Emir of Lafia, Agwai urges NAHCON to reduce hajj fares

The Emir of Lafia, Dr Isa Mustapha-Agwai, has called on the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to reduce the fares for the 2018 Hajj to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

The emir made the call when he received officials of Nasarawa State Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board at his palace in Lafia.

He warned that the astronomical fares being charged would deprive Muslims in the country from performing a very important religious obligation, which is one of the five pillars of Islam.

Mustapha-Agwai advised NAHCON to engage the Presidency and Saudi authorities to reduce the fares to enable more Muslims partake in the spiritual exercise.

Executive Secretary of the board, Alhaji Abubakar Nalaraba said the visit was part of state-wide advocacy to educate intending pilgrims on new innovations introduced by Saudi authorities for the Hajj.

According to him, the introduction of taxes and other innovations raised the tentative Hajj fare from about N1 million paid in 2017 to N1.5 million.

He said the collection of the fares would end on March 31.

Nalaraba said intending pilgrims who have completed the payment would go for bio-metric data capture in seven centres across the country, with those from the state having theirs in Abuja.

“For now, we are instructed to receive N1.5 million; last year the total hajj fare was N1, 545, 000, but this year we are instructed to collect N1, 500, 000 from intending pilgrims pending the final approval,” he said.