There are sturdy indications that about 45,000 Nigerians who paid the 2023 hajj fares might miss the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia over visa points. LEADERSHIP Friday gathered that, within the final two weeks, the affected intending pilgrims couldn't safe visas as a result of delay within the remittance of their hajj fares to the Central …
There are sturdy indications that about 45,000 Nigerians who paid the 2023 hajj fares might miss the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia over visa points.
LEADERSHIP Friday gathered that, within the final two weeks, the affected intending pilgrims couldn’t safe visas as a result of delay within the remittance of their hajj fares to the Central Financial institution of Nigeria (CBN) by the Nationwide Hajj Fee of Nigeria (NAHCON).
Consequently, the CBN could not remit the funds to the pilgrims’ companies and tour operators’ financial institution accounts in Saudi Arabia for the fee of hajj companies.
State pilgrim officers and personal tour operators have confirmed that all through final week and this week, no pilgrim visa was accepted due to NAHCON’s delay in remitting hajj funds to CBN to credit score the pilgrims’ Worldwide Financial institution Account Numbers (IBAN).
The non-remittance has made it not possible for tour operators and state pilgrim boards to log onto their varied pilgrims’ portals to pay for hajj companies that embrace lodging, feeding, transports and tents earlier than lastly securing visa.
Insiders at CBN stated that prior to now, the hajj fee remitted fares to the apex financial institution two to a few months earlier than the airlift of pilgrims.
However the officers, who stated they weren’t authorised to talk on the matter, famous that this time, the fee remitted the fund to CBN barely two weeks earlier than the inaugural flight on Might 25, 2023.
The continued transition and probes of the hajj fee by anti-graft companies “have fueled CBN’s suspicion of NAHCON overseas transactions. CBN must be very meticulous in funding these overseas accounts,” a prime official of the financial institution stated.
A workers of the CBN stated that the apex financial institution was alarmed by the hajj fee’s transactions “when it tried to maneuver about $400 million to Saudi Arabia in a single tranche. This single incident pressured CBN to be extra cautious.”
Findings revealed that other than the visa situation, the fee had not mobilised the 5 accepted airways for the hajj operations two weeks after the graduation of the airlift.
“The airways are complaining. They haven’t been paid a dime two weeks into the airlift operation,” an official of the fee stated.
At this fee, it isn’t shocking if the airways fail to airlift all of the pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. The fee had airlifted slightly over 30,000 pilgrims as of Wednesday, abandoning 45,000 others.
It was learnt {that a} supremacy battle between the NAHCON management and a commissioner in control of a important workplace was one of many components that slowed down the operations.
The official allegedly disregarded a superior’s order for making funds.
“He does it with open audacity although he has zero expertise in hajj operations. He intentionally slows the system,” a NAHCON official stated.
There are fears that many pilgrims might miss the hajj, with the fee having solely 16 days to evacuate the remaining 45,000 pilgrims to the holy land.
For NAHCON to satisfy up with the deadline, it should henceforth airlift a mean of two,812 pilgrims every day, which requires not less than six Boeing 747 – 500 passenger capability plane, which is able to function every day for the remaining 16 days.
Sources say that Vice President Kashim Shettima has intervened in order that CBN can fast-track the funds switch.
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A tour operator stated the event might additional worsen the precarious situations of many tour operators.
“NAHCON did the identical factor final yr. We paid cash to it but it surely did not remit it to the CBN in time. A majority of tour operators’ pilgrims missed the 2022 hajj. A lot of our members are both bankrupt or going through litigation or probes by the EFCC and police,” a tour operator who does not need his identify talked about stated.
Saudi Arabia has granted Nigeria 95,000 slots for the 2023 hajj pilgrimage, 75,000 for state pilgrims, and 20,000 for personal tour operators.
NAHCON spokesperson, Mousa Ubandawaki, nonetheless advised journalists that the visa suspension was on account of “technical hitches” on the a part of the CBN.
Ubandawaki blamed a federal authorities’s directive that bars CBN from remitting funds to overseas accounts for the visa stall.
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