The Edo State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board has advised intending pilgrims from the state to prepare for N6 million as hajj fare, saying the federal government would not subsidise the 2024 hajj operation.
The chairman of the board, Sheik Ibrahim Oyarekhua, stated this Thursday in Benin, the state capital, during a stakeholder meeting to sensitise Muslims and intending pilgrims on Saudi Arabia’s new law for the 2024 hajj operation.
The exchange rate as it is in the operation market, he said, was what would be operational in hajj operation.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) had asked intending pilgrims to deposit N4.5 million for hajj, pending when the final fare would be announced.
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But with the exchange rate, Oyarekhua said hajj fare would be close to N6 million.
“Last week, Ghana announced hajj fare and it was $6,500 and when you change that to naira it is over N6 million. Though the final fare has not been announced, it would be above N5 million. The N4.5 is just the deposit pending the announcement of the final fare,” he said.
NAHCON had fixed December 31, 2023, as the deadline for payment of the hajj fare.
Oyarekhua said his agency would not accept any payment beyond that day.
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