ABUJA, Nigeria— The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has directed state pilgrim welfare boards to collect a deposit of N4.5 million from those intending to participate in the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
This announcement came on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, during a meeting in Abuja between the Commission and state pilgrim board representatives.
NAHCON Chairman, Zikrullah Hassan, warned that the fare for the 2024 Hajj is expected to be considerably higher than that of the previous year due to the federal government’s unification of foreign exchange rates.
“I must tell you that next year’s hajj is going to be expensive,” Hassan said.
Forex Impact on Hajj Costs
At the time of the meeting, the exchange rate stood at N750 to the U.S. dollar.
This rate has injected a level of uncertainty into the planning process as the cost for pilgrims could change due to the fluctuating forex rates.
For context, the 2023 Hajj cost was N2.8 million when the exchange rate was N450 to the dollar. “The age of the concessionary rate is gone. If you multiply that with the dollar rate for Hajj last year, you can imagine how many more million you will need to add to the cost of Hajj,” Hassan added.
Visa Issuance Deadline
Hassan also stated that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would end visa issuance 45 days prior to the day of Arafah, the second day of the Hajj pilgrimage and one of its most important rituals. This new timeline aims to prevent last-minute changes by state governors in the names of approved pilgrims.
“By the 29th of April, visa issuance will close. Ten days after, pilgrims will begin to arrive in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Hassan said, laying out the schedule for the upcoming pilgrimage.
Implications
The directive from NAHCON reflects the challenging economic landscape in Nigeria, marked by a volatile exchange rate and soaring inflation.
Aspiring pilgrims and state governments must make advanced financial arrangements to accommodate the expected rise in pilgrimage costs.
