NAHCON Wants Pilgrims’ BTA Via ATM Card Waived

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has appealed to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to reconsider its policy of issuing Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) to intending pilgrims for the 2025 Hajj exercise in Saudi Arabia via Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards.

NAHCON’s commissioner of Operations, Inspectorate and Licensing, Prince Anofi Elegushi, made this plea while speaking with LEADERSHIP at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja yesterday.

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He stated that although this is the apex bank’s policy, their appeal is grounded in the fact that many pilgrims are coming from rural areas and are unfamiliar with electronic financial transactions.

“In my view, that is a policy that has been in place, but last year, they waived it for us after considerable discussion. At NAHCON, we have our policy as well, but we will continue to advocate on two or three points: who the individuals going to Hajj are and what their literacy level is.

“Most pilgrims are from rural areas where they cannot even read or write and may never have encountered an ATM machine. Furthermore, how many ATMs are there in Makkah, and how many bank outlets are there? These are the factors we need to present to the CBN to persuade them to see the rationale for waiving this policy,” Elegushi explained.

Further discussing preparations for the 2025 Hajj operation, Elegushi noted that the commission has successfully secured accommodation in Mashair for 52,000 intending Nigerian pilgrims from different states and 12,000 accommodation units for private tour operator’s pilgrims.

“We have secured 52,000 seats for the state pilgrims, and I believe the tour operators have also booked about 12,000 seats for their pilgrims.

“It is a proactive measure to reserve space in Mashair, which is why payments are still being processed, and we still have a number of days to finalise everything.

“We are adhering to the schedules and doing our utmost. We have completed the first leg, securing space for our pilgrims in Masha’ir, and we are diligently following up with other programmes associated with Saudi Arabia. We receive updates almost daily from state boards and have concluded arrangements with the airlines, which have been approved. Hence, all hands are on deck, and I am confident that this year’s Hajj operations will surpass those of 2024,” the commissioner concluded.