The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria and the Forum of State Executive Secretaries of Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards, Agencies, and Commissions have agreed to peg the minimum deposit for the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage exercise at N4.5m.

NAHCON’s Assistant Director, Public Affairs, Fatima Usara, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

The commission said the decision became necessary to be “in tandem with the dollar rate that will determine the final cost of the coming Hajj.”

Usara said the commission and its stakeholders reached the decision on September 5, following a post-Hajj meeting, where they agreed on the sum as minimum deposit for intending pilgrims to be registered for the 2024 exercise.

NAHCON said the reasons for the decision were so that the states could estimate how many pilgrims would be eligible by November 4 and that with the amount, top-up residual would be minimal by the time the final fare is calculated.

NAHCON said the new rate would enable it to have “a more realistic figure to bargain for cost of accommodation, airline fares, feeding, and others.”

“The said meeting ended with members agreeing unanimously with this plan. Indeed, the Hajj industry in Nigeria is recognised under only one leadership, which is the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, and this institution reiterates that the minimum deposit for the 2024 Hajj remains N4.5m. The balance will be determined by the cost of the dollar at the time of final Hajj fare computation.”

The statement consequently warned the public, especially intending pilgrims, that the Commission would not be held responsible if a pilgrim who paid a lower deposit amount was counted ineligible for the 2024 Hajj.

Usara also reminded interested participants to make deposits in time, to enable the various State Pilgrims Boards to complete registration and remittance of Hajj fares.