The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has stated that it has airlifted 67,000 pilgrims out of the 73,000 allotted to state welfare boards to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the 2023 Hajj.
Speaking during a press briefing Tuesday in Abuja, NAHCON’s Commissioner for Planning, Research, Statistics, Information and Library Services (PRSILS), Sheikh Suleiman Momoh, assured that all the pilgrims would be airlifted to perform the Hajj before the closure of Saudi Arabia’s airspace by June 24.
He stated that the number of pilgrims left showed the preparedness of the commission to ensure the airlift is free from challenges encountered in previous years.
While stating that this year’s hajj would be the first the country would completely fill its entire slots, he assured that those going with tour operators would also not be left behind.
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Sheikh Suleiman advised those willing to go for Hajj in the future to key into the Hajj Savings Scheme because Hajj fare would increase next year due to the prevailing economic situation. “The scheme has come to stay because it is the way to cushion the effect of persistent rise in the cost of hajj.
“In 2019, hajj fare was about N1.5m; in 2022 it went to N2.5m and now N3m. So the price will continuously be on the rise except with the new policies that we see the government putting in place to regulate the financial aspect of the economy.
“We know that hajj is conducted 99.9 per cent in dollars, so the increase in the dollar to naira exchange will definitely affect the hajj fare. So, this is the reason why the saving scheme is the way to go,” he said.
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