How We Spent FG’s ₦‎90 Billion On 2024 Hajj Operations – NAHCON

The Chairman of the National Hajj Commission, Jalal Arabi, has said the commission used the N90 billion subsidy from the federal government to bridge the payment gaps for Hajj fares for pilgrims.

Mr Arabi said this in an interview with DCL Hausa, an online Hausa news platform. PREMIUM TIMES monitored the interview.

In May, the federal government announced the provision of N90 billion subsidy for the 2024 National Hajj operation, a move criticised by many Nigerians who questioned why the government was subsidising a religious activity at a time the country could not adequately fund basic amenities like schools and hospitals.

Vice President Kashim Shettima announced the gesture during the inauguration of the 2024 National Hajj operation at the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport in Birnin Kebbi, the capital of Kebbi State.

Despite the subsidy, some state governors expressed dissatisfaction with NAHCON’s management of the Hajj operations, citing inadequate provision of accommodation in Muna and insufficient Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) for pilgrims from states.

This raised questions about the commission’s utilisation of the funds.

Also, on Thursday, the House of Representatives constituted a committee, chaired by Sada Soli (APC, Katsina), to probe NAHCON’s performance during the pilgrimage.

Arabi’s response
In the interview, Mr Arabi revealed that the commission used a large part of the N90 billion to bridge the payment gaps for Hajj fares owed by pilgrims.

“The federal government granted us a N90 billion subsidy, which we carefully utilised to address the unprecedented increase in Hajj costs.

“The high dollar exchange rate caused the cost per seat to surge above N9 million, necessitating our intervention to mitigate the burden on pilgrims.