Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has approved a minimum initial deposit of N6.5 million for residents planning to participate in the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage.
This decision was announced by the Bauchi State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board through a press release issued by its Information Officer, Muhammad Yunusa, on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the collection of deposits will begin on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. The Board set the amount at N6.5 million due to the increased costs experienced during the 2024 Hajj, which reached over N8 million per pilgrim.
The surge in costs was attributed to the devaluation of the naira against the dollar, making the pilgrimage more expensive for intending pilgrims.
The statement included advice from Imam Abdurrahman, who urged intending pilgrims to deposit amounts above the minimum of N6.5 million, up to N8 million.
This, he noted, would help pilgrims settle the final fare more easily when announced by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
The statement stated that, “the collection will commence Wednesday, September 11, 2024.
“The board has no option rather than to peg this amount considering the cost of 2024 hajj fare which amounted to the sum of over Eight million naira due to devaluation of naira against dollar.
“Imam Abdurrahman advised the intending pilgrims to pay above the minimum from N6.5M up to N8M so as to enable them easily settle the final fare when announce by the National Hajj Commissioner of Nigeria NAHCON.”
On the mode of collection, the statement revealed, “those who are willing to perform hajj through local governments should collect a customised hajj bank teller from the Hajj affairs officer at the local government secretariat to pay the deposit and for the Board’s pilgrims (Bs1), the pay point has been transferred to Jaiz Bank.
“The intending pilgrims are therefore requested to enroll themselves under Hajj Saving Scheme HSS at the Jaiz Bank.”
