The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has urged Nigerian pilgrims who went for the 2023 Hajj to expect more refunds for services that were not rendered during the pilgrimage.
Recall that the commission had last week announced the refund of N5bn to the pilgrims which it said each of the 95,000 Nigerian pilgrims were entitled to 150 Saudi Riyals, equivalent to N61,080, for services not rendered to them.
In a statement, the spokesperson of the commission, Fatima Sanda Usara, said the commission received in five tranches the sum of SR 20,716, 035.2 as various categories of unexplained refunds.
Sanda said the receipt of refunds were from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for various services not rendered to pilgrims of previous unspecified Hajj seasons.
She explained that the problem hindering payment of the refunds was unavailability of details accompanying the received funds.
“Details were not attached on the reasons of the refunds, or whom they were meant for and the amount each pilgrims is to receive. Consequently upon this predicament, the Chairman of the commission, Prof. Abdullahi Saleh Usman, wishes to crave indulgence of pilgrims and the larger public on the stalemate preventing NAHCON from releasing the remaining monies lodged in its account,” Sanda stated.
She said the commission was still awaiting explanations of these refunds without which the Hajj House cannot make payments.
“Of these total, NAHCON received explanation only over the disbursement of SR 150 each for the 95,000 pilgrims that participated in the 2023 Hajj. This amount covers matters relating to electricity supply in Masha’ir locations.
“The refund has since been released to the States Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards and Private Tour Operators for onward dispensation to their respective pilgrims. Hence NAHCON is still anticipating narration on a total of SR6m,466,035.15.
“In pursuit of further disbursement of the remaining refunds thus, the commission had written several letters to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah requesting for details in order to hand over the monies to the rightful owners.
“Besides, during the Chairman’s recent trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he led a delegation on a follow-up visit to the Ministry and other relevant establishment seeking clarification over the rightful beneficiaries of the refunds and the amount due to each person.
“Therefore, of the above quoted amount, SR 14, 250,000 has already been dispensed to pilgrims under the state quota and Private Tour Operators as compensation for electricity supplied in Masha’ir, while the Commission is still awaiting explanation for the SR6m,466,035.15.”
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