Senator Ali Ndume, the Chief Whip of Senate, is calling on the Federal and State governments to consider subsidising the Hajj fare of N5 million to assist first-time attendees in participating in this year’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Ndume voiced concern in a press release on Wednesday in Abuja, expressing worries about the increase in Hajj fees by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON). He emphasised that the recent fee hike could present difficulties, particularly for individuals embarking on the pilgrimage for the first time.
Mr. Ndume emphasized that pilgrims who had already paid the previous fee should not be required to pay an extra fee, especially with just one week remaining until the registration deadline.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to authorize the additional expenses as a subsidy to facilitate the participation of first-time Hajj attendees.
Sen. Ndume said: “The sudden hike in the fees intending pilgrims are expected to pay by NAHCON is unfair.
“You cannot impose such on them, they had already paid ahead of time, If there is any changes, the burden should be on NAHCON and not on the intending pilgrims.
“Something urgent needs to be done about this, I urge President Bola Tinubu to approve the payment of the extra fee.
“This is the right thing to do in order to save the situation.
“I am also calling on states pilgrims to subsidise the fees of pilgrims, especially for first timers, Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam and it is unfair to deny first timers the right to perform this spiritual exercise, especially after they have already paid the old fee set by NAHCON.
“I do not think it is fair to ask them to pay almost N2million again, many of the pilgrims saved up the money for many years to enable them participate in Hajj, you cannot deny such people the right to participate.
“I strongly believe that the right thing to do is to subsidise the fee and take the extra burden away from pilgrims, especially first timers who deserve to participate in this year’s Hajj exercise, we need to help them.”
