Hajj 2017: Bauchi to collect multiples of N250,000 as minimum deposit
Bauchi State intending would pay a deposit of N250,000 as initial deposit for the payment of 2017 Hajj fare. Executive Secretary of the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Abdullahi Magaji Hardawa disclosed this in Bauchi on Wednesday while addressing journalists in his office. He said the N250,000 will be collected in multiples pending the […]
Bauchi State intending would pay a deposit of N250,000 as initial deposit for the payment of 2017 Hajj fare.
Executive Secretary of the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Abdullahi Magaji Hardawa disclosed this in Bauchi on Wednesday while addressing journalists in his office.
He said the N250,000 will be collected in multiples pending the announcement of the actual price of the Hajj fare by the National Hajj Commission.
He added that intending pilgrims can pay N250,000, N500,000, N750,000, N1 million as deposit and the payments must reach at least N1, 250,000 by April 13, 2017.
Hardawa has informed that the sale of forms for the 2017 Hajj exercise will commence on January 23, 2017 and will last for two days.
According to him, the sale of forms will hold between 8am and 6pm each day, adding that the form will be sold at the rate of N500 as directed by the state governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar.
The Executive secretary informed that 2,520 slots were allocated to the state for the 2017 Hajj based on itsperformance on the 2016 Hajj as it has not utilised all the seats allocated to it by the National Hajj Commission.
According to him, 80 per cent of the slots allocated to the state will be given to first timers, while the remaining 20 per cent will go to those who have performed Hajj before.
He also disclosed that intending pilgrims who are interested in traveling to Saudi Arabia for the exercise should come along with their two passport photographs an an E-passport and a certificate of physical fitness.
Hardawa declared that no pregnant woman will be allowed to perform this year’s Hajj saying that pregnancy test will be conducted twice on every woman intending pilgrim before airlifting and during airlifting exercise.
He said that people will also be tested to determine ailments that may prevent them from going to Hajj or pose a great challenge to officials for appropriate measures to be taken.
The executive secretary also informed that after the sale of forms a balloting exercise would be conducted from January 30 to February 1, 2017 in all the 20 local government areas in the state.
He also informed that intending pilgrims from the state to the 2017 Hajj exercise will not be allowed to go on pilgrimage without producing guarantors who will stand for them attest to their characters before being allowed to travel to the Holy Land.
He said that the Saudi Arabia authorities will ban any intending pilgrim from travelling without the guarantors’ signatures.
According to him, the Saudi authorities had informed Nigerian authorities of its ban on pilgrims without guarantors, adding that the Saudi’s reason is hinged on the arrest of some pilgrims with hard drugs during the 2016 exercise.
"If you recalled during the 2016 Hajj exercise two issues happened where some people from Kwara were caught with drugs while some people were not seen.
"Based on these, any intending pilgrims who want to have a successful Hajj exercise should have a guarantor that will stand for them to the Holy Land," He added.
He further informed that the guarantors are in three category which include District Heads, Village Heads, Imams of Juma’at Mosque and Federal,State civil servants who are of Grade Level 12 or their equivalents in other sectors.
The executive secretary further informed that any intending pilgrims found with any drugs or ran away during the exercise his/her guarantor would be held responsible and would be charged of the whole flight amount as a fine.
"Any intending pilgrims found without having a guarantor form with him/her will be deported back to Nigeria right from the airport," he declared.