Lagos assures NAHCON of meeting Dec 5 deadline remittance of Hajj fares

The Lagos State Government has assured the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) that it would meet the December 5 deadline for remittance of the fares for next year’s Hajj exercise.

The assurance was given by the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Olanrewaju Ibrahim Layode, while receiving NAHCON officials led by the National Commissioner South West, Dr. Tajudeen Oladejo Abefe.

Layode stated that the State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board has intensified efforts to get more patronage to surpass the 1,500 slots allocated to the state by NAHCON, saying that the directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the reduction of the Hajj fare has further encouraged more intending pilgrims to apply for the exercise.

Speaking on the money paid on behalf of the 93 intending pilgrims who were denied visas during the 2025 exercise, Layode told the NAHCON officials that the money has not been refunded, stressing that the state had written a letter of intention to retain the slots for the 2026 exercise.

He, therefore, urged them to assist the state in this regard.

He assured the visitors that with the support of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Kadri Hamzat, the state would make the necessary remittances before the deadline to make the performance of the spiritual exercise seamless for her intending pilgrims.

Speaking earlier, the NAHCON National Commissioner said they were in Lagos to discuss with the state with respect to the deadline for remittance of the Hajj fares.

Dr Abefe said that in line with the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, NAHCON reduced the Hajj fare from N8,784,085.59k to N7,991.141.76k, thereby saving every intending pilgrim a sum of N792,943.83k.

He, however, said that despite the reduction, there is still the critical challenge of time constraints. He affirmed that December 5 is the actual date that the Saudi authorities expect every payment to drop into its International Bank Account Number (IBAN), and the date is non-negotiable.

He stated that in the past, Saudi Arabia usually considered Nigeria’s request for extension of deadlines, but this time around, the situation is no longer the same, as the country has made it clear that it will not bend the rules for anyone.

Dr. Abefe stated that in view of the seriousness attached to this issue, it has been resolved that every payment must get to NAHCON by December 3, for onward transmission to the Saudi Arabia IBAN account on or before December 5.

 He warned that any money remitted afterwards would not be considered.

He extended his appreciation to Governor Sanwo-Olu and Dr. Hamzat for their commitment and numerous interventions towards the success of the 2025 Hajj.

On his part, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Islamic Matters, Dr. Ahmad Abdullahi Jebe, urged NAHCON to be specific about the dates being given as a deadline. 

He frowned at a situation where different deadlines were being set for payment, saying such a situation has created inconveniences for the intending pilgrims as well as the stakeholders.

Source: The Nation