Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State has announced N1 million for pilgrims from the state intending to go to the Hajj.
The announcement was made public by Murtala Usman, the spokesperson of the Jigawa Pilgrims Welfare Board, on Monday.
Usman said the subsidy applies to intending pilgrims from Jigawa who had already made their deposits for the pilgrimage to Mecca in the upcoming 2024 Hajj exercise.
With this subsidy, each intending pilgrim must now pay approximately N900,000, significantly lower than the initial amount.
“From the initial, the NAHCON allocated 1,518 seats for Jigawa State, but only 1,260 seats were sold to intending pilgrims and completed their payment.
“The subsidy gesture announced by the governor is effective on those who have deposited their amount before the sudden increase of N1.9 million Hajj fare increase by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, “he said.
NAHCON allocated 1,518 seats for Jigawa State, with only 1,260 seats being sold to intending pilgrims who completed their payments.
The governor’s subsidy applies to those who deposited their amounts before the sudden increase of N1.9 million in the Hajj fare by NAHCON.
NAHCON had raised the Hajj rates, citing adjustments in the foreign exchange rate.
The increase prompted approximately 49,000 pilgrims who had paid the old fees of N4.9 million each to pay an additional N1.9 million each before March 28. Additionally, the new registration fee was set at N8.5 million.
