No govt subsidy for 2025 Hajj — NAHCON

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced that there will be no concessionary rates or government subsidy for the 2025 Hajj exercise.

This update was disclosed by NAHCON’s Commissioner for Operations, Anofi Elegushi, following a virtual meeting with Private Tour Operators (PTOs).

According to a statement released by the Commission’s spokesperson, Fatima Usara, Elegushi confirmed that both pilgrims registered under the State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards and private operators would not benefit from any special exchange rates for Hajj fare payments.

The statement read, “For the 2025 Hajj, there will be no concessionary exchange rate from the government for Hajj fare payment for pilgrims, whether under state or private Hajj operators.”

This development implies that, with the current exchange rate of over N1,600 to $1, pilgrims, who typically pay at least $6,000 for Hajj, could face payments of up to N10 million for the 2025 pilgrimage.

This marks a noteworthy shift from the 2024 Hajj, where the Federal Government provided a subsidy of N90 billion to NAHCON to ease costs for intending pilgrims.

While NAHCON has yet to announce the exact deposit fares for 2025, some states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have already set initial deposits of N8.4 million for pilgrims.

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