By Mohammed Aminu in Sokoto
The Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency (PWA) has fixed a flat rate of N1.52 million as the fare for intending pilgrims for the 2017 Hajj to Saudi Arabia.
The Director General of PWA, Alhaji Ibrahim Umar, made this known during a meeting with the 23 local government Hajj registration officers and their assistants in Sokoto on Thursday.
Umar, who said the fare was approved by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), added that all intending pilgrims would receive $800 as Basic Travelling Allowance (BTA), and insisted that no provision was made for minimum and maximum Hajj fares as practised in the past.
He disclosed that 5,571 prospective pilgrims are expected to perform the 2017 Hajj from the state, adding that the prospective pilgrims from the state had already made initial deposits of N1 million.
“The prospective pilgrims were given two weeks deadline to pay the balance of the fare as stipulated by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON). The intending pilgrims are also required to pay N38,000 for those performing Hadaya through Ja’iz Bank,” he added.
