National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced that 95,000 Nigerian pilgrims who took part in the 2023 hajj will be reimbursed 150 Saudi Riyals (equivalent to N67,500) each due to poor services during the pilgrimage.
Gatekeepers News reports that this announcement was made during a meeting attended by members of the commission and Private Tour Operators (PTOs) in Nigeria.
The meeting was held to communicate the resolutions reached following the assumption of office by Abdullahi Saleh as acting chairman of NAHCON. Also, it was 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.
