Hajj, the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith. A Muslim is recommended to perform it at least once in his lifetime if he can afford it. Every year, thousands of Nigerians join their fellow Muslim faithful in the holy land for the Hajj rites. At the end of the exercise, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), the State Pilgrims Welfare Agencies and other stakeholders take stock of their successes and challenges during the Hajj rites. As with each year, the 2024 Hajj came and went with its array of attainments and challenges. As expected, the NAHCON has given itself a pat on the back. At a post-Hajj press conference on July 29, the NAHCON Executive Chairman, Malam Jalal Ahmad Arabi, said despite the adversities faced by the agency, the 2024 Hajj exercise was a success, while promising to make improvement in the years to come.
However, Blueprint sees this year’s exercise as one of the most problematic in living memory. Even Malam Arabi listed some of the challenges that made it so. The biggest sob-story, in our view, is the death of not fewer than 30 Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia. Some of them died from the intense heat wave that assailed the country at the time, while the others died from some other factors.
Despite early and well-coordinated preparations, NAHCON contended with a myriad of problems, many of which were not of its doing. First, the payment of fares by intending pilgrims was very slow due to the economic situation in the country. Significantly, the exercise suffered from the turmoil in the foreign exchange market. That caused so much confusion and anxiety among not only the intending pilgrims but also stakeholders such as the State Pilgrims Welfare Agencies and Private Tour Operators (PTOs). The forex volatility made the Hajj fare almost unbearable for majority of intending pilgrims. This year’s fare was the worst in history. By the second week of February, when the NAHCON’s deadline for payment ended, pilgrims were required to pay an additional N3.6 million above the N4.9 million earlier announced – an increase of almost 100 percent. The situation was only saved when President Bola Tinubu shelled out a subsidy of N90 billion to NAHCON following the SOS it sent to him. The fund was used to reduce the high increase that the pilgrims would have been required to make. They paid an additional N1,637,369.87 because the subsidy was not enough to offset all the balance. Pilgrims who went through the PTOs paid as much as N8 million. The President’s quick intervention was commendable even though it was to the chagrin of those who oppose subsiding religious functions by government in a secular nation.
NAHCON also faced a near revolt from the PTOs who insisted on benefiting from Tinubu’s N90 billion largesse. It was only reasonable for NAHCON to stand its ground and refuse to extend the gesture to them on the basis that the PTOs are in private business and could, therefore, make all their cost-benefit arrangements with their well-heeled clients. Credible sources have told us that it was this disagreement that inspired an anonymous petition to be raised against the executive chairman of NAHCON, prompting the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to launch an investigation. We support a thorough investigation of the matter and pray the EFCC will make its findings public.
In Saudi Arabia, Nigerian pilgrims contended with the problem of a shortfall in their Basic Travel Allowance (BTA). The banks are responsible for this because they issued BTA to the pilgrims at a rate higher than N626 for the US$500 deposited on April 24. NAHCON should ensure that the banks remit the balance to the pilgrims in good time.
The NAHCON also faced issues on pilgrims’ tents in Mina and Arafat. A logjam ensued over the distribution of VIP tents due to a change of policy by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah as well as a hitch from the PTOs.
By and large, we agree with NAHCON that this year’s Hajj operation administered by it was a resounding success given the hopelessness of the early days of the exercise. Many State Pilgrims Welfare Agencies also did well in terms of supporting their pilgrims with accommodation, feeding and transportation in Nigeria and the holy land. In particular, Kebbi State even won three awards from the Saudi government in recognition of its excellent and smooth Hajj operation. Governor Nasir Idris gave each pilgrim from the state a contribution of N1 million for the air fare, paid for the cost of sacrificial ram in Makkah, secured for them accommodation near the Grand Mosque, and donated 200 Saudi riyals to each pilgrim. Many other states have done similar work in order to support their pilgrims. We, therefore, commend such state governments and NAHCON and ask them to do more and better in next year’s exercise.
