Hajj 2024: Approve concessional rates pilgrims, group tells FG

To avoid possible hiccups in this year’s Hajj operation, a non-governmental organization, NGO, the Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria, MMWG has called on the federal government to immediately consider approving concessional rates of dollars to Naira for the purpose of the holy pilgrimage.

The Nattional Hajj Commission, NAHCON, had on Sunday announced, additional payment of N1.9 million by intending pilgrims who had earlier paid N4.9 million for this year’s Hajj due to atronomical increase in the rate of dollars to Naira in the last five months.

Rising from an extra-ordinary meeting on Tuesday in Abuja, the MMWG maintained that without granting concessional rate for dollars to Naira, it would be difficult for over 50,000 Nigerian pilgrims who have paid so far, to participate in the important religious duty of Hajj which it described as one of the strong pillars of Islam.

The group, in a statement released after the meeting and signed by its National Coordinator, Malam Ibrahim Abdullahi, recalled that granting concessional rates for Hajj annually, has been an annual ritual by the federal governments in the past and therefore called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene to safe this situation which it warned, has reached a critical stage.

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It reminded the federal government that “though Hajj is a religious duty, its positive impact on the lives of the people and people in governance is very significant,” adding that “Nigeria needs spiritual intervention to move out of the present socio-economic situation as well as insecurity pervading the country.”

The group maintained that granting that concession could pave way for the success of Tinubu as beneficiaries would pray hard from the President and his noble administration in the holylands of Makkah and Madinah.

While commending the NAHCON for its untiring efforts over the matter, MMWG appealed to registered pilgrims to be calm, saying that in the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan, they should remain prayerful to Allah for the matter to get sorted-out without any inhibition whatsoever to all those that have paid the initial amount approved by the commission for Hajj this year.

The group further stated that “Nigeria as the most populated Country in Africa with over 70% Muslim population, needed to utilise fully its 95,000 pilgrims quota given by Saudi-Arabia for this year’s pilgrimage.”