The Katsina State Pilgrims board has urged intending pilgrims who made initial deposits to complete the payment by February 2.
This is contained in a statement issued by the board’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Alhaji Badaru Bello-Karofi on Wednesday in Katsina.
He said that some of the intending pilgrims had earlier deposited between ₦3 million and ₦4 million for the 2024 pilgrimage. He said the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced ₦4.699 million as this year’s fare.
The increase, he said, followed the recent plunge in the value of Naira against the US dollar. The commission initially announced ₦4.5 million as the fare for the 2024 Hajj, but the fee has now been increased to ₦4.6 million for northern pilgrims and ₦4.8 million for pilgrims from the south.
This latest adjustment was recently announced by the NAHCON’s Assistant Director of Public Affairs, Hajiya Fatima Usara. According to her, the naira crash compelled a necessary adjustment, as the commission was forced to review the fee.