The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, on Thursday called on all the Umrah visa hopefuls to seek a refund from the Licensed Tour Operators as Saudi Arabia would soon refund visa fees and other service charges.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that the Kingdom authorities has suspended lesser Hajj activities as a measure towards halting the spread of COVID-19 infection.
The NAHCON’s head of public affairs, Fatima Sanda-Usara, in a statement, said the call became necessary as Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, through a circular, had indicated that the refund would be done electronically through local agents.
According to the Ministry of Health in a statement, the infected person did not declare, at the Saudi port, that he had visited Iran. It was revealed that he had accompanied the Saudi, who was the first person to be infected with COVID-19 in the Kingdom.
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The Commission further urged those who subsequently encounter problems collecting their refunds to lodge complaints with the Commission through post or by physical appearance at the Hajj House, NAHCON headquarters Abuja.
“All claims must be accompanied with valid documents and evidence of transaction with the registered operator,” the statement added.
“It would be recalled that the Commission has always cautioned Umrah hopefuls to transact directly with only Tour Operators dully registered with the Commission in case of breach of contract or similar situations that may warrant recovery of funds.
“Similarly, the Commission encourages intending pilgrims whether for Umrah or Hajj under private arrangements to sign agreements on the types of package they are paying for.
“This package should indicate category of services being paid for and other terms and conditions of engagement,” the statement noted.
