Many Nigerians risk missing 2023 hajj over 2-week visa suspension
Barring any last-minute changes, thousands of Nigerian intending pilgrims risk missing the 2023 hajj after visa processing was suspended for two weeks.
Investigations by DAILY NIGERIAN revealed that the reason for the visa suspension was attributed to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON’s delay to remit hajj fares to the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, for onward delivery to pilgrims’ agencies’ bank accounts in Saudi Arabia.
State pilgrims’ officials and private tour operators have confirmed to this newspaper that throughout last and this week, no pilgrim visa was processed or approved allegedly due to NAHCON’s delay in remitting hajj funds to CBN to credit the pilgrims’ International Bank Account Number, IBAN.
The non-remittance of forex to their IBAN has made it impossible for tour operators and state pilgrims boards to log onto their various pilgrims portals to pay for hajj services that include accommodation, feeding, transport, tents, before finally securing visa.
The commission has only 16 days to evacuate the remaining 45,000 pilgrims to the holy land.
For NAHCON to meet up the deadline, it must airlift an average of 2,812 pilgrims daily, which requires at least six Boeing 747 – 500 passenger capacity aircraft, which will operate daily for the remaining 16 days.
A tour operator said the development may further worsen the precarious conditions of many tour operators.
“NAHCON did same thing last year. We paid money to it but it failed to remit it to CBN in time. Majority of tour operators’ pilgrims missed 2022 hajj.
“Many of our members are either bankrupt or are facing litigations and probes by EFCC and police,” the tour operator who declined being named for fear of backlash said.
But when contacted, the spokesperson of NAHCON, Mousa Ubandawaki, blamed “technical hitches” on the part of the CBN for the visa processing suspension.
Mr Ubandawaki said the delay in remitting funds to IBAN was due to the federal government’s directive that restrain CBN from remitting funds to foreign-based accounts.
