Next year's intending pilgrims from Niger State to the Holy Land of Saudi Arabia have been advised to hasten their payment for Hajj seats to meet the December deadline given by the Saudi authorities.
This was made known by the Chairman of Arewa New Agenda (ANA), Senator Ahmed Abubakar, in a one-day sensitization programme held at the Conference Hall of the Islamic Education Trust (IET) in Minna on Monday.
The Arewa New Agenda, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), was saddled with the responsibility of embarking on aggressive sensitization to create awareness about the position of Saudi Arabian authorities and the reason behind the December deadline.
According to the Senator, the Saudi authorities allocated only 97,000 slots to the National Hajj Commission (NAHCO), out of which Nigerians were yet to meet reasonable numbers of the allocated seats, "which informed the decisions of the sensitization for Nigerians, particularly the North, to hasten up to meet the deadline.".
He disclosed that the Saudi authorities will close the visa portal by the end of December 2023, adding that the intending pilgrims for the year 2024 should endeavour to ensure the completion of their payment so as to get their visa as scheduled.
He pointed out that the increase in the 2024 Hajj fares was a result of the exchange rate of dollars, stressing that the hike in the 2024 Hajj fares should not be seen as a deliberate attempt to deny Nigerians the right to perform the most sacred Islamic oblgation.
Senator Ahmed therefore appealed to the intending pilgrims, particularly pilgrims from the Northern States, to, as a matter of obligation, pay up their fares to avoid the delay in the issuance of their visas.
Also speaking, the Director General of the Niger State Bureau for Religious Affairs, Dr. Umar Farooq Abdullahi, commended the Arewa New Agenda for embarking on the sensitization programme in Niger State at this point in time.
He described the sensitization programme as timely and crucial, assuring that the state Bureau for Religious Affairs, under his leadership, will step it down across the 25 local government areas of the state.
He noted that the Bureau, as part of its mandate, will collaborate with the state pilgrim welfare board and take their message across the twenty-five local government areas of the state to sensitise intending pilgrims in Niger State on the need for them to hasten their payment before the end of the deadline.