Abba Yusuf, the governor of Kano State, announced a N500,000 subsidy for Kano residents planning to participate in the 2024 Hajj.
In a statement on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Yusuf mentioned that Kano residents who had made initial Hajj payments will now pay N1.4 million instead of the N1.9 million set by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
“Following the sudden increase of N1.9 million Hajj fare increase by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, I have approved a subsidy of N500,000 each for intending pilgrims from Kano, embarking on the 2024 pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
“With this, intending pilgrims who have registered and paid the initial total deposit of N4.7 million and N4.5 million with the State Pilgrims Board will now deposit N1.4 million out of the N1.9 million increase,” the governor posted.
NAHCON had earlier hiked the 2024 Hajj fare due to foreign exchange rate changes.
Approximately 49,000 pilgrims who paid the former fee of N4.9 million to the commission must now pay an extra N1.9 million by 28 March, while new registrations are set at N8.5 million.
Fatima Sanda-Usara, NAHCON’s spokesperson, announced this adjustment in a statement on Sunday.
The commission justified the increase by citing the current exchange rate of N1,474.00 to a dollar.
It was reported that the 49,000 pilgrims had paid N4.9 million each when the exchange rate was N897 to a dollar at banks.
NAHCON acknowledged that maintaining the previous fare was not possible, leading to the new rate announcement.
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