NAHCON delegation in Indonesia to understudy model of Hajj savings

A delegation of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and representatives from Forum of State Pilgrims Welfare Boards, on Wednesday, arrived in Indonesia on a study tour of the Asian country’s Badan Pengolola Keuangan Haji (BPKH) for a better understanding of Hajj savings and other areas of Hajj management.

The study tour holding from October 4 -11, was sponsored by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) since 2019 but could not hold till this year due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

The delegation is led by NAHCON’s commissioner, policy, personnel management, and finance, Alhaji Nura Hassan Yakassai.

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• NAHCON delegation in Indonesia to understudy model of Hajj savings
• NAHCON delegation in Indonesia to understudy model of Hajj savings

The BKKH is Indonesia’s equivalent of Nigeria’s Hajj Savings Scheme (HSS). It officially took off on July 26, 2017.

A statement made available to Tribune Online by NAHCON’s deputy director (Press), Fatima Sani Usara, informed that according to report, the BPKH had since its inception recorded a steady increase in managed Hajj funds.

The report indicated that despite the the Covid-19 pandemic and economic contraction in 2020, the balance of Hajj funds managed by BPKH was Rp143.1 trillion, from Rp124.32 trillion in 2019, an increase of 15.08 percent.

This achievement also exceeded the managed fund target set by BPKH in 2020 of Rp139.5 trillion. By 2022, the organisation realised between $10 and $11 billion returns in investment which it used to subsidise the 2022 by 59% (the pilgrims paid $2,611, while the actual cost of the year’s Hajj was $6,411.

At the opening ceremony of the study tour programme, Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia, Ambassador Usman Ari Ogah, charged representatives of the two countries to build on the relationship already established years ago.

He also charged NAHCON to learn from BPKH, the Indonesian agency having gone far in the field of Hajj finance, management and other aspects of Islamic social support.

The delegation also visit Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs for an interactive session on Hajj management of Indonesian pilgrims in Indonesia and in Saudi Arabia.