The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced that 95,000 Nigerian pilgrims who participated in the 2023 Hajj will receive a refund of 150 Saudi Riyals (approximately N67,500) each due to poor services experienced during the pilgrimage.
This was disclosed by the commission’s spokesperson, Fatima Usara, in a statement on Tuesday.
The announcement followed a meeting held on Monday between NAHCON officials and Private Tour Operators (PTOs) in Nigeria. Usara stated that the meeting, chaired by NAHCON’s Commissioner of Operations, Prince Anofi Olanrewaju Elegushi, aimed to brief the PTOs on recent developments, including resolutions reached since Abdullahi Saleh assumed office as acting chairman of the commission.
Prince Elegushi informed attendees that the refund applies to both state-sponsored and privately arranged pilgrims. NAHCON has begun preparations to disburse the payments. He also provided updates on pending refunds from the 2022 Hajj, noting that 62,602 Saudi Riyals will be refunded to PTOs that camped in Field Office 18 due to poor feeding conditions in the Masha’ir.
Other key updates included the reduction of lead companies for the 2025 Hajj by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, from 20 to 10, with each company required to register a minimum of 2,000 pilgrims for visa approval. Elegushi also confirmed that for the 2025 Hajj, the government will not provide a concessionary exchange rate for Hajj fare payments.
NAHCON has introduced the option of bank guarantees in place of the N40 million caution deposit for Hajj operators, allowing operators who have already paid in cash to request a refund and submit a bank guarantee instead. The deadline for registration has been extended to Friday, 11 October.
Additionally, a NAHCON delegation and selected PTO members will visit Saudi Arabia to resolve issues such as trapped IBAN deposits, pending refunds, and the limited issuance of Umrah visas.
