The Nasarawa State government has suspended all forms of sponsorship for pilgrims to the holy land of Saudi Arabia.
At a press conference in Lafia, the Executive Secretary of the Nasarawa State Muslim Pilgrim Welfare Board, Alhaji Abubakar Hassan Nalaraba, explained that Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura’s decision was to allow him solve the economic situation facing the state.
Nalaraba revealed that the welfare board succeeded in retaining the accommodations allotted to Nasarawa pilgrims in the holy land last year as tents and other accommodations meant for Nasarawa pilgrims in the Saudi Arabia were all in good shape.
According to him “the board has approved this year’s Hajj fare at N790,500 per pilgrim which include forms, suitcases, medical screening, uniforms, hijab and Arafat day feeding expenses in order to compliment the National Hajj Commission’s efforts.”
He further explained that the variation in this year’s Hajj fare rate compared to that of the previous year which was N715,000 was occasioned by the high exchange rate of the naira against the dollar
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The Executive Secretary ended by stating that 1,682 intending pilgrims had indicated interest for the journey to the holy land, which showed a sharp drop as against the 1,785 pilgrims that eventually performed the exercise last year.
