The Ogun State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board has been allocated 497 slots from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for the 2022 hajj exercise to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Executive Secretary of the Board, Alhaji Salau Dauda made this known in Abeokuta while speaking with newsmen, saying out of 43,008 hajj quotas given to the country, NAHCON allocated the slots to the State. while the remaining slots were shared among other States including Federal Capital Territory, Armed forces and Private Tour Operators.

Salau stated that the Commission allocated the hajj slots based on each State’s performance in the 2019 Hajj exercise to Saudi Arabia, adding that NAHCON has projected the sum of N2.5m as the fare which is subject to review after the conclusion of necessary arrangements in Saudi Arabia.

          He explained that the projection according to the Commission is a result of the increase in the foreign exchange rate, a rise in inflation by almost 10 percent, and the increase of Value Added Tax (VAT) from five to 15 percent chargeable by all service providers in Saudi Arabia.

He advised intending pilgrims who are under 65 years, have received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine, and a booster dose to pay up their initial Hajj deposits to guarantee their readiness to participate in the exercise as first-come, first-serve basis would be applied in the selection process.

It could be recalled that Saudi Arabia’s authority recently pronounced that a total of 1 million intending pilgrims globally would perform this year’s hajj for the first time since the cancellation of the international pilgrimage in 2020/2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic.