2022 Hajj: NAHCON allocates 497 seats to Ogun

Funmi Bewaji

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), has allocated 497 slots for the Ogun State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board for the 2022 Hajj exercise in Saudi Arabia.

This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary of the Board, Alhaji Dauda Salau, in a chat with newsmen in Abeokuta, that the Board got the slots out of the 43,008 Hajj quota allocated to the country.

Dauda said that NAHCON allocated the number to the state while the remaining slots would be shared among other 35 states of the federation, including the FCT, Armed Forces and Private Tour Operators.

Salau stated that the Commission allocated the hajj slots based on each State’s performance in the 2019 Hajj exercise to Saudi Arabia.

He added that NAHCON has projected the sum of N2.5million as the fare to Saudi,  which according to him is subject to review after the conclusion of necessary arrangements in Saudi.

    He explained that the projection according to the Commission is as a result of the increase in the foreign exchange rate, rise in inflation by almost 10 percent, and the increase of Value Added Tax (VAT) from five to 15 percent chargeable by all service providers in Saudi Arabia.

While advising intending pilgrims who are under 65 years, have received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine, and a booster dose to pay up their initial Hajj deposits to guarantee their readiness to participate in the exercise as first-come, first-serve basis would be applied in the selection process.

It could be recalled that Saudi Arabia’s authority recently pronounced that a total of 1 million intending pilgrims globally would perform this year’s hajj for the first time since the cancellation of the international pilgrimage in 2020/2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic.