President Tinubu Orders Reduction Of 2026 Hajj Fare

Following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to instantly reappraisal the 2026 Hajj fares, Vice President Kashim Shettima has directed the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to make caller fares for the workout wrong 2 days.

In its penultimate week, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) announced the authoritative fare for the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage. Initiated pilgrims from the North are expected to wage N8.2 million, portion Southern pilgrims are to wage N8.5 million.

But the Vice President Shettima, during a gathering with absorption and committee members of NAHCON astatine the Presidential Villa, yesterday, called for a simplification of the fare, saying it had go indispensable considering the continued appreciation of the naira against the dollar, a superior determinant for the pilgrimage fares.

He urged synergy among nationalist and authorities officials, including authorities Governors, successful streamlining and adopting a caller acceptable of rules for the exercise.

According to a connection issued by the elder peculiar adjunct to the President connected media and communications (Office of the Vice President), Mr Stanely Nkwocha, the Vice President demands punctual enactment by each stakeholders to guarantee speedy payments and timely remittances to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to facilitate a hitch-free exercise.

Fielding questions from journalists soon aft the gathering with the VP, Senator Ibrahim Hadeija, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, said the gathering convened astatine the Vice President’s lawsuit was to finalise preparations for the 2026 Hajj operations, peculiarly the determination of fares for the 2026 exercise.

He explained that the extremity is to trim the magnitude pilgrims wage for the exercise, fixed the existent economical inclination occasioned by the Tinubu administration’s ongoing reforms.

He said, “Rates person continued to amended steadily, with the naira appreciating based connected the effects of the government’s economical reforms. The Vice President felt that if pilgrims paid ₦8.5 cardinal to ₦8.6 cardinal based connected the antagonistic speech complaint past year, and the speech complaint has improved, the changes should bespeak successful the existent fares. The benefits should besides beryllium passed connected to prospective pilgrims.

“So, the commissions and each officers of the Hajj committee are present and person been told to look astatine much realistic speech rates immediately. If we execute what we envisage, past we volition person a precise important simplification successful the Hajj.”

For his part, Secretary of the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON), Dr Mustapha Mohammad, said the President’s directive would summation the fig of intending pilgrims for this year’s exercise.

“It is simply a invited development, and the little the Hajj fare, the amended for Muslim faithful intending to execute Hajj. So, arsenic directed by the Vice President, we volition enactment tirelessly betwixt contiguous and time to spot that we trim it to the barest minimum and affordable complaint for each Muslim faithful to person the accidental to execute this cardinal pillar of Islam.”

Also, the Chairman of the Kebbi State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, the Deputy Chairman of the Forum of the Chief Executive Officers of 36, and the FCT Chairmen of the Pilgrims Board, Alhaji Faruk Aliyu Yaro, expressed delight with the statesmanlike directive.

“We are delighted due to the fact that the President and the Vice President person already intervened. We convey God for what they person said, which is expected to bring down the outgo of the Hajj fare. So, we are happy,” helium said.