From Adetutu Folasade-Koyi, Abuja
Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Jalal Ahmad Arabi, has said Nigeria lost 30 pilgrims during this year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
He, however, said not all the 30 Nigerians who died during the Hajj succumbed due to the harsh weather condition in Saudi Arabia.
“The 2024 Hajj was one of the harshest weather that has ever been experienced. We were informed well in advance and we tried as much as possible, together with other stakeholders, to provide necessary tools, and ensure that they were safe-guarded.
“We insisted that service providers provide pilgrims with umbrellas and new innovation fans to keep them safe.
“There was exposure to the harsh conditions and we tried the best that we could to provide succour for them. As we often say; one soul is as important as a million souls; you don’t discountenance this just because you lost a soul.
“We lost pilgrims but not all of them died from the heatwave, certainly not. We lost 30 pilgrims but only about four or five could be said to be as a result of heatwave,” he said at a world press conference in Abuja, yesterday.
In addition, Arabi explained how the N90 billion intervention fund from the Federal Government was disbursed.
“How to spread this N90 billion equitably to such a degree that registered pilgrims would not have to pay additionally to the N4.9m, was tough. At first, the N90 billion would only cater conveniently for about 18,000 intending pilgrims out of about 50,000 duly registered persons as of March 22, 2024.
“Subsequently, appreciation of the Naira to N1, 474.00 in the month of May 2024 brought respite to our calculations as it meant a reduction from what the registered pilgrims would have to top up. NAHCON then devised a distribution strategy which played a crucial role in ensuring that all stakeholders associated with the 2024 Hajj benefited from the financial stability through this Federal Government’s support.
“Each pilgrim was supported with N1,637,369.87 from the N90 billion except for pilgrims under the Hajj Savings Scheme (HSS) who enjoyed more.
“Hence, all registered intending pilgrims, except those on HSS, were required to pay a balance of N1,918,094.87 since the N90 billion was not sufficient to make up for the balance. However, new registrants were asked to pay N8, 454,464.74 being exempted from the Federal Government’s intervention. It is on record that eligible officials and stakeholders from all tiers of government enjoyed the subsidy from the N90 billion,” he said.