Refund N437k Excess Hajj Fares To Intending Pilgrims Now, IHR Tells NAHCON

A Hajj monitoring and reporting organisation, Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), has called on the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to refund excess fares paid by intending pilgrims for the 2025 Hajj exercise due to exchange rate differentials.

According to the group, 26,287 confirmed intending pilgrims, who had paid their fares before the February 10 deadline, were entitled to an average refund of N437,000 each.

The demand followed an analysis of the Hajj fare template, which showed that NAHCON set an exchange rate of N1,600 per US Dollar when calculating the cost. However, the Naira later appreciated, with the exchange rate at N1,507 per dollar as of February 13, creating a differential of N93 per dollar.

Intending pilgrims from the northern region paid $4,704.18, while their southern counterparts paid $4,908.18. With the latest exchange rate, the excess amount paid by each intending pilgrim adds up to a substantial sum, which IHR believed should be refunded promptly.

IHR’s national coordinator, Ibrahim Mohammed, in a statement, said: “We call on NAHCON not to wait until after the Hajj exercise to process these refunds. The funds are already available and will assist pilgrims in covering additional expenses for their stay in the holy land.”

The organisation emphasised that paying the refunds now would further enhance transparency within NAHCON, aligning with the commission’s commitment to accountability under its current leadership.

Recall that NAHCON had earlier announced that the total cost for the 2025 Hajj exceeded N8million per pilgrim, with payments required to be deposited into its accounts by February 10.