Bauchi Board To Refund Govt-sponsored Muslim Pilgrims N2.4m Each

Bauchi State Muslim Pilgrim Welfare Board has revolved to refund N2.4 million to each of the government-sponsored 2022 intending pilgrims, who were unable to perform the exercise.

This followed the approval by Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed to that effect after over 1,000 intending pilgrims from the state failed to make the trip to the Holy Land for the rite due to visa-related issues.

The executive secretary of the board, Abdurrahman Ibrahim Idris, who disclosed this to journalists in Bauchi, said interested pilgrims were at liberty to apply for the refund by attaching the endorsed data page issued to them by the board when submitting the said form.

He said for those who are willing to perform the 2023 hajj exercise through the Board again, the door is open for them to leave their deposit for an automatic switch over to the 2023 Hajj operation.

“The board wants to use this medium to inform intending pilgrims who paid their hajj fare and were not opportune to perform the Hajj because of one reason or the other and are not interested in rolling their deposit for 2023 hajj that they are at liberty to apply for their refunds. But interested pilgrims’ deposits will automatically be registered against the 2023 hajj operation,” he said.

The executive secretary also announced to especially those who performed the 2022 Hajj operation that the board has concluded arrangement to commence the payment of refunds of N50,000.00 to those who paid N2.5 million as their Hajj fare, saying the reduction was secured from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) at the commencement of the last operation.

“The officials of the board will go round the 20 local government areas of the state using different pay points for the disbursement of the N50,000 to each pilgrim that performed the 2022 hajj operation. This will to some extent ease the cost of travelling to the Board’s Headquarters and for proximity reasons.

“I want to appreciate the media for the role played during the last Hajj operation. We will continue to work with them to sustain this cordial relationship.”