By our Reporter
Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, (NAHCON), has given Friday April 28 as deadline for this year’s Hajj fare remittance by boards, agencies and commissions of State Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare managers.
Hassan announced this after a marathon meeting with Chief Executives of State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards, Agencies and Commissions at the NAHCON’s Hajj House, Abuja.
The meeting was to address critical issues hinging on remittances of Hajj fare by pilgrims in order to finalize the number of eligible enrollees for this year’s 2023 Hajj.
The commission said the number of registered pilgrims would dictate figures with which to sign agreements with airlines.
According to Alhaji Hassan, the commission would gladly work with any amount remitted by Friday deadline and subsequently sign agreements for the 2023 airlift to Saudi Arabia based on that number.
He explained that 50 per cent down payment to the air carriers is expected upon signing of agreement while another 35 per cent would follow after deployment of aircraft for the airlift by the carriers.
The NAHCON boss said the remittance had to take this long, bearing in mind that all other arrangements depend on the confirmed number of Hajj fare payers before conclusion.
It would be recalled that the deadline for Hajj fare remittance had been extended on several occasions since January 2023.
In another development, the Commissioner Planning, Research, Statistics and Library Studies, Prince Sheikh Suleman Momoh, has said that screening of the first batch of medical personnel for the 2023 Hajj will be held today.