The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria has debunked rumours of a purported approval of the sum of N24,143,494,567.32bn, by the Presidency, to ‘offset the liabilities of 2023 Hajj carriers, resulting from foreign exchange rate variations’.
The commission, in a statement issued on February 3, 2024, had announced final prices for the Hajj trip, quoting the sum of N4,899,000 for southern pilgrims; and N4,699,000 for pilgrims in the north; while pilgrims from Yola and Maiduguri centres were asked to pay a fee of N4,679,000 for the 2024 Hajj.
However, in a letter that went viral on social media and dated December 11, 2023, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, had allegedly said that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation had recommended for the approved funds, ‘to be sourced from 15 per cent wheat grain levy pool account no 0020258341106’.
Consequently, many Nigerians had questioned the rationale behind the approval of such amount of money for the pilgrimage, particularly against the backdrop of the economic challenges faced by citizens across the country.
However, in an interview with our correspondent, the commission’s Deputy Director of Information and Publication, Mousa Ubandawaki, said he was not aware of any such approvals from the Presidency, while urging Nigerians to wait for the commission chairman’s briefing on the Hajj process.
He said, “I am not aware. There is nothing like that. The chairman will soon brief the public.”
