The Nigerian government has allocated a staggering N90 billion to support the upcoming pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in 2024, as disclosed by an undisclosed source from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
According to a report by Daily Trust, the subsidy initiative comes at a crucial time when many Nigerians are grappling with severe economic challenges, including skyrocketing prices of essential goods.
An anonymous source from NAHCON emphasized the importance of this financial assistance, stating, “Without this intervention, each of the intending pilgrims would have been requested to add at least N3.5 million to the initial fare which was pegged at N4.9 million.”
A senior official at the Presidency confirmed the government’s involvement, stating, “The federal government actually provided some financial support for the Hajj exercise.
This decision follows NAHCON’s earlier announcement of a fare of N4.9 million per pilgrim, which was later increased to N6.8 million due to ongoing foreign exchange challenges.
Attributing the fare hike to the foreign exchange crisis, a source within NAHCON lamented the difficulties posed by the situation, highlighting the need for government support to alleviate the burden on pilgrims. “The forex crisis has caused a lot of problems,” the source expressed.
Although NAHCON initially requested N230 billion from the government to address the fare differential caused by the forex crisis, the allocation of N90 billion still left a shortfall, necessitating additional payments from intending pilgrims.
Additionally, state governments were urged to contribute to subsidizing Hajj fares for pilgrims from their respective states, with Kano state leading by subsidizing N500,000 for each pilgrim.
While acknowledging the government’s assistance, a source from the presidency emphasized the discreet nature of such support, stating, “Normally, any support that the government is giving to any faith, whether the Christian faith or the Muslim faith, the government does not like to announce it openly so that it will not appear as if the government is favoring one faith.”