The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has assured pilgrims who participated in the 2023 Hajj of receiving further refunds for poor services rendered during the pilgrimage.
This assurance was made by NAHCON’s Executive Chairman, Prof. Abdullahi Usman, in a statement issued by Mrs. Fatima Usara, Assistant Director of Information and Publication, on Thursday in Abuja.
In October, NAHCON confirmed receiving refunds from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for services not rendered during previous, unspecified Hajj seasons. However, the disbursement of these funds has been delayed due to a lack of detailed explanations accompanying the refunds.
According to Usman, the commission is awaiting clarification on the reasons for the refunds, the specific services affected, and the amounts due to individual pilgrims.
“For the benefit of clearing any doubts, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria received in five tranches a total of 20,716,035.2 Saudi Riyals as refunds. Of this, we have only received clarification for 150 Saudi Riyals per pilgrim for the 95,000 participants in the 2023 Hajj. This amount was for electricity supply issues at Masha’ir locations,” he explained.
The clarified amount has already been distributed to State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards and Private Tour Operators for onward payment to pilgrims. However, the commission is still pursuing explanations for the remaining 6.4 million Saudi Riyals.
Prof. Usman emphasized that the commission had written several letters to the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and led follow-up delegations to Saudi Arabia seeking detailed information about the refunds.
“We assure the affected pilgrims and their officials that once full details are provided, the remaining amount will be disbursed promptly and transparently,” he said.
NAHCON called on pilgrims to remain patient while efforts continue to ensure the refunds are accurately allocated to their rightful beneficiaries.
