By Ahmed Suleiman
As activities gear up for the 2018 hajj, no fewer than 1,470 intending pilgrims in Kwara State have formally signified intention to perform holy pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
The Executive Secretary of the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Tunde Jimoh made the disclosure during an interview with our reporter over the weekend
He stated that 1,470 pilgrims have registered with the board, adding that no fewer than 2,000 pilgrims would be accommodated for the exercise.
Jimoh further stated that the amount collected by the board for the exercise is in line with what was approved by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
“About 1,470 pilgrims have registered so far for the 2018 hajj while over 2,000 pilgrims are expected to register. All charges are approved by the relevant body.
“We got approval for everything. For instance, the issue of down payment that we are collecting right now is a directive from National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON),” he said.
He debunked the alleged collection of illegal fees, stressing that all charges are directed by the state government.
“We don’t collect any extra charges from intending pilgrims apart from the charges the state government has directed us to collect. We got approval for everything,” he stated.
He further disclosed that NAHCON has directed the board to collect N1.5 million as baseline pending official announcement by the commission.
“We have been directed by NAHCON to receive N1.5m from intending pilgrims pending the announcement of 2018 hajj fare. But we decided to be collecting N1.3 million from the pilgrims,” he said.
On the challenges the board faced during last year’s hajj, Jimoh said the major problem was non compliance with directives by the pilgrims, which he said would be addressed this year.
Speaking on the deadline for payment and registration, the Executive Secretary said, all intending pilgrims in Kwara State must do so on or before February 28, 2018.
“We have fixed it (deadline) for the end of this month, which is February 28,” he said.
In a related development, the Oyo State Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare Board has fixed April 30 as deadline for payment of the 2018 hajj fare for all intending pilgrims in the state.
The Chairman of the board, Alhaji Taofeek Akewugbagold, said this yesterday in an interview in Ibadan.
Akewugbagold said that the state collected N1.1 million from intending pilgrims pending the final fare to be announced by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria.
The Oyo State board chairman said that all registration relating to 2018 hajj must be completed by May 31 unless Saudi Arabia extends the date.
The chairman said that the centres for orientation, material distribution and inoculation for intending pilgrims had been decentralised.
“Orientation, distribution of hajj materials and inoculation now takes place in Saki, Igboho, Ogbomoso, Kishi, this is to make the centres closer to the pilgrims and reduce travel stress,’’ Akewugbagold said.
He advised pilgrims to fear Allah in their deeds as they gather money for the journey.
