2024 Hajj: Why VIPs didn’t secure Tent A in Muna – NAHCON chairman

The Chairperson of the National Hajj Commission, Jalal Arabi, has shared insights into the commission’s role in mitigating challenges and ensuring a successful 2024 Hajj exercise, highlighting numerous instances where swift intervention saved the day for pilgrims.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Mr Arabi said the commission fully invested in making the pilgrimage a success for the pilgrims.

He addressed the controversies surrounding the accommodation of VIPs in Muna, clarifying the circumstances that led to the shortage of tents.

Mr Arabi also shed light on the challenges that arose with the disbursement of Basic Travel Allowances (BTAs) to some pilgrims.

Tents in Muna

On the VIPs tent, Mr Arabi explained that the commission’s role was that of a regulator, not a service provider, tasked with ensuring compliance and standards rather than hands-on management of tent assignments.

“The VIPs paid for an upgrade from Tent D to Tent A via private Hajj operators. As far as NAHCON’s visa regulation was concerned, which was in tandem with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah policy, Tent D was the category required for visa issuance, and of course, visa issuance was the sole responsibility of NAHCON.

“After securing the visas based on the Camp D category, the usual practice was for VIPs to pay for VIP tent upgrades through the private operators as the body recognised to do so.

“This invariably exonerates NAHCON from any blame for not securing Tent A for the VIPs because NAHCON does not collect payment from individuals. Thus, in 2024, as well, the majority of the VIPs later paid for an upgrade from Tent “D” to Tent “A” via private Hajj operators and not NAHCON.

Mr Arabi further explained that upon discovering the system’s changes, which no longer permitted upgrades, the commission promptly intervened on behalf of certain officials and states, attempting to resolve the issue and secure suitable accommodations despite the new constraints.

“Those states that leveraged the goodwill of NAHCON in the ministry, secured the few tents upgrades in Mina and Arafat for their principals. For instance, of ONLY 17 tent “A” spaces granted to the commission after a series of demands, nine were given to Jigawa while the remaining eight were taken by Niger officially.

“It would appear that Niger, other states and some interested pilgrims that needed more allocations still chose to go back through the tour operators despite the new policy, but the deal collapsed.

BTA

On BTA, the chairperson clarified that NAHCON, in agreement with state pilgrims’ representatives, approved a BTA of $500 per pilgrim to reduce the cost of Hajj fare.

He said It was rational for any pilgrim needing more Dollars to source the same through the open market since the rates were the same.

“As of 24th April 2024, when NAHCON remitted the pilgrims’ BTA into their respective SPMBs accounts, the Dollar exchange rate was N1,252 to a Dollar. Based on this rate, N626,000 was paid for the value of $500 (Five hundred Dollars).

“However, the banks later issued BTA to pilgrims at a rate higher than N626 depending on the cost of foreign exchange at the time the respective states requested for the BTAs, causing a shortfall to the original value.

“The commission expected that the banks were supposed to honour the exchange rate obtainable on 24th April, the day the BTA was deposited, and pay the pilgrims based on that rate. Going forward, we shall engage the CBN in that scenario,” he said.

Regarding the N90 billion subsidy allocated by the Tinubu government for Hajj 2024, Mr Arabi explained that the monies were channelled towards completing the payment for 50,000 pilgrims, thereby guaranteeing their participation in the holy pilgrimage and alleviating any financial constraints that might have hindered their spiritual journey.

READ ALSO: UPDATED: Hajj 2024: How we spent Tinubu’s N90bn subsidy – NAHCON chairman

Mr Arabi also thanked journalists for their unwavering support and cooperation.

He also assured Nigerian Muslims and prospective pilgrims for the 2025 Hajj exercise that they can look forward to an exceptional and spiritually fulfilling experience, promising that the commission will leave no stone unturned to ensure a successful and memorable journey.

The organisation of the 2024 Hajj attracted criticism from various groups and individuals.

Two governors, Bala Muhammed of Bauchi State and Umar Bago of Niger State, openly criticized NAHCON over the execution of the exercise.

Mr Bago vowed to lead a campaign to scrap NAHCON and assign more responsibilities to the states.

The House of Representatives set up a committee to probe the exercise earlier in the month.