NAHCON to refund N67,500 each to 95k pilgrims over ‘poor services’ during 2023 hajj

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) says 95,000 Nigerian pilgrims who participated in the 2023 hajj will receive a refund of 150 Saudi Riyals (N67,500) each for poor services during the pilgrimage.

In a statement on Tuesday, Fatima Usara, the commission’s spokesperson, said the announcement was made during a meeting held on Monday.

Members of the commission and Private Tour Operators (PTOs) in Nigeria attended the meeting. 

Usara said the meeting was held to brief the PTOs on resolutions reached following the assumption of office by Abdullahi Saleh as acting chairman of NAHCON.

She also noted that pilgrims will not receive any concessionary exchange rate from the government for the 2025 hajj fare.

“NAHCON’s Commissioner of Operations, Prince Anofi Olanrewaju Elegushi, chaired the virtual meeting with the PTOs, where he relayed new developments from both Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (MoHU) and NAHCON’s decisions resulting from the second EXCO meeting with the new head of the commission,” she said.

“Olanrewaju Elegushi disclosed that the number of lead companies for the 2025 Hajj had been reduced from 20 to 10 by MoHU, with each company required to register a minimum of 2,000 pilgrims for Hajj visa approval.

“He further informed that all 95,000 Nigerian pilgrims that travelled for Hajj in 2023 from both states and private operators are to receive SR150 each (one hundred and fifty Saudi Riyals) as refund. According to him, NAHCON has already begun making arrangements to disburse the payments.

“As for the 2022 refund, the commission is still awaiting further details. However, Prince Elegushi revealed that refund details have emerged only for PTOs that camped on Field Office 18 in 2022.

“They are to collectively receive SR62,602 (sixty-two thousand, six hundred and two Saudi Riyals) as refund for poor feeding in the Masha’ir.

“Additionally, Elegushi announced that NAHCON’s Executive Council had approved the use of bank guarantees in place of the N40 million caution deposit for the 2025 Hajj.

“Any operator who prefers this option and has already paid the deposit in cash is allowed to request a refund in order to submit the bank guarantee instead.

“The deadline for registration has been extended to 11:59 pm on Friday, 11 October, to accommodate both cash and bank guarantee deposits.

“Elegushi also advised that those opting for the bank guarantee can issue a bank draft while awaiting the bank guarantee, which may be presented even after the registration deadline.

“Elegushi confirmed that for the 2025 Hajj, there will be no concessionary exchange rate from government for Hajj fare payment for pilgrims, whether under state or private Hajj operators.

“Responding to allegations that NAHCON owed PTOs N17 billion from the 2024 Hajj caution deposit, Elegushi clarified that the commission had received N2.75 billion from 110 registered companies for the 2024 Hajj, including N1.25 billion rolled over from the previous year.

“He stated that N750 million had been refunded to 30 companies, with the remaining N750 million held by the commission pending requests from undecided PTOs.

“To address ongoing challenges ahead of the 2025 Hajj, a delegation of NAHCON officers and selected PTO members will visit Saudi Arabia to resolve issues such as trapped IBAN deposits, pending refunds, and the limited issuance of Umrah visas.”