The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced the final fares for the 2024 Hajj exercise.
In a statement by the commission assistant director of public affairs, Fatima Sanda Usara yesterday said intending pilgrims from the southern part of the country will pay N4,899,000 as hajj fare while northern intending pilgrims will pay N4,699,000, and those from North-Eastern states of Adamawa and Borno will pay N4,679,000.
The intending pilgrims were advised to complete their fares on or before Monday, 12 February 2024 to enable the commission to transfer the funds before the deadline.
NAHCON chairman, Malam Jalal Ahmad Arabi, had said this year’s fares would not exceed N4.5 million that was charged as an initial deposit and the prospects had remained high until the naira dropped to a record low against the US dollar on the official market on Tuesday with FMDQ exchange data slipping below rates on the unofficial parallel market in intra-day trades.
He said the instability in the exchange rate compelled a necessary adjustment despite efforts at the said rate.
According to the statement, Arabi actively negotiated substantial discounts with service providers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in January, striving to alleviate costs for intending pilgrims.
The volatile currency situation within the week necessitated the decision to consolidate the gains achieved in lowering the cost of services for the hajj, without which the price of the 2024 Muslim pilgrimage might have shot to about N6 million.
