President Ahmed Bola Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to immediately review and reduce the cost of the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage, following concerns over high exchange rate assumptions in the earlier fare projections.
The announcement was made by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, during a briefing with State House correspondents after a high-level meeting with NAHCON officials at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to Hadejia, the fare structure initially released by the commission was calculated using an exchange rate of ₦1,550 to the dollar — a rate he described as “pessimistic” given the recent steady appreciation of the naira.
“This meeting was essentially called at the instance of His Excellency, the Vice President, to look at the possibility of reducing the Hajj fare for the 2026 pilgrimage,” he explained. “The fares announced by NAHCON were based on a very pessimistic exchange rate of ₦1,550. But the rates have continued to improve steadily, thanks to the government’s ongoing economic reforms.”
Under the earlier fare schedule, pilgrims from the Maiduguri-Yola zone were expected to pay ₦8,318,336.67, while those from other Northern states would pay ₦8,244,813.67. Southern states were pegged at ₦8,561,013.67.
However, with the strengthening of the naira, the presidency believes the cost can and should be brought down.
“If during the last Hajj pilgrims paid between ₦8.5 and ₦8.6 million when the exchange rate was worse, now that the naira has appreciated, it’s only fair that the benefits are passed on to the pilgrims,” Hadejia stated.
He noted that NAHCON officials have been instructed to rework the figures using more current exchange rates. “If that is done, we should be looking at a revised fare in the range of ₦7.6 to ₦7.7 million. The final figure will be made public within the next two days.”
He added that timely remittance of payments from state pilgrim welfare boards is critical to locking in favorable exchange rates. “The faster the funds are remitted to NAHCON and transferred to the Central Bank of Nigeria for dollar purchase, the better the outcome for the pilgrims.”
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Kebbi State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Faruk Yaro, welcomed the development, praising President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima for their swift response.
“We are very happy because the president and the vice president have already intervened,” Yaro said. “We thank God for what they have done, which is expected to bring down the cost of the Hajj fare.”
Dr. Mustapha Mohammad, Secretary of NAHCON, also described the move as timely and impactful. “The lower the Hajj fare, the more Muslims will have the opportunity to fulfill this important religious obligation,” he said. “As directed, we’ll work tirelessly to arrive at a more affordable rate for the benefit of all.”
