Lagos State Government said it will meet with intending pilgrims to discuss the increased in hajj fare by National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
This followed a protest yesterday by the intending pilgrims to the State House, Alausa.
The protesters were told in a text message to cough out additional N1,340,000 to the N1,300,000 deposited last year and 2020 totaling N2,640,000 for this year’s hajj.
The Hajj exercise could not hold last year and in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Commissioner for Home Affairs, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, said in a statement government would also meet with NAHCON officials and Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board.
Elegushi said the meeting was aimed at discussing the increase in 2022 Hajj fare, as announced by NAHCON.
He said the meeting would come up shortly after the Eid-il-Fitr celebrations, adding that the date would be communicated to all concerned in due course.
The commissioner said that upon preliminary enquiry, NAHCON explained that the fare increase was necessitated by increase in foreign exchange (forex) rate, value added tax from Saudi Arabia and the cost of aviation fuel for the carriers.
”We, therefore, implore our intending pilgrims in the state to attend this very important stakeholders’ meeting anytime it is called, in order to clarify issues and clear other grey areas. Meanwhile, we assure our intending pilgrims of continued better service and assistance in the course of carrying out this all-important pillar of Islam,” he said.
Reacting to the protest, the State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board said the increment was beyond the control of the Federal or State Governments because Hajj operations which is under the control of the Kingdomof Saudi Arabia is dollar-based.
The dollar which was exchanged for N306 to a Naira in 2019 has now risen to N419 (official rate) in 2022.
In a meeting with the Chief Executives of States Pilgrims Welfare Boards, Agencies and Commissions in Abuja last Thursday, the NAHCON Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Alhaji Zikhirullah Kunle Hazzan said that the Saudi Arabian authority had increased its Value Added Tax (VAT) from five percent to 15 percent and coupled with the high exchange rate of dollars, everything is bound to be affected.
“Equally important to add is that the new increment of N1,340,000.00 in addition to the N1.3 million initially deposited by our intending pilgrims covers airline tickets (to and fro Saudi Arabia), hotel accommodation, visa procurement, local transportation, PCR test both in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, amongst others.
Consequently, the Board has no alternative than to act as directed by its regulator in order to make the exercise seamless for our intending pilgrims,” the board said.
It would be recall that Lagos State was allocated 1,562 slots while those above 65 years have been excluded in line with Saudi Arabian Government’s directive.
– The Nation
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