Ogun State has fallen short of filling the quota allocated to it by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for the 2028 Hajj exercise in Saudi Arabia.
Despite being allotted 1,191 slots for the 2024 Hajj exercise, NAHCON announced on Sunday that only 929 intending Hajj pilgrims from Ogun State had paid the initial deposit of N4.9 million, amounting to a total of N4.5 billion, for the holy pilgrimage.
Furthermore, the number of intending Hajj pilgrims is expected to decrease further as NAHCON has mandated each of Nigeria’s intending pilgrims to pay an additional N1.489 million, raising the total Hajj fare to N6.9 million.
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NAHCON has set a fresh and final deadline for each of the intending pilgrims to pay the full N6.9 million, with the latest deadline set for March 28.
The increase in the Hajj fare from N4.9 million to N6.9 million has been attributed to the volatile exchange rate of the Naira to the Dollar by NAHCON.
As a result, NAHCON has urged intending pilgrims who had already paid the initial N4.9 million to settle the additional N1.9 million before the March 28 deadline, when the Hajj payment portal will be closed.
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