A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former commissioner for Home Affairs in Lagos State, Hon Mohammed Danmole has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene on the hike in Hajj fares.
In a statement, Danmole urged the president to intervene in the process of costing this year’s Hajj operation.
He said, “As a result of different regimes of rates of exchange given the tour operators and the state pilgrims board, it has become difficult for private tour operators to keep their clients.
“The private operators who had earlier collected a deposit of N5 million for exercise while state pilgrims took a deposit of N4.5 million, got a letter from NAHCON on Monday that a total amount of N5,013,473.33 is to be paid for services to rendered by Saudi authorities and accommodation in Makkah and Madinah.
“The rate of exchange used in coming to the above cost was based on the rate of N1,625.35 to $1. Suffice to say that the rate of exchange from Monday till today is between 1,400 and 1,450.”
He pointed out that there is no transparency in the rate used for state pilgrims said to be at the rate of N850 to a $1.
“That unexpected high rate of exchange the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria bases their calculations on will affect the private operators negatively and capable of disrupting the Holy pilgrimage and sending them out of business.
“That the president should intervene on the issue of a four days deadline given to operators and extend to one more week to be able to sensitise their pilgrims.
“Your excellency sir, I am sure that you will intervene and put succour and smile in the face of the private operators. I am appealing to the President to look into the high level of disparity in the exchange rate regime between the state sponsored pilgrims and those of the private tour operators.”
