Hajj: 2115 seats allocated to FCT – Director

The FCT Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board has been allocated 2115 seats for the 2018 Hajj exercise out of which 50 percent has been sold out. The director of the board, Malam Muhammad Bashir, said this yesterday, in Abuja while briefing newsmen on the 2018 Hajj fare and activities for the upcoming pilgrimage. Malam Bashir said […]

The FCT Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board has been allocated 2115 seats for the 2018 Hajj exercise out of which 50 percent has been sold out.

The director of the board, Malam Muhammad Bashir, said this yesterday, in Abuja while briefing newsmen on the 2018 Hajj fare and activities for the upcoming pilgrimage.

Malam Bashir said about N45,351.47 was also reduced from the Hajj fare that was paid last year  making the 2018 Hajj fare N1,492,867.15  with a flat rate of $800 basic travel allowance. Last year’s pilgrims paid  N1,538,218.62 as Hajj fare. 

He said registration of the intended pilgrims was still ongoing. 

Bashir added that the development resulted from effort by the regulatory body to lessen the hardship of pilgrims getting Hajj fares due to exchange rate and escalation of cost of services in Saudi Arabia.

“Old timers are to pay additional SR2000 (two thousand Saudi riyals) which is equivalent to N163,000 as a levy imposed by the Saudi Arabian government this year. 

“Already comfortable accommodation for  this year’s intending pilgrims in Makka  has been secured and  arrangement with service providers in Saudi Arabia has been made  while visa processing for the intending pilgrims has also begun,” he said.

He added that the board had also concluded first and second education and orientation exercises for the 2018 intending pilgrims while the next phase of the exercise was scheduled to come up after the Ramadan fast. 

“We have also conducted the mandatory medical screening of the intending pilgrims and the team of medical doctors are still analysing the lab results. 

He further called on the intending pilgrims who have not balanced their Hajj fare to do so before the end of this month to enable the board meet up with the deadline set by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria.

“All intending pilgrims who paid in excess would get their refund as soon as we conclude the compilation of their names and their bank details,” he added.