The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has called on all intending pilgrims from Nigeria, should pay the required N4.5 million deposit for next year’s hajj, as soon as possible.
This call comes after NAHCON’s earlier announcement that negotiations with service providers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would commence from November 4.
Consequently, intending pilgrims are urged to make their deposits before this date.
NAHCON said timely payments is important as it enables the commission to determine the number of intending pilgrims, facilitating negotiations with service providers. Payment is also essential to secure visas, which will be closed 50 to 45 days before Arafat.
The Secretary of the commission, Dr Abdullahi Rabiu Kontogora, during a meeting with chairmen of state pilgrims’ welfare boards yesterday in Abuja, said there was a little window left for preparation for hajj and that it was pertinent pilgrims paid their deposits on time to secure their visas which would close 50 or 45 days to Arafat.
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Kontogora further said, “We have a challenge, and it is not going to be business as usual and we have to follow that calendar by the Saudi authorities. We know they are determined to ensure they work with the calendar; we want to make sure we do not deceive Nigerians so they need to be informed appropriately in regards to the new changes in the Saudi hajj policies.
“Visa will be closed two months before Arafat which has not been the practice but formerly a day or two. Now, they have decided that they want to know the people coming from all countries and the only way we can do that is to close our visas early because a visa is hajj and without it, there is no way you can go for hajj.”
He added that if the visa stopped two months before Arafat, “That means a lot of Nigerians are likely to be left behind; meaning a lot of Nigerians may not be registered at that time.”
The Executive Secretary of the Nasarawa State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Idris Ahmad Almakura, noted that the response states had been receiving from intending pilgrims was quite low.
He said, “We have intending pilgrims that deposited N1m, N2m and N3.5m, but to get to that 4.5m is low. We are going to put out enlightenment programmes so that we can have a good turnover before the deadline.”