The Bauchi Government has announced plans to subsidize the fare of the 2,290 intending pilgrims from the state for the 2024 Hajj with the sum of N2.1 billion.
Each of the intending pilgrims from Bauchi will get a subsidy of N959,000 amounting to 50 percent of the increment announced on 2024 Hajj fares by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), the state government said in a statement on Friday.
According to the statement, Governor Bala Mohammed has approved the payment of the N2.1 billion subsidy for the 2024 intending Hajj pilgrims.
The increment by NAHCON is N1,918,000 per intending Hajj pilgrim.
NAHCON blamed the increment on Foreign Exchange elements.
It also set March 28, 2024 as the deadline for intending pilgrims to make their payments.
“It is on this note that the governor came in to assist,’’ Commissioner for Religious Affairs and Community Orientation, Alhaji Yakubu Hamza told newsmen in Bauchi on Friday.
He explained that benefiting intending pilgrims were those who had paid the fare increment announced by NAHCON and those who were yet to pay.
Those awarded Hajj slots by the state government would also benefit, he said.
“There are people who already made their payments, but suddenly there was an increment in the Hajj fares,’’ Hamza noted.
(NAN)
