for 2025 Hajj came with slight variance of less than 4 percent increase compared to what pilgrims paid in 2024, even with the Federal government subsidy that could not be explained, the present management of NAHCON under Professor Abdullahi Usman Pakistan has surprised the speculators waiting for N10 million announcement.
Even though, much more less were expected, the group consider the fact that, Hajj fare is predominantly dollar based and Nigerian Pilgrims are being charged based on market rate of naira and it equivalent in exchange to US dollar
Incidentally, the NAHCON Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Usman Pakistan cleared the air on the N1, 600 used as benchmark to determine the Hajj fare.
While defending NAHCON’s budget for 2025 before National Assembly on Tuesday, Professor Pakistan justified the decision of the commission to peg N1, 600 as baseline, essential to avoid the volatility of the exchange rate.
The Nigeria Hajj Media Support monitored how the volatility of the exchange rate of naira to US dollar almost disrupted previous Hajj exercise, of particular record to note was how pilgrims were forced to cough out extra charges spanning to millions of naira just to fill in the difference gap that suddenly crash the naira.
The Nigeria Hajj Media Support, therefore wishes to reaffirm confidence that NAHCON under the able leadership of Professor Abdullahi Usman (Pakistan) had taken a bold step and preventive measure against any eventuality that may further escalate the hajj fare.
Recall that Professor Pakistan on assumption of the hot seat at the Hajj house pledged to operate under accountability and transparency. We don’t expect anything less from a man of proven integrity.
In any case, the group has the confidence that NAHCON under Professor Pakistan will not hesitate to announce any surplus out of what was charged and even propel a refund of such balance to pilgrims when necessary.
However, the group is aware of the evil hunters within and around the commission, under any disguise that may be plotting the down fall of the present management. We can only encourage them to continue chasing shadow. Those raising false alarm have more time to watch activities of NAHCON and raised necessary criticism at this point.
NAHCON under Professor Pakistan will not be distracted by the antics of unscrupulous element but rather focus on the ball with concentration make this year’s hajj better than previous experience.
*Ibrahim Abubakar Nagarta, National Coordinator, Nigerian Hajj Media Support Team, writes from Kaduna
